OEM Technical Guide 15.2 Rev-0.81

Intel® Rapid Storage Technology
15.2
OEM Technical Guide
For the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Release Versions 15.2
Revision 0.81
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2 Intel Confidential
Contents
1 About This Document ....................................................................................... 11
1.1 Purpose and Scope of this Document ....................................................... 11
2 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology ........................................................................ 12

2.1 Overview .............................................................................................. 12
2.1.1 Product Release Numbering Scheme ........................................... 12
2.1.2 RAID Levels ............................................................................. 13
2.1.3 Typical Usage Model for RAID Levels .......................................... 14
2.1.4 Supported Platforms for This Release.......................................... 15
2.1.5 Supported Operating Systems for This Release ............................ 16
2.1.6 Supported MSFT* Performance Debug Tools ................................ 16
3 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Suite ................................................................ 17
3.1 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Software................................................ 17
3.2 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM ........................................... 18
3.3 Intel pre-OS RAID Configuration Utilities .................................................. 18
3.3.1 RCfgSata Utility for MS-DOS* and UEFI ...................................... 18
3.4 RSTCLI (32/64 bit) Windows Utilities ....................................................... 20
3.5 UEFI System BIOS and the Intel® RST UEFI/RAID Package ........................ 27
3.5.1 Specification References ........................................................... 27
3.5.2 What Intel® RST Provides to OEMs/BIOS Vendors ........................ 28
3.5.3 UEFI System BIOS Requirements for Platform Compatibility with Intel ® RST UEFI
............................................................................................. 30
3.5.4 How-to-Enable the Platform with Intel® RST UEFI Driver/HII_GUI . 32
3.5.5 Known Compatibility Issues with the UEFI Self Certification Test (UEFI SCT) tool
............................................................................................. 33
4 New in Release Version 15.x .............................................................................. 36

4.1 15.2 Release ......................................................................................... 36
4.1.1 New Features/Specifications in This Release ................................ 36
4.1.2 Updated Features/Specifications in This Release .......................... 36
4.2 15.0 Release ......................................................................................... 36
4.2.1 New Features/Specifications in This Release ................................ 36
4.2.2 Updated Features/Specifications in This Release .......................... 37
5 14.x Features .................................................................................................. 38
5.1 General Overview .................................................................................. 38
5.1.1 Windows 10 OS Upgrade Recommendations ................................ 38
5.1.2 PCIe/SATA Remapping .............................................................. 38
5.2 14.8 Release ......................................................................................... 40
5.2.1 Windows Threshold-2 OS Support .............................................. 40
5.2.2 FUA Customization for PCIe NVMe Devices .................................. 40
5.2.3 RST API Passthrough IOCTL Support for SATA/NVMe Device FW Upgrade 41
5.3 14.7 Release ......................................................................................... 41
5.3.1 EFI Support for EFI_NVM_EXPRESS_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL ........ 41
5.3.2 NVMe Commands support for EFI_NVM_EXPRESS_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL for
pass-thru disks ........................................................................ 42
5.3.3 NVMe Commands support for EFI_NVM_EXPRESS_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL for
RAID and SRT .......................................................................... 42
5.4 14.6 Release ......................................................................................... 42
Intel Confidential 3
5.4.1 Intel® RST Private NVMe pass-through IOCTL support ................. 42
5.5 14.5 Release ......................................................................................... 44
5.5.1 NVMe pass-through IOCTL support ............................................. 44
5.5.2 Adaptive D3 for Connected Standby (Windows 10) ....................... 44
5.6 14.0 Release ......................................................................................... 45
5.6.1 NVMe Interface Version Compliance ........................................... 45
5.6.2 Accelerated Volume Criteria with Multiple Controllers .................... 45
5.6.3 RAID volume support with multiple controllers ............................. 45
5.6.4 Remapped PCIe Storage Device Support ..................................... 45
5.6.5 Supported Configurations for Remapped PCIe Storage Devices ...... 45
5.6.6 Non-PCH Remapped AHCI Controller Devices ............................... 46
5.6.7 Remapped PCIe Spare Support - RST UI ..................................... 46
5.6.8 Remapped PCIe Spare Support – Driver ...................................... 46
5.6.9 MSI-X Support ......................................................................... 46
5.6.10 RRT volume support with multiple controllers .............................. 46
5.6.11 Pass-through remapped NVMe PCIe Storage Device Support ......... 46
5.6.12 NVMe Admin Security Commands Support ................................... 46
5.6.13 NVMe Autonomous Power State Transition (APST) Support ............ 46
6 Intel Rapid Storage Technology for PCIe NVMe Storage Devices ............................. 47
6.1 OEM System BIOS Requirements............................................................. 47
6.2 General Requirements............................................................................ 47
6.3 Feature Limitations ................................................................................ 48
6.4 PCIe NVMe Device Usage Model .............................................................. 48
6.5 Intel® RST for PCIe NVMe Storage Use cases ............................................ 48
6.6 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UEFI Compliance Utitlity for PCIe Storage . 50
7 Intel Rapid Storage Technology for PCIe AHCI Storage Devices .............................. 52
7.1 OEM System BIOS Requirements............................................................. 52
7.2 General Requirements............................................................................ 52
7.3 Warnings .............................................................................................. 52
7.3.1 Features Limitations ................................................................. 52
7.3.2 PCIe Device Usage Model .......................................................... 53
7.4 Intel Rapid Storage Technology for PCIe Storage Use cases ........................ 53
7.5 Intel® Customer Reference Board BIOS Settings ...................................... 54
7.6 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UEFI Compliance Utitlity for PCIe Storage . 54
8 Using Dynamic Storage Accelerator (DSA) ........................................................... 56
8.1.1 OEM System BIOS Vendors’ Requirements .................................. 56
8.1.2 General Requirements .............................................................. 56
8.1.3 Configuring DSA ...................................................................... 58
8.1.4 Configuring DSA using Intel® RSTCLI 32/64 Windows* Utilities ...... 59
9 How to Enable the Platform for Intel® RST Support of BIOS Fast Boot ..................... 60
9.1.1 OEM System BIOS Vendors’ Requirements .................................. 60
9.1.2 Supported System Configurations .............................................. 60
10 Creating a RAID Volume.................................................................................... 62
10.1 Using the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UI........................................... 62
10.2 Using the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Legacy Option ROM User Interface63
10.3 Using the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UEFI User Interface .................. 63
10.4 Using the RAID Configuration Utilities (DOS, UEFI Shell, and Windows) ........ 68
11 Deleting a RAID Volume .................................................................................... 69
11.1 Using the Windows User Interface Utility .................................................. 69
11.2 Using the Option ROM User Interface ....................................................... 69
11.3 Using the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UEFI User Interface .................. 69
11.4 Using the RAID Configuration Utilities (DOS, UEFI Shell, and Windows) ........ 70
12 Common RAID Setup Procedures ....................................................................... 71
12.1 Build a SATA RAID 0, 1, 5 or 10 System ................................................... 71
12.1.1 Using the Legacy OROM User Interface ....................................... 71
12.1.2 Using the UEFI HII User Interface .............................................. 72
12.2 Build a “RAID Ready” System ................................................................. 73
12.3 Migrate to RAID 0 or RAID 1 on an Existing “RAID Ready” System .............. 73
12.4 Migrate an Existing Data Hard Drive to a RAID 0 or RAID 1 Volume ............. 74
12.5 Migrating From one RAID Level to Another ............................................... 75
12.6 Create a RAID Volume on Intel® SATA Controller While Booting to Different Controller 75
12.7 Build a RAID 0 or RAID 1 System in an Automated Factory Environment ...... 76
12.7.1 Part 1: Create the Master Image ................................................ 76
12.7.2 Part 2: Apply the Master Image ................................................. 76
13 RAID Volume Data Verification and Repair Feature ............................................... 78

