Does the Intel® Server M50CYP Family Support Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) RAID 1 Volumes Using Onboard M.2 Ports?

Description

Planning to configure RAID 1 using M.2 SSDs with Premium or Standard Intel® VROC key on the Intel® Server System M50CYP2UR208.

Resolution

M.2 drives can be configured into a bootable RAID 1 volume using Intel® VROC. However, requirements and steps are different depending on the type of M.2 SSD used: NVMe* or SATA.

For M.2 NVMe* SSDs, follow the steps below:

1. Enter the system BIOS by pressing the F2 key while the system boots.
2. Navigate to Advanced > Integrated IO Configuration > Volume Management Device.
3. Enable the setting M.2 Volume Management Device.
4. Press the key F10, then press the Y key to save the changes and reboot.
5. Enter the system BIOS again by pressing the key F2 while the system boots.
6. Navigate to Advanced -> PCI Configuration -> UEFI Option ROM Control > Intel® Virtual RAID On CPU.
7. Select the option Create RAID Volume. At the option RAID Level, press Enter and choose the RAID 1 option.
8. Configure the remaining settings as desired and select at the end the Create Volume option .
9. Press the F10 key, then press the Y key to save the changes and exit. The system will save the changes and reboot.

Intel® VROC Upgrade Key

Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) requires a hardware upgrade key to unlock RAID features. If the the option Upgrade key shows a message similar to VROC in pass-thru mode, it means there is no hardware key installed in the system. A hardware upgrade key needs to be installed to create the RAID volume. See more information in What Is the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Hardware Key?

For M.2 SATA SSDs, follow the below steps:

1. Enter the system BIOS by pressing the F2 key while the system boots.
2. Navigate to Advanced > Mass Storage Controller Configuration > sSATA Controller (Port 0 - 5).
3. Change the setting AHCI Capable sSATA Controller to RAID Mode (default value is AHCI).
4. Press the key F10, then press the Y key to save the changes and reboot.
5. Enter the system BIOS again by pressing the F2 key while the system boots.
6. Navigate to Advanced -> PCI Configuration -> UEFI Option ROM Control > Intel ® VROC sSATA Controller.
7. Select the Create RAID Volume option. At the option RAID Level, press Enter and choose the RAID 1 option.
8. Configure the remaining settings as desired and select at the end the Create Volume option .
9. Press the F10 key, then press the Y key to save the changes and exit. The system will save the changes and reboot.

Additional information

For more information, consult the Intel® Server System M50CYP2UR Technical Product Specification, section M.2 SSD Storage Support.