Why is my Intel RAID controller incompatible with Linux dmraid in USB-booted recovery environment ?

[mdear]

Hello,

I have a Windows 10 system running a pair of disks in a RAID 1+1 configuration.

I am trying to understand why the Linux-based FixMeStick product does not work with my RAID drives and hangs.  This product runs virus scanners on locally installed hard drives in a USB-booted Linux environment.

The FixMeStick owner tells me that his product uses the following package to work with RAID drives, and he is wondering if it is compatible with my RAID controller:

<removed>

I have an ASUS Z490-A motherboard.  The server was built in May, 2021.

The Intel Driver and Support Assistant reports the following:

Intel Raid 1 Volume

• Driver Details
• ProviderMicrosoft
• Version10.0.19041.1865
• Date6/21/2006

• Firmware Details
• Version1.0.

• Device Details
• Capacity5589.02 GB
• Serial NumberVolume1
• Partitions2
• Device IdSCSI\DISK&VEN_INTEL&PROD_RAID_1_VOLUME\4&31E325C3&0&060000
• Device Path\\.\PHYSICALDRIVE2

• E:
• File SystemNTFS
• CompressedFalse
• Capacity1844.37 GB
• Free Space1603.49 GB

• F:
• File SystemNTFS
• CompressedFalse
• Capacity3744.64 GB

In Device Manager, I see

Storage controllers / Intel Chipset SATA RAID Controller

with driver date 2/8/2018, version 15.44.0.1015.

It does not appear I am using either Optane or RST RAID controllers, but I don't really know what specific kind of RAID controller I have, nor how to obtain documentation.  

I'm also not sure if my RAID controller is hardware, firmware or software based.

Can anybody help clarify / educate ?

Thanks.

[Steven_Intel]

Hello mdear,

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.

In order to better assist you, please provide the SSU report depending on your Operating System:

• Intel SSU for Windows: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows-

Open the application and select "Everything", click on "Scan" to see the system and device information. By default, Intel® SSU will take you to the "Summary View". Click on the menu where it says "Summary" to change to "Detailed View". To save your scan, click on "Next", then "Save".  

• Intel SSU for Linux: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/18895/26735/intel-system-support-utility-for-the-linux-operating-system.html?

Please attach the file to your reply.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[mdear]

Thanks for the reply, Steven.

I've enclosed the requested dump, please let me know next steps.

Kind regards,

<Myles>

[mdear]

PS. I've also posted this on the Linux stack exchange forum :

https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/711957/why-is-my-intel-raid-controller-incompatible-with-linux-dmraid-in-usb-booted-lin

[Steven_Intel]

Thank you for your response.

It seems you have an older RAID controller version. Have you ever used the RST program to manage your RAID? You can try downloading the latest version of Intel® Rapid Storage Technology provided in Asus website (17.9.4.1017): https://www.asus.com/Motherboards-Components/Motherboards/PRIME/PRIME-Z490-A/HelpDesk_Download/

Please let me know of the outcome.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[mdear]

Hello, Steven.  

I need more information please.

If I use this program, will I be able to save my RAID set contents or do I need to reformat/restore it from backup?

Could you provide more detailed directions on how to upgrade from the RAID controller I am using to the controller you are recommending?

Thanks.

[Steven_Intel]

Thank you for your response.

With the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) you can create and manage your RAID. Here is an article that could help you: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005803/technologies.html

Since you would be downloading the RST driver from Asus website, I recommend you to check the read me file in the driver package or contact Asus in order to get installation instructions. Also, please check this RAID configuration guide provided by Asus https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/SocketAM4/ROG_STRIX-X470-F-GAMING/E13828_RAID_Configuration_Guide_EM_WEB.pdf

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[mdear]

I downloaded the RST drivers appropriate for my motherboard as you requested.  Now after reboot my server no longer boots from the 1TB SSD.  The warning on installation of these drivers is that this installation could not be reverted.

My Acronis recovery environment bootable USB is the only bootable drive I have now.   It does not come up properly so I'm stuck.

Any suggestions? 

I may try to re-burn the recovery USB since I had added laptop drivers for hardware not present on my server.

I seem to be spiraling away from my intended destination, which was only to have my FixMeStick virus scanner able to handle scanning my 1+1 RAID set, which is not a bootable volume.  

I'm not sure how many drives I have lost as I can no longer boot.

Thankfully I have recent backups for the RAID 1 set and my boot SSD so I could restore on top if necessary.

I have several other drives that are not backed up through, I hope their integrity hasn't been compromised.

[Steven_Intel]

Hello mdear,

The compatibility information with the controller must be provided by the FixMeStick people/support, since they are a third party company. The package you provided in the original post was removed, therefore I am not able to see it.

By any chance, are you able to see and manage the drives/arrays using the Intel RST software? Are the drives still recognized in BIOS?

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[Steven_Intel]

Were you able to check the previous post?

Let us know if you still need assistance.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[mdear]

I'm dead in the water, my boot drive doesn't even show up in the boot list.

I'm strongly considering just adding a separate hardware RAID card and circumventing this madness.

[Steven_Intel]

Hello mdear,

Thank you for your response.

We would like to research more about this. In order to do so, could you please provide a picture of the list of bootable drives?

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[mdear]

Thanks for the response.

There was only a single drive on the list, whether I used UEFI in simple mode, advanced mode, or booted directly to the choice list.
My WD Black 1TB SSD bootable disk did not appear on the list.
That single drive was the external USB stick (Acronis Recovery Disk) that I had manually inserted.

I’m going to try my fortune with a “HighPoint RocketRAID 3720C 8-port 12Gb/s PCIe 3.0 x8 SAS/SATA RAID Controller“ since the entire point of this exercise was to figure out how to have the FixMeStick perform its scan without hanging.

Best,
<Myles>

[Steven_Intel]

Thank you for your reply.

Please let us know the outcome of trying the controller.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[Steven_Intel]

Were you able to check the previous post?

Let us know if you still need assistance.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[Steven_Intel]

Since we have not heard back from you, we will close this thread. If you need any additional information, please submit a new question, as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.