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Which is the correct VROC key for X299?

SEric
Novice
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I have gotten conflicting answers from various sources (including Intel)

VROCISSMOD

VROCSTANMOD

VROCPREMMOD

Thank you

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idata
Employee
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birdman941: Thank you very much for contacting the Intel® communities. We will do our best in order to provide the information you are looking for.

 

 

In regard to your inquiry, to deliver the most accurate response we will do further research on this matter, as soon as I get any updates I will post all the details on this thread.

 

 

Additionally, on the link below you will find the link for the datasheet of the Intel® X299 Chipset. I looked for the VROC information but it is not in there, still you might find useful information in there:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/chipsets/200-series-chipset-pch-datasheet-vol-1.html https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/chipsets/200-series-chipset-pch-datasheet-vol-1.html

Any further questions, please let me know.

Regards,

 

Alberto R
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idata
Employee
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birdman941: I just received an update on the research we were doing on this matter. In order to get additional details about VROC, please verify the link below:

 

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000024550/memory-and-storage.html?wapkw=vroc https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000024550/memory-and-storage.html?wapkw=vroc

 

 

Additionally, in regard to your question, the Intel VROC has four different SKUs:

 

Intel VROC Pass-Through No RAID support No hardware key. License included in Platform Control Hub (PCH).

 

Intel VROC Intel SSD Only VROCISSDMOD RAID 0/1/5/10 support

 

Intel VROC Standard VROCSTANMODRAID 0/1/10 support. Standard hardware key needed

 

Intel VROC Premium VROCPREMMODRAID 0/1/5/10 support Premium hardware key needed

 

 

Any questions, please let me know.

 

 

Regards,

 

Alberto R
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SEric
Novice
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So with no key, there is no VROC RAID? Period?

answer:

With key "VROCISSDMOD" raid 0/1/5/10 are supported with Intel SSD and no other brands?

answer:

With VROCSTANMODRAID there is no mention of Intel or other brands.

Is it Intel only or will others such as 960 Pro Samsung work? (With Asus hyper m.2x16 card)

Answer:

With VROCPREMMODRAID there is also no mention of Intel or other brands,

although there is a list of a couple others including a couple of Samsung M.2 drives.

There is also no mention of specifically the X299 boards, but there are mentions of Xeon boards.

Are the keys for X299 and 2011-3 (Or whatever) interchangeable or different?

Answer:

In order to make this work in ANY VROC RAID config, a key is required? (Assuming not running through chipset)

I have also heard this entire VROC has been handed over to motherboard mfr's for their implementation and validation.

Is that true?

Answer:

Do the keys need to be purchased through Intel, or Gigabyte/Asus/Asrock, etc?

Answer:

Anticipated availability date through whomever will be distributing these keys?

Answer:

My apologies for asking so many questions, but I am attempting to understand what it takes

to build a flagship, HEDT prototype using as much high quality Intel hardware as possible.

Thank you.

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idata
Employee
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birdman941: No problem at all, we are here to help and to try to provide all the information you need. We will do further research on this subject and as soon as we get all the details I will post them on this thread.

 

 

Any questions, please let me know.

 

 

Regards,

 

Alberto R

 

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idata
Employee
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birdman941: In regard to your questions, after doing further research,based on the chart you saw on the link above we can confirm:

 

 

So with no key, there is no VROC RAID? Period?

 

-That is not correct, with the VROCISSDMOD you can set RAID 0-1-5- and 10 and there is no key needed.

 

 

With key "VROCISSDMOD" raid 0/1/5/10 are supported with Intel SSD and no other brands?

 

-Based on the chart, that is correct.

 

 

With VROCSTANMODRAID there is no mention of Intel or other brands. Is it Intel only or will others such as 960 Pro Samsung work? (With Asus hyper m.2x16 card)

 

With VROCPREMMODRAID there is also no mention of Intel or other brands, although there is a list of a couple others including a couple of Samsung M.2 drives.

 

-According to the chart only the VROCISSDMOD required and Intel SSD.

 

 

There is also no mention of specifically the X299 boards, but there are mentions of Xeon boards.

 

- When it launched, Intel VROC was primarily intended for professional workstations and server platforms. However, you can potentially enable it on any platform with the Intel VMD feature. As of September 25, 2017, Intel VROC is supported on X299 High End Desktop platforms as well. Check HEDT marketing team for specific Intel VROC support on X299 platforms.

Are the keys for X299 and 2011-3 (Or whatever) interchangeable or different?

-Each key has its own unique specific function

 

 

In order to make this work in ANY VROC RAID config, a key is required? (Assuming not running through chipset)

 

-That is not correct, with the VROCISSDMOD you can set RAID 0-1-5- and 10 and there is no key needed.

 

 

I have also heard this entire VROC has been handed over to motherboard mfr's for their implementation and validation. Is that true?

 

-That is correct, several OEMs and ODMs have designed in Intel VROC into appropriate server and workstation platforms. We can provide guidance after the OEMs and ODMs launch products, but we recommend you ask your server or workstation provider directly.

 

Do the keys need to be purchased through Intel, or Gigabyte/Asus/Asrock, etc?

 

-Correct, Intel does not sell any products directly, Intel sells products through our authorized distributors. In this case you will need to purchase them through the computer manufacturers or OEM's(Original Equipment Manufacturers).

 

 

Anticipated availability date through whomever will be distributing these keys?

 

-Yes, you will need to confirm that information directly with the OEM.

 

Any questions, please let me know.

 

 

Regards,

 

Alberto R
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SEric
Novice
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The VRICISSDMOD is a key from what I can tell,

and from what you are saying, there is no need for any "Premium" key.

VROCISSDMOD does RAID 0/1/5/10

If incorrect, what does the Premium key do that the "standard" key does not.

If it is not relevant to X299 then it somewhat makes sense.

My X299 board is on the way and would like to get a key and get going.

Thanks for answering the questions, as there are many VROC "stories" out in the wild.

I just figured if Intel doesn't know, no one does.

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idata
Employee
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birdman941: That is correct, there is no need for any "Premium" key for VRICISSDMOD. The difference between the "Premium" key and the "Standard" key is the features that they support, for example the "Premium" key supports RAID 5.

 

 

Any questions, please let me know.

 

 

Regards,

 

Alberto R

 

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SEric
Novice
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Above it states that the ssd key supports raid5 but Intel SSD only.

The other 2 support non-Intel ssd?

What do the stanmod and premmod keys support? (And are they X299 keys?)

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idata
Employee
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birdman941: That is correct.

 

 

The other 2 support non-Intel ssd?

 

-Based on the chart, yes they do.

 

 

What do the stanmod and premmod keys support? (And are they X299 keys?)

 

-The main difference is that RAID 5 is supported with the "Premium" key. And yes, they will work with X299.

 

 

As usual it is required to verify any compatibility list between the motherboard and SSD provided by the OEM manufacturer of each device.

 

 

Any questions, please let me know.

 

 

Regards,

 

Alberto R

 

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SEric
Novice
3,212 Views

Ok, please correct me if I am wrong.

Intel VROCISSDMOD is a key,

a separate part required to make Intel SSD RAID through the CPU,

not the chipset.

I just purchased and received an Asrock X299 Taichi XE board for my build.

My Asus Hyper M.2 x 16 card will be delivered tomorrow.

Recently I read Intel officially offloaded the VROC keys (all 3, not 4) to board manufacturers,

and will be sold as "bundles". (Board and key)

At this point, I need to know exactly whom to contact,

or where to get either the VROCISSDMOD key or the VROCSTANMOD key.

There is so much info out there I am not sure what to believe.

Do I contact Asrock?

Are all of the board mfr's going to be selling the exact same keys?

Are the board mfr's able to tailor the keys to only their boards

or are the keys from different board required to make them the same?

I.E. Asus VROC keys ONLY work with Asus boards, etc?

There are a lot of folks waiting on this, not just me.

Thanks.

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idata
Employee
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birdman941: In regard to your inquiry, yes, the VROCISSDMOD is a key that enables the functionality of the chipset to build the RAID.

 

Yes, you will need to get in contact with ASrcok to gather all the information about the keys needed for your board.

 

 

Are all of the board mfr's going to be selling the exact same keys?

 

They will have the same keys that you saw on the chart provided before, depending on the boards they build, it will be better to check that information directly with them.

 

 

Are the board mfr's able to tailor the keys to only their boards or are the keys from different board required to make them the same?

 

Yes, the keys provided by ASrock are only for the boards they build.

 

 

Any information about installation or further details about the keys are provided by the manufacturer of the board.

 

 

Any questions, please let me know.

 

 

Regards,

 

Alberto R
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SEric
Novice
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Asrock didn't know anything right away, I had to call back.

Now maybe another month, etc. etc.

Very frustrating.

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idata
Employee
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birdman941: We are sorry to hear that the information is not available yet. At this point we basically need to wait for their response.

 

 

We apologize for any inconvenience.

 

 

Any questions, please let me know.

 

 

Regards,

 

Alberto R

 

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SEric
Novice
3,212 Views

It's ok.

This is an unexpectedly bigger deal than I think Intel thought it was.

I may have good news though, will find out next Tuesday. (Hopefully)

This is for a prototype.

Speed Matters

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idata
Employee
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birdman941: Thank you very much for providing those updates. Perfect, hopefully they will provide all the information you need.

 

 

Any questions, please let me know.

 

 

Regards,

 

Alberto R

 

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SEric
Novice
3,212 Views

Strange question perhaps, but here goes.

Below is assuming a vrocstanmod or vrocpremmod key.

Also assuming Windows 10 64 bit on X299 board.

I read somewhere that VROC only supports 4 M.2 drives. (assuming identical drives)

Is this true?

Or does it only support 16 lanes?

Should the VROC key be installed on the board prior to OS installation?

If it is 16 lanes, would 8 - 2 lane M.2 drives work in this regard?

I was also researching the proper utilities/downloads to enable VROC on an X299 board.

Exactly which files are needed or not needed?

Is there a certain order they need to be loaded?

(Should I start a new thread on this subject, but it is VROC related)

The reason I ask is I have seen no exact info on the subject,

after all, this is all new to us.

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idata
Employee
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birdman941:No problem, there is no need to create another thread.

 

 

Yes, in regard to your questions:

 

I read somewhere that VROC only supports 4 M.2 drives. (assuming identical drives) Is this true?

 

Or does it only support 16 lanes?

 

Should the VROC key be installed on the board prior to OS installation?

 

If it is 16 lanes, would 8 - 2 lane M.2 drives work in this regard?

 

Exactly which files are needed or not needed?

 

Is there a certain order they need to be loaded?

All the information requested above will be provided by the manufacturer of the board, they build the board but also they customized all the hardware/software functionality of it, that is why we recommend to verify those details directly with them.

Any questions, please let me know.

Regards,

 

Alberto R
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SEric
Novice
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Can the new 900P be used in RAID / VROC with the VRCISSDMOD or VROCSTANMOD key?

I hope so, that would be simply awesome.

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idata
Employee
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birdman941: In regard to your inquiry, we will do further research on this matter and as soon as I get any details I will post all the information on this thread .

 

 

Any questions, please let me know.

 

 

Regards,

 

Alberto R

 

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SEric
Novice
2,759 Views

The 900P is getting rave reviews.

I want 1 or 2.

Seriously, this is what many have been waiting for

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