Intel RST 18.1.51.5360 RST VMD Driver: RAID5 Rebuilding?

[MicroFoundry]

Greetings - I have a Dell Precision laptop with a 4 drive RAID5. I discovered the laptop in a failed boot state this afternoon and was able to get into the Intel RST screen through the BIOS Driver config. I found the RAID5 in a degraded state and chose the "Rebuild" command.

My question is: The state of the volume now says "Rebuilding". Is the volume actually rebuilding at this point? Do I leave the laptop in this Intel RST driver screen until the health state changes? Or is the computer required to be booted into the OS for some level of software assistance in order for the rebuild to complete?

Please advise,

Terry Phillips

aka Micro Foundry

[DeividA_Intel]

Hello MicroFoundry,  

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities. I understand you are having issues with your Dell computer.

Regarding the "Rebuilding" option, this is all the information related:

1. What are the possible root causes for an unexpected RAID rebuild?:

RAID rebuilds could occur due to the SSD (solid-state drive) or HDD (hard disk drive) integrity or even SATA ports on the motherboard.

• Remove the RAID, break to non-RAID and check SSD/HDD integrity with a diagnostic tool from the drive manufacturer.
• Contact the computer manufacturer for possible Option ROM updates (this is generally done by updating the BIOS) and to check for possible SATA port issues.

2. Rebuilding Degraded RAID 5 Volume using Intel® Optane™ Memory and Storage Management:

To rebuild a RAID 5 volume, try resetting the disk to normal, which will prompt the volume to start rebuilding automatically. Intel® Optane Memory and Storage Management tool does not allow to do this procedure. This is using Raid BIOS.

Resetting a disk to normal (non-RAID) means it is needed to enter the CTRL + I menu and choose the options below:

1. Press < Ctrl > < I > when prompted to enter the Intel® RAID Option ROM utility.
2. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to highlight the RAID volume to be reset and press < SPACE > to select the disk(s).
3. Press < ENTER > to complete the selection.
4. Press < Y > to confirm the reset.
5. The options may vary from one manufacturer to another. Check with the computer manufacturer (OEM) in case further assistance is required to access the Intel® RAID Option ROM utility.

If the read/write data access consistently fails, the disk will likely return to a failed state immediately and it will be needed to rebuild the volume to another disk.

If a SATA disk is compatible, available, and normal, follow this procedure to rebuild the volume:

• Launch the Intel® Optane Memory and Storage Management tool.
• Under Status, click on Rebuild to another disk.
• Select the disk you want to use to rebuild the volume, and then click Rebuild.
• The rebuild operation starts immediately. Users can follow the progress by hovering over the notification area icon or by reviewing the volume status under Status or Manage.
• Once the operation successfully completed, the array disk and volume status will display as Normal.

Note:

If there is no available disk present, the user will need to power off the computer and connect a new SATA disk that is equal to or greater capacity than the failed disk. Once the computer is back up and running, follow the rebuild procedure described above. If this is no success. it will be needed to recreate the array.

Users should always perform backups of their information before attempting any step or procedure on any storage device or system.

If you need further information, let me know.

Best regards, 

Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[DeividA_Intel]

Hello MicroFoundry, 

Were you able to check the previous post? Please let me know if you need more assistance.   

Regards,  

Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[DeividA_Intel]

Hello MicroFoundry,  

We have not heard back from you, so we will close this inquiry. If you need further assistance or if you have additional questions, please create a new thread and we will gladly assist you.  

Regards,  

Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician