INTEL VIRTUAL RAID ON CPU (VROC) SUPPORT - SECTION 6 - DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY

Oct 25, 2026

Uploaded by 404brain

INTEL Virtual RAID on CPU (VROC) support guidance for Lenovo ThinkStation P720 and P920 explains how Intel VROC works with Intel Volume Management Device (VMD) and Intel RSTe 5.0 to enable bootable RAID on PCIe NVMe SSDs. It details RAID level support for VROC Basic versus Premium, outlines platform-specific VMD and PCIe slot mappings, and specifies operational limitations across VMD domains, UEFI/Legacy ROM behavior, and Linux mode restrictions. The document also provides BIOS configuration and RAID array creation steps for M.2 NVMe SSDs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

SECTION 1 – Intel Virtual RAID On CPU (VROC) [OVERVIEW]

SECTION 2 – VROC Support/Limitations by Platform

SECTION 3 – How to Install the VROC Device

SECTION 4 – How to Configure the VROC Device

SECTION 5 – How to Create the M.2 RAID Array

SECTION 6 – Document Revision History

INTEL VIRTUAL RAID ON CPU (VROC) SUPPORT Contents SECTION 1 – INTEL VIRTUAL RAID ON CPU (VROC) [OVERVIEW] SECTION 2 – VROC SUPPORT/LIMITATIONS BY PLATFORM SECTION 3 – HOW TO INSTALL THE VROC DEVICE SECTION 4 – HOW TO CONFIGURE THE VROC DEVICE SECTION 5 – HOW TO CREATE THE M.2 RAID ARRAY SECTION 6 – DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY Section 1 – Intel Virtual RAID On CPU (VROC) Intel Virtual RAID on CPU (VROC) provides an enterprise RAID solution on platforms that support Intel Volume Management Device (VMD) . Intel Volume Management Device (VMD) provides support for RAID on PCIe NVMe Solid State Drives. Intel VMD’s can use a minimum of 4 PCIe lanes and a maximum of 16 PCIe lanes. There can essentially be up to 4 NVMe SSD’s per Intel VMD. Intel VROC, combined with Intel RSTe 5.0 and VMD, allows bootable RAID on PCIe NVMe SSDs directly attached to the CPU PCIe lanes. There are two types of VROC’s supported on Lenovo Workstations: 􀁸 Intel Virtual RAID on CPU (VROC)– Basic o Supports RAID 0, 1, and 10. 􀁸 Intel Virtual RAID on CPU (VROC)– Premium o Supports RAID 0, 1, 10, and 5. Premium See Intel documentation for more details on Intel Virtual RAID On CPU (VROC): [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/memory-and-storage/ssd](https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/memory-and-storage/ssd)software/000024498 . html ThinkStation P720 ThinkStation P920 Section 2 – VROC Support/Limitations by Platform The screenshots below correlate with the diagrams above in Section 1 in regards to Intel VMD. Refer to the motherboard diagrams in Section 3 to correlate the PCIe labels with the actual PCIe slot locations. ThinkStation P720 􀃎 “CPU 0 Port 2” o PCIE Slot 2 (x16 slot) 􀃎 “CPU 0 Port 3 o M.2 Slot 1 (x4 slot) o M.2 Slot 2 (x4 slot) o PCIE Slot 3 (x8 slot) 􀃎 “CPU 1 Port 1” o PCIE Slot 1 (x16 slot) ThinkStation P920 􀃎 “CPU 0 Port 1” o PCIE Slot 3 (x16 slot) 􀃎 “CPU 0 Port 3 o M.2 Slot 1 (x4 slot) o M.2 Slot 2 (x4 slot) o PCIE Slot 2 (x4 slot) o PCIE Slot 4 (x4 slot) 􀃎 “CPU 1 Port 1” o PCIE Slot 8 (x16 slot) 􀃎 “CPU 1 Port 2” o PCIE Slot 6 (x16 slot) 􀃎 “CPU 1 Port 3” o PCIE Slot 7 (x16 slot) Levels of Support: 􀁸 BOOTABLE RAID on NVMe SSDs – maximum of four NVMe SSDs. o Cannot span across multiple Intel VMD domains. 􀁸 DATA RAID on NVMe SSDs o Can span across multiple Intel VMD domains. 􀁸 Spanning across CPU’s. o Not recommended as it could result in performance degradation. 􀁸 UEFI o Does not support nor provide a Legacy Option ROM. 􀁸 Three (3) Intel Volume Management Device (VMD) domains per single CPU. 􀃎 For Debian and Ubuntu Linux based operating systems, VMD mode is NOT supported; therefore, NVMe PCIe drives need to be set up as PCIE mode. 􀃎 For RedHat Linux based operating systems, VMD mode support is limited. RHEL 7.3/7 .4 or equivalent operating systems can support VMD mode with a proprietary Intel RSTe/VMD driver. See “P520c-P520-P720-P920 RHEL 7 Installation” whitepaper for step-by-step instructions on how to get this to work. Section 3 – How to Install the VROC Device Refer to the motherboard diagrams below for the location of the VROC header on the motherboard. P720 P920 PCIE Slot 1 PCIE Slot 2 PCIE Slot 3 PCIE Slot 4 PCIE Slot 5 PCIE Slot 6 PCIE Slot 6 PCIE Slot 7 PCIE Slot 8 M.2 Slot 1 & 2 M.2 Slot 1 & 2 PCIE Slot 1 PCIE Slot 2 PCIE Slot 3 PCIE Slot 4 PCIE Slot 5 Section 4 – How to Configure the VROC Device Please see the following steps to configure VROC. 1. Boot into BIOS by pressing the function F1 key at the “Lenovo” splash screen. 2. Select “Setup” from the screen indicated below. 3. Select “Advanced” (left) and “Intel VMD technology” (right) . 4. Enable the appropriate CPU x Port y based on where the NVMe SSDs are installed in the system. ***See Section 2 above for specific platforms. 5. Set the appropriate slots where the NVMe SSDs are installed to “VMD”. ***

FAQs

What RAID levels are supported by VROC Basic and VROC Premium?

VROC Basic supports RAID 0, 1, and 10. VROC Premium supports RAID 0, 1, 10, and 5.

How does VROC enable bootable RAID on Lenovo ThinkStation platforms?

VROC combined with Intel RSTe 5.0 and VMD allows bootable RAID on PCIe NVMe SSDs directly attached to the CPU PCIe lanes, with a maximum of four NVMe SSDs.

What BIOS settings are required to configure VROC?

Boot into BIOS (F1 on the Lenovo splash screen), go to Advanced > Intel VMD technology, enable the correct CPU x Port y, set the NVMe SSD slots to VMD, then press F10 to save and exit.

Oct 25, 2026

Uploaded by 404brain