Which specific Intel NVME drives are currently supported with VROC (today)?

[MHarw2]

So much out there on forums that contradict each other. Are the 7600 Series still required or will the 760 series work? Will either work as bootable? ASUS claims their C422 board with the C422 chipset are supported. Only chipset I see on forums that people are talking about is the X299. Is the C422 chipset supported?

[JosafathB_Intel]

Hello MHarw2,

Thank you for contacting Intel® Memory & Storage Support.

As we understand, you need assistance with Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC). If we infer correctly, please, review the information below:

• Based on the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Supported Configurations (

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000030310/memory-and-storage/ssd-software.html

)

• All Intel® SSDs for Data Center with NVMe* (including but not limited to):

Intel® SSD DC P3100 Series

Intel® SSD DC P3500 Series

Intel® SSD DC P3520 Series

Intel® SSD DC P3600 Series

Intel® SSD DC P3608 Series

Intel® SSD DC P3700 Series

Intel® SSD DC P4500 Series

Intel® SSD DC P4501 Series

Intel® SSD DC P4510 Series

Intel® SSD DC P4511 Series

Intel® SSD DC P4600 Series

Intel® SSD DC P4610 Series

Intel® Optane™ SSD DC P4800X Series

• All Intel® Professional NVMe SSDs:

Intel® SSD Pro 7600p Series

Intel® SSD Pro 6000p Series

• Other select Intel® SSD Series:

Intel® Optane™ SSD 900P Series

Intel® Optane™ SSD 905P Series

• As mentioned in the Frequently Asked Questions about Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC)

(

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000024550.html

)

-Which platform supports Intel® VROC?

Intel® VROC is primarily targeted to professional workstations and server platforms. It requires the Intel® Volume Management Device (Intel® VMD), a hardware feature only available on the new Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors. Because the types of RAID support are very specific to the OEM platform configuration, it's up to the OEM/ODM to decide whether to offer Intel VROC. Please consult your server or workstation provider for specific information. There's also limited support on X299 systems on High-End Desktops.

To answer your questions:

-The list of the SSDs that are supported on the product Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU can be found in the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Supported Configurations.

-The Intel® SSD 760p Series are not listed as supported hardware and we do not recommend you to use it with VROC.

-The Intel® SSD Pro 7600p Series should work as bootable since it is listed as compatible ( Please check with your motherboard original equipment manufacturer (OEM) the list of compatible and tested hardware)

-As mentioned on the FAQ about Intel® VROC there is limited support on X299 systems on High-End Desktops this means that this chipset is compatible with VROC, and since is directed to end users market is more common than the Intel® C422 Chipset that is included into Server/workstations PCs.

-It’s up to the OEM/ODM to decide whether to offer Intel VROC. Please consult your server or workstation provider for specific information. In your case, Asus* is listing the WS C422 PRO/SE board with build in Intel® C422 as compatible with VROC and if you need further information regarding the motherboard compatibility please contact Asus*

If you have future questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be more than happy to help you in any way we can.

Best regards,

Josh B.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[MHarw2]

Thank you Josh. May I please ask for clarification on your statement "The Intel® SSD Pro 7600p Series should work without as bootable since,,,)"? Did you mean "... should work as a bootable since..."?

Thank you!

[JosafathB_Intel]

Hello MHarw2, Thank you for your reply. I do apologize for the typo on my previous post. Yes, you are correct, what I mean was the following: “The Intel® SSD Pro 7600p Series should work as bootable since it is listed as compatible hardware that can be used with VROC ( Please check with your motherboard original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for the list of compatible and tested hardware in order to discard any compatibility issue)” Thank you for your patience and understanding, if you have future questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be more than happy to help you in any way we can. Best regards, Josh B. Intel® Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[MHarw2]

Excellent. Thank you. One more question?... Are any of the Intel M.2's listed on the compatibility list considered Enterprise grade? i.e. We are a system builder and are planning on offering the 7600's in entry level workgroup servers for 10 or less users using VROC. Does Intel offer M.2's with higher TBW values than the 576 TBW for the 7600's, that would also work with VROC? The primary application would be an Enterprise level PLM system with 50 to 100 users running on ESXi or Hyper-V. We are not talking datacenter types of user access or traffic but 50 to 100 users accessing an ORacle or SQL based PLM system. Thanks.

[JosafathB_Intel]

Hello MHarw2, Thank you for your reply. To answer your question: -“Are any of the Intel M.2's listed on the compatibility list considered Enterprise grade?”. You can find the list of “M.2 Data Center SSDs” below: https://ark.intel.com/Search/FeatureFilter?productType=solidstatedrives&SSDFormFactor=M.2%2022%20x%2080mm&FamilyText=Data%20Center%20SSDs -“Does Intel offer M.2's with higher TBW values than the 576 TBW for the 7600's, that would also work with VROC?” The Intel® SSD D3-S4510 Series (https://ark.intel.com/products/series/134791/Intel-SSD-D3-S4510-Series) has an expected endurance rating (Lifetime Writes) of around 3.4 PBW. We hope you find this information helpful. If you have future questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be more than happy to help you in any way we can. Best regards, Josh B. Intel® Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[MHarw2]

Thank you for your help.

[JosafathB_Intel]

Hello MHarw2, Thank you for your reply; you are more than welcome. It has been a pleasure. We are glad to hear that you found the information we shared with you helpful. We would like to know if you need further assistance or if we can close this case. If you need further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us. Best regards, Josh B. Intel® Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[MHarw2]

Last question (again). Will VMware ESXi recognize a VROC RAID set (not to boot from)?

[JosafathB_Intel]

Hello MHarw2, Thank you for your reply Up to this moment, VROC is not supported by ESXi* or any other virtualization environment, but it is being taken into consideration for future releases. We advise you to contact VMware* to get further information about compatibility. We hope you find this information helpful. If you have future questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be more than happy to help you in any way we can. Have a nice day. Best regards, Josh B. Intel® Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[MHarw2]

OK. Thank you for your help. No more questions.

[JosafathB_Intel]

Hello MHarw2, Thank you for your reply. As per your consent, this case is now close if you need further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us again. Best regards, Josh B. Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation