Intel VROC scheduler page missing

[j4w]

Dear all,

I'm running an Asus Server Board (P11C-I) + XEON E-2246G ,

using a RAID1 config through the onboard Intel VROC function,

OS is Windows Server 2022, fully updated.

I'm missing the scheduler page to run regular "verify and repair" tasks (mdc).

This function is described in the VROC manual,

Revision 018,

November 2023,

document name "338065-018",

page 39.

I've tried the following software versions:

.7.8.0.1031

.7.7.0.1273

.7.6.0.1023

.6.3.0.1031

none is showing the scheduler page.

I'm running the standard utility. I have not installed the appX version.

Please let me know, how to access the scheduler page or

which driver versions supports the scheduler page.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers

[j4w]

Dear Vijay,

I'm astonished to find my research reposted as an answer to my question, which does not answer the question itself:

as you can see, I've posted the exact same reference to intel driver download here on the "03-04-2024 04:04 PM":

community.intel.com/t5/Software-Storage-Technologies/Intel-VROC-scheduler-page-missing/m-p/1577607#M2269

this driver is an old release, almost 1 year ago.

I've also mentioned that I've found drivers version 8.5.0.1592 on an OEMs site here on the "03-11-2024 02:29 PM":

community.intel.com/t5/Software-Storage-Technologies/Intel-VROC-scheduler-page-missing/m-p/1579401#M2279

these drivers have been released in January this year and I have asked, whether you know, where intel is releasing this driver version.

Since I'm able to get them from an OEM, I choose the more recent version.

It seems like Intel is providing more recent versions of VROC drivers, otherwise the OEM would not be able to release drivers version 8.0.3.1012, 8.2.0.2004 and 8.5.0.1592.

These drivers are digitally signed by Intel.

Nevertheless, concerning functionality, the GUI Package of driver version 8.5.0.1592 ,  in detail, the scheduler part is not working correctly:

1. I'm not able to configure a password for SMTP-based alerting. There is no password field.

2. Scheduling "ConsistencyCheck.exe" is not working. The GUI adds a task to the root of "taskschd.msc", but sets it up to

"only run while the user is logged in",

please look at the attached screenshot. In addition, no argument is added at all to "ConsistencyCheck.exe".

Please provide documentation / arguments which can be passed to "ConsistencyCheck.exe" to be able to schedule MDC manually.

Thank you.

Cheers

[Dineshbabu]

Hello J4w,

Greetings !

Please allow us some time to review the details and we will get back with an update shortly.

Best Regards,

Dinesh

[vij1]

Hello J4w,

Greetings for the day!

We would like to provide you with the following information regarding the VROC package:

(1) Intel shares the VROC packages with the OEMs, then the OEMs decide which versions they would like to release for their own platforms. Currently, the latest Intel VROC driver is the 8.6 which was released last month. OEMs may start offering this package version, or continue using an older version of their own platforms, Intel does not have control over that. This is the reason why the customer found the latest VROC package in the OEM site rather than in our site. In addition to the VROC driver package, another consideration to keep in mind is that system vendors may customize the Intel VROC package for their specific platforms. Customers are recommended to reference their OEM for a full list of available feature sets. If any of the information in our general documentation conflicts with the support information provided by the platform OEM, the platform documentation and configurations take precedence.

(2) Regarding to the email notification settings, there is no need to configure a password. More information can be found in this public article: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000057070.html.

(3) The setting of running only when the user is logged in is the correct behavior. This behavior cannot be changed. More details about this are available in this other public article: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000092362.html.

Regards,

Vijay N.

[j4w]

Dear Vijay,

thank you for your answer.

Considering email notifications:

(2) Regarding to the email notification settings, there is no need to configure a password. More information can be found in this public article: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000057070.html.

(3) The setting of running only when the user is logged in is the correct behavior. This behavior cannot be changed. More details about this are available in this other public article: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000092362.html.

---

the answer is quite disturbing, since this behavior contradicts the whole purpose of receiving email alerts.

As a system administrator I want to receive an Email, if there is something wrong with the setup and I'm not currently present at the site.

Also the link you have provided is mentioning

"Typically, port 25 is used for SMTP servers."

This is surely outdated and has to refer to "the good old days in the 90s". Nowadays this port should be blocked by default.

Please escalate this to the developer team.

Considering:

---

(3) The setting of running only when the user is logged in is the correct behavior...

---

This is not the answer to the question I have asked, since the link you have provided is referring to "email notification"

My questions refers the scheduler page, which should be able to setup up scheduled checks, so called MDC (Make Data Consistent) which then run as background tasks. At least this is possible with "Intel RSTe".

The VROC GUI adds a task to the root of "taskschd.msc", but sets it up to "only run while the user is logged in",

hence it is not working.

Please provide documentation / arguments which can be passed to "ConsistencyCheck.exe" to be able to schedule MDC manually.

Thank you in advance.

Cheers

[vij1]

Hello J4w,

Greetings !

Thank you for the response.Please allow us some time to review the details and we will get back with an update shortly.

Best Regards,

Vijay. 

[Dineshbabu]

Hello j4w,

Greetings!

We apologize for the delay. Please note that the scheduler works similarly to the email notifications in the way that they require the user to be logged in. The workaround shared in the previous article is to lock the login session after logging in. In addition, the only way to configure the scheduler is via the VROC GUI, which means manual configuration from the Windows settings is not possible.

We will pass the feedback on improving these options in future VROC releases to the development team; however, we recommend you reach out to the ASUS (system provider) in this case and raise these concerns. 

VROC is highly dependent on the platform designs and features, and that's why you should check first with their system providers. The OEMs can work directly with the VROC Dev Team and request enhancements to the VROC package.

Regards,

Dinesh

[j4w]

Dear Dinesh,

thank you for holding on to this.

I understand that OEMs can work with the INTEL dev team to come up with new features/enhancements, but my issue is a basic one:

Since this is supposed to be a server-side-component, MDC is a basic need for RAID, which has to run unattended regularly.

How come that intelRSTe was able to do MDC without requiring an active login but VROC is not?

We have been discussing this for 2 month. I cannot believe that INTEL is coming up with this answer:

"leave an administrative session locked to do MDC and receive alerts through smtp port 25!"

Please escalate this to the dev team, since basic functionality is not given with VROC Software.

[vij1]

Hello Mitarbeiter,

I hope this email finds you well.

I wanted to share some insights from the Dev Team regarding the scheduler feature behavior. The team confirmed that the reason Intel VROC requires user login for features such as Verify & Repair, Scheduler, and Email Notifications is due to the need for administrator-level privileges, which can only be granted upon user login. Running these services at the login screen (without user login) would require system-level permissions, which the applications currently lack.

The Dev Team is actively exploring this scenario and considering potential changes to the behavior of Intel VROC user space applications. However, there is no set timeline for when this change might be implemented in a future Intel VROC release.

In the meantime, the Dev Team recommends sharing this feedback with your OEM. Your OEM's direct request for the change in the Intel VROC application to the Dev Team could help facilitate this improvement.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Vijay N.

[vij1]

Hello Mitarbeiter,

Thank you for contacting Intel.

This is the first follow-up regarding the issue Intel VROC scheduler page missing you reported to us.

We wanted to inquire whether you had the opportunity to review the plan of action (POA) we provided.

Feel free to reply to this post, and we'll be more than happy to assist you further.

Regards,

Vijay N

Intel Customer Support.

[vij1]

Hello Mitarbeiter,

Greetings!

We have not received a reply from you , and as such, we will be closing your case.

If you want to continue support, please reply to this post and we will reopen your case or create a new one so that we can continue to support you.

Regards,

Vijay N.

[j4w]

Dear Vijay,

to be honest:

I don't know how to handle this situation.

I'm in contact with the server OEM, they are reaching out to intel now.

you wrote:

"The Dev Team is actively exploring this scenario and considering potential changes to the behavior of Intel VROC user space applications. However, there is no set timeline for when this change might be implemented in a future Intel VROC release."

please ask this question:

why did you make a remake of "intelRSTe"?

it was working the way it should.

Why "reinvent the wheel" ?

Cheers

[vij1]

Hello Mitarbeiter,

Greetings!

Thank you for providing the details. We are currently reviewing the information and we will reach out to you as soon as possible. We request your patience during this time.

Regards,

Vijay N.