13.1 Verify and Repair Volume Feature ........................................................... 78
13.2 Verify and Repair Scheduler .................................................................... 78
14 Intel® Rapid Recover Technology ....................................................................... 80
14.1 Creating a Recovery Volume Through the RAID Option ROM ....................... 80
14.2 Creating a Recovery Volume Using the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UEFI User Interface
........................................................................................................... 81
14.3 Creating a Recovery Volume Through the Intel® RST UI ............................. 81
14.4 Changing Recovery Volume Modes........................................................... 82
14.5 Update Recovery Volume in On Request Update Policy ............................... 82
14.6 Access Recovery Drive Files .................................................................... 83
14.7 Hide Recovery Drive Files ....................................................................... 83
14.8 Scenarios of Recovering Data.................................................................. 83
14.9 System Running from Recovery Drive ...................................................... 85
14.10 Drive Offline or Missing .......................................................................... 85
15 Pre-OS Installation of the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver .......................... 87
15.1 Pre-OS Driver Installation Using the “Load Driver” Method.......................... 87
16 Determining the Version of the RAID Driver ......................................................... 88

16.1 Using Intel® Rapid Storage Technology User Interface (UI) ......................... 88
16.2 Using Intel® RST File Properties (Alternate) .............................................. 88
16.3 Determining the Version of the Option ROM .............................................. 88
16.3.1 Using the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UI ............................. 88
16.3.2 Using the Intel® RST Option ROM User Interface .......................... 89
16.3.3 Using the EFI Shell ................................................................... 89
17 Un-installation ................................................................................................. 90
17.1 Uninstalling the Intel® RST Software (except the RAID Driver) .................... 90
17.2 Disabling the RAID Driver by Disabling the RAID Controller ........................ 90
18 Registry Customizations .................................................................................... 92
18.1 Zero Power ODD Settings ....................................................................... 92
18.2 E-mail Notification UI Visible Enable/Disable ............................................. 93
18.3 Disabling Maximized Mode Option for Intel® SRT ....................................... 94
18.4 Rebuild On Hot Insert ............................................................................ 94
18.5 SATA Asynchronous Notification .............................................................. 95
18.6 Runtime D3 (RTD3) ............................................................................... 95
18.7 Hybrid Hinting ....................................................................................... 96
18.7.1 Instructions to Disable Hybrid Hinting ......................................... 96
18.7.2 Hybrid Hint Reset ..................................................................... 96
18.7.3 Disable Hybrid Hinting During Hibernation ................................... 97
19 Power Savings with Intel® Rapid Storage Technology............................................ 98
19.1 Link Power Management (LPM) ............................................................... 98
19.1.1 Instructions to disable/enable LPM ............................................. 98
19.1.2 LPM Updates in 14.0 (APS, SIPM) ............................................... 99
19.2 Runtime D3 (RTD3) ............................................................................. 100
19.2.1 Adapter RTD3 Support ............................................................ 101
19.3 New for RST 14.0 Release .................................................................... 101
19.3.1 RTD3 Support - RAID HDD/SSD/SSHDs Unit Support.................. 101
19.3.2 RTD3 Support - RAID w mixed RTD3 capable/non-capable ports .. 101
19.3.3 RTD3 Support - RRT ............................................................... 101
19.3.4 RTD3 Support - SRT ............................................................... 101
19.3.5 RTD3 Support - Hot Spares ..................................................... 101
19.3.6 RTD3 Support - Migrations & Rebuilds ...................................... 102
19.4 DEVSLP .............................................................................................. 102
19.4.1 DEVSLP Registry Key Setting: .................................................. 103
19.5 DevSleep Tool ..................................................................................... 104
19.5.1 CsDeviceSleepIdleTimeoutInMS ............................................... 104
19.5.2 DeviceSleepIdleTimeoutInMS ................................................... 105
19.5.3 DeviceSleepExitTimeoutInMS ................................................... 105
19.5.4 MinimumDeviceSleepAssertionTimeInMS ................................... 105
19.5.5 DevSleep Tool Usage .............................................................. 106
19.6 L1.2 Support....................................................................................... 107
19.7 InstantGo* Device Notification Support .................................................. 108
19.7.1 Requirements ........................................................................ 108
19.7.2 Detail Description ................................................................... 108
19.7.3 Registry Settings.................................................................... 109
19.8 New in 14.5 Release ............................................................................ 110
19.8.1 Connected Standby Power State Support for SSHD .................... 110
19.8.2 CONNECTED STANDBY Power Model ......................................... 111
19.8.3 Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout ........................................................ 111
19.8.4 Connected Standby Power Model Support for SRT ...................... 112
19.8.5 SATA Link Power Management Support ..................................... 115
20 Legacy RAID Option ROM and Utilities............................................................... 116
20.1.1 General Requirements ............................................................ 116
21 HDD Password Support With RAID Volumes ....................................................... 117
21.1 HDD Password Use Cases ..................................................................... 117
21.2 Unlocking Password Protected Disks ...................................................... 118
22 Intel® Smart Response Technology – Dual Drive Configuration ............................ 119
22.1 Overview ............................................................................................ 119
22.1.2 Requirements and Limitations .................................................. 120
22.1.3 Acceleration Modes................................................................. 122
22.2 Dynamic Cache Sharing Between SRT and Rapid Start ............................. 123
22.3 Build a New System with Disk/Volume Acceleration Enabled ..................... 123
22.3.1 Prepare New Computer ........................................................... 123
22.3.2 Setup the HW for Installing the OS to an Accelerated Disk/Volume 124
22.3.3 If Using RSTCLI32/64 (compatible with WinPE) .......................... 125
22.4 At the DOS prompt command line (note that rstcli and rstcli64 are interchangeable in the
below example)................................................................................... 125
22.5 Setup the SSD to be the “Cache SSD”: .................................................. 126
22.6 Accelerate the pass-through disk (this is the disk planned to be the OS system disk for the
‘New System’): ................................................................................... 126
22.7 Setup the SSD to be the “Cache SSD”: .................................................. 126
22.8 Accelerate the RAID volume (this is the RAID volume planned to be the OS system disk for
the ‘New System’): .............................................................................. 126
22.8.1 If Using the Intel® RST UI ...................................................... 126
22.9 Installing the OS to a New System Prepared for Disk/Volume Acceleration . 127
22.9.1 For Acceleration Components Pre-configured Via RCfgSata (DOS or UEFI Shell)
........................................................................................... 127
22.9.2 For Acceleration Components Pre-configured Via RSTCLI 32/64 (OS)128
22.10 OEM System Manufacturing and Intel® SRT ............................................ 128
22.10.1 Imaging an OS onto a Pre-Configured Acceleration-enabled HDD . 128
22.10.2 Enabling Acceleration post end user OOBE ................................ 129
22.11 OEM System Manufacturing and Cache Pre-load for Intel® SRT ................ 131
22.11.1 Requirements ........................................................................ 131
22.11.2 Process ................................................................................. 132
22.11.3 Replicating the Accelerated HDD and SSD for Mass Production ..... 135
23 Intel® Smart Response Technology Hybrid Drive Accelerator ............................... 136
23.1 Overview ............................................................................................ 136
23.1.1 Driver/OROM updates to support Hybrid Hints Accelerated systems:136
23.1.2 Requirements and Limitations .................................................. 137
23.2 Dynamic Cache Sharing Between SRT and Rapid Start ............................. 138
23.3 Build a New System with Hybrid Drive Acceleration Enabled ..................... 138
23.3.1 Prepare New Computer ........................................................... 138
23.4 OEM System Manufacturing and Cache Pre-load for Intel® SRT ................. 139
23.4.1 Requirements ........................................................................ 140
23.4.2 Process ................................................................................. 140
23.4.3 Setup System for Cache Loading .............................................. 140
24 ATA Power-Up in Standby (PUIS) Supporting Intel® Smart Connect Technology‡ .. 144
24.1.1 Overview .............................................................................. 145
24.1.2 Theory of Operation ............................................................... 145
25 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UI.................................................................. 148
25.1 Introduction........................................................................................ 148
25.1.1 Getting Started ...................................................................... 148
25.1.2 Understanding the Application ................................................. 151
25.1.3 Notification Area .................................................................... 152
25.2 Storage System Status ........................................................................ 154
25.2.1 Understanding the Status ........................................................ 154
25.2.2 Storage System View.............................................................. 155
25.3 Creating a Volume ............................................................................... 157
25.3.1 Volume Requirements ............................................................. 157
25.3.2 Creation Process .................................................................... 158
25.3.3 Creating Additional Volumes .................................................... 162
25.4 Managing the Storage System .............................................................. 164
25.4.1 Managing Arrays .................................................................... 164
25.4.2 Managing Volumes ................................................................. 167
25.4.3 Managing Disks ...................................................................... 180
25.4.4 Managing Ports ...................................................................... 186
25.4.5 Managing ATAPI Devices ......................................................... 186
25.4.6 Managing Solid-State Hybrid Drives (SSHD) .............................. 186
25.5 Accelerating the Storage System ........................................................... 187
25.5.1 Cache Device Properties .......................................................... 187
25.5.2 Enabling Acceleration.............................................................. 189
25.5.3 Disabling Acceleration ............................................................. 190
25.5.4 Changing Acceleration Mode .................................................... 191
25.5.5 Accelerating a Disk or Volume ................................................. 192
25.5.6 Resetting a Cache Device to Available ....................................... 193
25.5.7 Disassociating the Cache Memory ............................................ 193
25.6 Preferences ........................................................................................ 194
26 Opal Drive Support ......................................................................................... 195

26.1 Opal ATA Commands Supported ............................................................ 195
26.2 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UI Support .......................................... 195
26.3 Opal SCSI Commands Supported .......................................................... 195
26.4 Opal UEFI Protocol Supported ............................................................... 195
26.5 Intel® RST PCIe NVMe Support for Opal ................................................. 195
26.6 NVMe Device Requirements for Intel® RST Opal Support .......................... 196
27 eDrive Support .............................................................................................. 197

27.1 What is an eDrive? .............................................................................. 197
27.2 SCSI Standard Inquiry Command Response ............................................ 197
27.3 Configurations Supported ..................................................................... 197
28 Using the BCFS to Differentiate Platform SKUs ................................................... 198
28.1 Configuring the Platform’s RAID Related Features .................................... 198
28.1.1 Configuring the Standard Supported RAID Levels ....................... 198
28.1.2 Configuring Intel® RRT Related RAID Features .......................... 199
28.1.3 Configuring the Behavior of the OROM UI and Banner ................. 199
28.1.4 Configuring Intel® RST UI Capabilities...................................... 200
28.1.5 Configuring the Platform to Support Intel® SRT ......................... 201
28.1.6 BIOS Control Feature Set ........................................................ 201
29 Testing, Certification Notes .............................................................................. 203
29.1 Correcting Microsoft* Windows 7 (Win7) WHQL test failure ....................... 203
30 Glossary........................................................................................................ 204
31 Troubleshooting ............................................................................................. 211
31.1 Failed Volumes .................................................................................... 211
31.2 Degraded Volumes .............................................................................. 212
31.3 Other Volume States............................................................................ 215
31.4 Disk Events ........................................................................................ 218
31.5 Caching Issues .................................................................................... 220
31.6 Software Errors ................................................................................... 223
32 Appendix A: RST SATA Port Bitmap Implementation ........................................... 225
32.1 Legacy OROM ..................................................................................... 225
32.2 UEFI Driver ......................................................................................... 225
33 Appendix B: Common Storage Management Interface Support (CSMI) .................. 227
34 Appendix C: Drive and Volume Encryption Support ............................................. 228
34.1 ATA Security Commands and HDD Password Support............................... 228
34.2 Self-Encrypting Drives (SED) ................................................................ 228
34.3 Solid State Hybrid Drives (SSHD’s) with Encryption ................................. 228
34.4 RAID Volume and Drive Partition Encryption ........................................... 228
35 Appendix D: Remapping Guidelines for RST PCIe Storage Devices ........................ 229
35.1 Remapping Reference Documentation .................................................... 229
35.2 Remapping HW and BIOS Requirements ................................................. 230
35.3 Remapping Configuration Rules ............................................................. 230
35.4 PCH-H Remapping Configurations .......................................................... 232
35.4.1 Configurations With 1 x2 PCIe Port Remapped ........................... 233
35.4.2 Configurations With 2 x2 PCIe Ports Remapped.......................... 234
35.4.4 Configurations With 1, 2, and 3 x4 PCIe Ports Remapped ............ 236
35.4.5 Configurations With (1 x2 + 1 x4) PCIe Ports Remapped ............. 238
35.4.6 Configurations With (2 x2 + 1 x4) PCIe Ports Remapped............. 239
35.4.7 Configurations With (1 x2 + 2 x4) PCIE Ports Remapped ............ 241
35.5 PCH-LP Premium-U Remapping Configurations ........................................ 241
35.5.3 Configurations With 1 and 2 x4 PCIe Ports Remapped ................. 244
35.5.4 Configurations With (1 x2 + 1 x4) PCIe Ports Remapped ............. 245
35.6 PCH-LP Premium-Y Remapping Configurations ........................................ 245
35.6.3 Configurations With x4 PCIe Ports Remapped ............................ 247
35.7 Examples of Configurations to Meet Design Specifications ........................ 248
35.7.1 Example #1: SPT-H HM170 SKU With 1x2 + 1x4 + 1 SATA ......... 248
35.7.2 Example #2........................................................................... 249
Revision History
Revision Description Intel® Rapid Storage Revision Date

Number Release Version
Intel® RST 15.x Release
0.81  Initial draft 15.2 April 2016
1 About This Document
1.1 Purpose and Scope of this Document
This document will assist customers in evaluating, testing, configuring, and enabling RAID and AHCI
functionality on platforms using the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology software for the chipset
components as listed in the product’s Readme.txt file.
This document also describes installation procedures, Caching Acceleration techniques, other RST
features, RAID volume management such as creating, deleting, and modifying volumes, common
usage models, and any special notes necessary to enable customers to develop their RAID-
compatible products.
2 Intel® Rapid Storage
Technology
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) provides added performance and reliability for
systems equipped with serial ATA (SATA) hard drives and/or solid state disk (SSD) drives and/or
Peripheral Components Interconnect Express Solid State Drive (PCIe SSD’s) to enable an optimal PC
storage solution. It offers value-add features such as RAID, advanced Serial ATA* capabilities (for
detailed OS support, review the Release Notes for each software release). The driver also offers Non-
volatile (NV) caching for performance and application acceleration with device of MEMORY GROUP 3
or faster used as the cache memory device.
The RAID solution supports RAID level 0 (striping), RAID level 1 (mirroring), RAID level 5 (striping
with parity) and RAID level 10 (striping and mirroring). Specific platform support is dependent upon
the available SATA ports.
A configuration supporting two RAID levels can also be achieved by having two volumes in a single
RAID array that use Intel® RST. These are called matrix arrays. Typical for desktops, workstations,
and entry level servers, Intel® RST RAID solution addresses the demand for high-performance or
data-redundant platforms. OEMs are also finding it beneficial to implement this RAID capability into
mobile platforms as well.
Reference documents:
For detailed use case information on the features also refer to the below documents on CDI
- RST 13.0 Validation Use case document
- RST Pre 13.0 Validation Use case document
2.1 Overview
2.1.1 Product Release Numbering Scheme

The product release version is divided into 4 sections or numbers (AA.B.CC.DDDD, e.g.
12.0.0.1001).
Number / Section Description
AA: This section represents the major release version of the
Major Release product. It usually is usually associated with a major change
Number in features or new platform/chipset launch.
B: This section represents the minor release version of the
Minor (Maintenance) product. If this number is non-zero, then the release is a
Release Number minor release of the AA major release version. This can
represent a maintenance release with several bug fixes or it
can align with a platform refresh as example.
CC: This section represents customer specific hot fixes. If this
Hot Fix Release number is non-zero, then the release is a customer specific
Number hot fix release to resolve a customer specific issue.
DDDD: This section represents the build number of release AA.B.CC,
Release Build Number Note: for production releases, the build number always
begins with the number ‘1’ (e.g. AA.B.CC.1001)
2.1.2 RAID Levels

RAID 0 (striping) RAID level 0 combines two to six drives so that all data is divided
into manageable blocks called strips. The strips are distributed
across the array members on which the RAID 0 volume resides.
This improves read/write performance, especially for sequential
access, by allowing adjacent data to be accessed from more than
one hard drive simultaneously. However, data stored in a RAID 0
volume is not redundant. Therefore, if one hard drive fails, all
data on the volume is lost.
The RAID 0 volume appears as a single physical hard drive with a
capacity equal to twice the size of the smaller hard drive.
The Intel® SATA AHCI/RAID controllers with Intel Rapid Storage
Technology allows up to six** drives to be combined into a single
RAID 0 array, providing additional scaling of storage performance.
**Note: the number of drives supported in a RAID 0 array is
dependent upon the chipset model. Please consult the
specification for your chipset to determine the maximum number
of drives supported in a RAID array.
RAID 1 (mirroring) RAID level 1 combines two hard drives so that all data is copied
concurrently across the array members that the RAID 1 volume
resides on. In other words, the data is mirrored across the hard
drives of the RAID 1 volume. This creates real-time redundancy
of all data on the first drive, also called a mirror. RAID 1 is
usually used in workstations and servers where data protection is
important.
capacity equal to that of the smaller hard drive.
RAID 5 (striping with RAID level 5 combines three to six drives so that all data is
parity) divided into manageable blocks called strips. RAID 5 also stores
parity, a mathematical method for recreating lost data on a single
drive, which increases fault tolerance. The data and parity are
striped across the array members. The parity is striped in a
rotating sequence across the members.
Because of the parity striping, it is possible to rebuild the data
after replacing a failed hard drive with a new drive. However, the
extra work of calculating the missing data will degrade the write
performance to the volumes. RAID 5 performs better for smaller
I/O functions than larger sequential files.
RAID 5, when enabled with volume write-back cache with
Coalescer, will enhance write performance. This combines multiple
write requests from the host into larger more efficient requests,
resulting in full stripe writes from the cache to the RAID5 volume.
RAID 5 volume provides the capacity of (N-1) * smallest size of
the hard drives, where N >= 3 and <=4.
For example, a 3-drive RAID 5 will provide capacity twice the size
of the smallest drive. The remaining space will be used for parity
information.
RAID 10 (striping and RAID level 10 uses four hard drives to create a combination of
mirroring) RAID levels 0 and 1. The data is striped across a two-disk array
forming a RAID 0 component. Each of the drives in the RAID 0
array is mirrored to form a RAID 1 component. This provides the
performance benefits of RAID 0 and the redundancy of RAID 1.
capacity equal to two drives of the four drive configuration (the
minimum RAID 10 configuration). The space on the remaining two
drives will be used for mirroring.
*RAID 10 is currently NOT supported on RST PCIe Storage

member disks.
2.1.3 Typical Usage Model for RAID Levels
RAID 0 This provides end-users the performance necessary for any disk-
intensive applications; these include video production and editing,
image editing, and gaming applications.
RAID 1 This provides end-users with data redundancy by mirroring data

between the hard drives.
RAID 5 This provides end-users with good performance and data

redundancy by striping data and parity across all the hard drives.
The write performance is enhanced with volume write-back cache.
RAID 10 This provides end-users with the benefits of RAID 0 (performance)

and RAID 1 (data mirroring).
2.1.4 Supported Platforms for This Release
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology provides enhanced management capabilities and detailed status
information for Serial ATA AHCI and RAID subsystems. Basic support for this release is on the
following hardware components.
Note: some RST features are limited to hardware and/or OS versions and will be documented in this
guide under each feature’s requirements.
New platforms/chipsets for 15.2 (in blue)

Kabylake (KBL) Platform / PCH: Kaby Point DT (KBP-H) + PCH: Sunrise Point Halo
(SPT-H)
 Chipset: Intel® 200 Series SATA AHCI/RAID Controller
 KBL Desktop SKUs: KPT-H:
 Q250*
 B250*
 Z270 R
 H270 R
 Q270 R
 Chipset: Intel® 100/C230 Series SATA AHCI/RAID Controller
 KBL Mobile Halo SKUs: SPT-H with Kabylake CPU:
 HM175 R
 QM175 R
 CM238 R
 Chipset: Intel® X200 Series SATA AHCI/RAID Controller
 Basin Falls (BSF) High-End Desktop SKU: SPT-H with Kabylake CPU:
 X299 R
*Denotes the Platform Does Not Support RAID

RDenotes PCIe remappable SKU
Kabylake Platform / PCH: Sunrise Point (SPT): SPT-LP

 Chipset: Intel® 7th Generation Core Processor Family Platform I/O SATA AHCI/RAID
Controller
 Mobile SKUs: SPT-LP:
 Base-U*
 Premium-UR
 Premium-YR
*Denotes the Platform Supports AHCI Mode Only
RDenotes PCIe remappable SKU
Legacy Platforms/chipsets
Skylake Platform / PCH: Sunrise Point (SPT): SPT-H and SPT-LP
 Chipset: Intel® 100 Series/C230 Chipset Family SATA AHCI/RAID Controller
 Desktop SKUs: SPT-H:
 Z170R
 H170R
 Q170R
 H110*
 B150*
 Q150*
 Mobile SKUs: SPT-H:
 HM170R
 QM170R
 CM236R (mobile workstation)
 Workstation SKUs: SPT-H (Greenlow)
 C236R
 Chipset: Intel® 6th Generation Core Processor Family Platform I/O SATA AHCI/RAID
Controller
 Mobile SKUs: SPT-LP:
 Base-U*
 Premium-UR
 Premium-YR
*Denotes the Platform Supports AHCI Mode Only
R
Denotes PCIe remappable SKU
2.1.5 Supported Operating Systems for This Release
Platform Support
OS Version
Kaby Lake Skylake
N Y Microsoft Windows 7*1
N Y Microsoft Windows 7 x64 Edition*
N Y Microsoft Windows 8.1*1
N Y Microsoft Windows 8.1 x64 Edition*
Y Y Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 x64 Edition*
Y Y Microsoft Windows 10* 1
Y Y Microsoft Windows 10 x64 Edition*
Y Y Microsoft Windows 10 Threshold2* 1
Y Y Microsoft Windows 10 Threshold2 x64 Edition*
Y Y Microsoft Windows 10 Redstone1*

1 - These OS versions pass validation testing, but are not WHQL certified.
2.1.6 Supported MSFT* Performance Debug Tools

Beginning with Intel® Rapid Storage Technology 13.0, Intel® RST Driver supports the MSFT*
“Crimson” Event Tracing for Windows*(ETW) performance measurements for responsiveness. Please
see MSFT* for information on this ETW.
Technology Suite
The Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Suite contains these core components:
1. Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) OS runtime software package:
a. AHCI/RAID driver (and filter driver for backwards compatibility)
b. Graphical User Interface (Intel® RST UI) , optional
c. Event Monitor service (IAStorDataMgrSvc) optional; interfaces with:
i. Intel® RST UI (graphical user interface)
ii. Event Notification Tray Icon (IAStorIcon)
iii. Windows system NT Event log
2. Intel® Rapid Storage Technology BIOS components:
a. Intel® Rapid Storage Technology RAID Option ROM (legacy support)
b. UEFI driver (with HII-compliant UI)
The following components are available for OEM manufacturing use only; NOT to be
distributed to end-users!
3. Intel® Rapid Storage Technology RAID utilities
a. Intel® RSTCLI 32/64-bit Windows/WinPE command line interface utilities (replaces RAIDCFG32/64
utilities)
b. DEVSLP Tool - command line utility for configuring DEVSLP register values
c. RcfgSata
i. DOS-based command line interface utility (legacy support)
ii. UEFI Shell-based command line interface utility
d. RcmpSata compliance utility
i. DOS-based Intel® RST RAID compliance check utility (legacy support)
ii. UEFI Shell-based Intel® RST RAID compliance check utility
3.1 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Software

The Intel® RST software is the major component of the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Suite. The
software includes the Intel® RST AHCI and RAID 32 and 64 bit drivers for supported Windows*
operating systems. The driver supports several Intel® Serial ATA AHCI/RAID controllers and will
recognize each unique device ID and sub-class code. Because of this, the driver must be installed
before the Windows operating system is installed onto a RAID volume or a single SATA hard drive
connected to the RAID controller. The driver, in conjunction with the Intel Rapid Storage Technology
option ROM, will provide boot capability for all supported RAID levels. The driver, in conjunction with
the Intel® RST UI, provides RAID volume management (create, delete, migrate, etc) within the
Windows operating system. It also displays SATA* device and RAID volume information. Included
with the software package is the RAID monitor service that monitors and reports various events of
the storage subsystem.
3.2 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM
The Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM is a standard Plug and Play option ROM that adds
the Int13h services and provides a pre-OS user interface for the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology
solution. The Int13h services allow a RAID volume to be used as a boot hard drive. They also detect
any faults in the RAID volume being managed by the RAID controller. The Int13h services are active
until the RAID driver takes over after the operating system is loaded.
The Intel Rapid Storage Technology option ROM expects a BIOS Boot Specification (BBS) compliant
BIOS. It exports multiple Plug and Play headers for each non-RAID hard drive or RAID volume, which
allows the boot order to be selected from the system BIOS's setup utility. When the system BIOS
detects the RAID controller, the RAID option ROM code should be executed.
The Intel Rapid Storage Technology option ROM is delivered as a single uncompressed binary image
compiled for the 16-bit real mode environment. To conserve system flash space, the integrator may
compress the image for inclusion into the BIOS. System memory is taken from conventional DOS
memory and is not returned.
3.3 Intel pre-OS RAID Configuration Utilities

The Intel RAID Configuration utility is an executable with capabilities similar to the Intel Rapid
Storage Technology option ROM. Both Legacy OROM and UEFI configuration utilities can operate in
16-bit MS-DOS* mode. It provides customers with the ability to create, delete, and manage RAID
volumes on a system within a DOS environment. For ease of use, the utility has command line
parameters that make it possible to perform these functions by using DOS scripts or shell
commands.
The RAID Configuration utilities use command line parameters. Below is a snapshot of the help text
displayed when using the -? flag. It shows the usage for all supported command line flags necessary
for creating, deleting, and managing RAID volumes.
3.3.1 RCfgSata Utility for MS-DOS* and UEFI

 Rcfgsata.exe = DOS application
 Rcfgsata.efi = UEFI application (UEFI shell required)
The command syntax for the Intel RAID Configuration utility is shown below:
======================================================================
rcfgsata.efi (or rcfgsata.exe) [/?] [/Y] [/Q] [/C:vol_name] [/SS:strip_size] [/L:raid_level]

[/S:vol_size] [/DS:disk_id] [/D:vol_name] [/X] [/I] [/P] [/U] [/ST] [/SP] [/V] [/RRT] [/Sync:
<Auto | Manual>] [/M:disk_port] [/EM] [/ER] [/ACCEL:vol_name1 cache_vol mode] [/RA]
[/SD]
/? Displays Help Screen. Other options ignored.
/Y Suppress any user input. Used with options /C, /D, /SP & /X.
/Q Quiet mode / No output. Should not be used with status commands.
COMMANDS - Only one command at a time unless otherwise specified.
/C Create a volume with the specified name. /S, /DS, /SS, & /L can be specified along with
/C.
/SS Specify strip size in KB. Only valid with /C.
/L Specify RAID Level (0, 1, 10, or 5). Only valid with /C.
/S Specify volume size in GB or percentage if a '%' is appended. Percentage must be

between 1-100. Only valid with /C.
/DS Selects the disks to be used in the creation of volume. List should be delimited by
spaces.
/D Delete Volume with specified name.
/X Remove all metadata from all disks. Use with /DS to delete metadata from selected
disks.
/I Display All Drive/Volume/Array Information. /P can be specified.
/P Pause display between sections. Only valid with /I or /ST.
/U Do not delete the partition table. Only valid with /C on RAID 1 volumes.
/SP Marks the selected drive(s) as spare(s). Use with /DS
/ST Display Volume/RAID/Disk Status.
/V Display version information
/RRT Create a recovery volume. Only valid with /C. Requires /M.
/Sync Set sync type for 'Recovery' volume. Only valid with /RRT.
/M Specify the port number of the Master disk for 'Recovery' volume. Only valid with /RRT.
/EM Enable only master disk for recovery volume
/ER Enable only recovery disk for recovery volume; /EM and /ER actions will result in change
from Continuous Update mode to On-Request.
/ACCEL Specify the volume to accelerate and acceleration mode
vol_name1 - volume to accelerate
cache_vol - the volume to use as cache
mode - "enh" for enhanced, "max" - maximized
/RA Removes the Disk/Volume Acceleration.
/SD Synchronizes the data from the cache device to the Accelerated Disk/Volume.
======================================================================
3.4 RSTCLI (32/64 bit) Windows Utilities
NOTE: RSTCLI Commands are CasE SenSitiVe
The Intel RSTCLI 32/64 utility is an executable. It provides OEMs with the ability to create, delete,
and manage RAID volumes on a system within a windows environment using command line
parameters that make it possible to perform these functions by using scripts or shell commands.
For use in all supported Windows OS including WinPE 32/64.
The command syntax for the Intel RSTCLI utilities is shown below:
USAGE: rstcli.exe (or rstcli64.exe)
Create Options:
Flag Name
-C --create
-E --create-from-existing
-l --level
-n --name
-s --stripe-size
-z --size
--rrt
--rrtMaster
--rrtUpdate
Create Usage:
Creates a new volume and array or creates a new volume on an existing array.
--create --level x [--size y] [--stripe-size z] --name string [--create-from-existing diskId] diskId
{[diskId]}
Create Examples:
-C -l 1 -n Volume 0-1-0-0 0-2-0-0 (format of the disk ID is “0-SATA_Port-0-0” where the
second digit from the left represents the SATA port on the platform where the disk is located; thus
0-1-0-0 represents SATA port # 1)
--create -l 0 -z 5 --name RAID0Volume 0-3-0-0 0-4-0-0 0-5-0-0
-C -l 1 -E 0-1-0-0 -n VolumeWithData 0-2-0-0
-C --rrt -n RRTVolume 0-1-0-0 0-2-0-0 --rrtMaster 0-1-0-0
-C --rrt -n RRTVolume 0-1-0-0 0-2-0-0 --rrtUpdate Continuous
--create --help
Information Options:
Flag Name
-I --information
-a --array
-c --controller
-d --disk
-v --volume
Information Usage:
Displays disk, volume, array, and controller information.
--information --controller|--array|--disk|--volume {[device]}
Information Examples:
-I -v Volume
-I -d 0-5-0-0
--information --array Array_0000
--information --help
Manage Options:
Flag Name
-M --manage
-x --cancel-verify
-D --delete
-p --verify-repair
-f --normal-volume
-F --normal
-i --initialize
-L --locate
-T --delete-metadata
-Z --delete-all-metadata**
-N --not-spare
-P --volume-cache-policy
-R --rebuild
-S --spare
-t --target
-U --verify
-w --write-cache
**WARNING: Using this command deletes the metadata on ALL disks in the system.
There is no option to select individual disks with this command and there is
no warning prior to the command initiating and completing. To delete
metadata on individual disks use the –D (--delete) command with either
“volume_name” or “diskID”.
Manage Usage:
Manages arrays, volumes and disks present in the storage system.
--manage --cancel-verify volumeName
--manage --delete volumeName
--manage --verify-repair volumeName
--manage --normal-volume volumeName
--manage --normal diskId
--manage --initialize volumeName
--manage --locate diskId
--manage --delete-metadata diskId (deletes the metadata only on disks that are in a non-Normal
state e.g. offline or unknown)
--manage --delete-all-metadata
--manage --not-spare diskId
--manage --volume-cache-policy off|wb --volume volumeName
--manage --rebuild volumeName --target diskId
--manage --spare diskId
--manage --verify volumeName
--manage --write-cache true|false --array arrayName
Manage Examples:
--manage --spare 0-3-0-0
-M -D VolumeDelete
-M --normal 0-2-0-0
--manage -w true -array Array_0000
-M -U VolumeVerify
-M -Z
--manage --help
Modify Options:
Flag Name
-m --modify
-A --Add
-X --expand
-l --level
-n --name
-s --stripe-size
-v --volume
Modify Usage:
Modifies an existing volume or array.
--modify --volume VolumeName --add diskId {[diskId]}
--modify --volume VolumeName --expand
--modify --volume VolumeName --level L [--add diskId {[diskId]} [--stripe-size s] [--name N]
--modify --volume VolumeName --name n
Modify Examples:
-m -v Volume_0000 -A 0-3-0-0 0-4-0-0
-m --volume ModifyVolume --level 5
--modify -v Volume -n RenameVolume
--modify --help
Accelerate Options:
Flag Name
--accelerate
--createCache
--setAccelConfig
--disassociate
--reset-to-available
--accel-info
--loadCache
--stats
Accelerate Usage:
Accelerates a given disk or volume with the specified SSD disk.
--accelerate --createCache|--setAccelConfig|--disassociate|--reset-to-available|--accel-info
--accelerate --createCache --SSD <diskId> --cache-size X [where 16 ≤ X ≤ 64]
--accelerate --setAccelConfig --disk-to-accel <diskId> | --volume-to-accel <volume name> --
mode [enhanced | maximized | off]
--accelerate --disassociate --cache-volume <volume name>
--accelerate --reset-to-available --cache-volume <volume name>
--accelerate --accel-info
--accelerate --loadCache <files or directory> --recurse
--accelerate --stats
Accelerate Examples:
--accelerate --createCache --SSD 0-3-0-0 --cache-size X [where 16 ≤ X ≤ 64]
--accelerate --setAccelConfig --disk-to-accel 0-5-0-0 --mode enhanced
--accelerate --setAccelConfig --volume-to-accel MyVolume --mode maximized
--accelerate --disassociate --cache-volume Cache_Volume
--accelerate --reset-to-available --cache-volume Cache_Volume
--accelerate --accel-info
--accelerate --loadCache C:\Windows\*.* --recurse
--accelerate --stats
--accelerate --help
OPTIONS:
-A <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>, --add <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>

Adds new disks to an existing volume.
-a, --array
Lists information about the arrays in the storage system.
--accel-info
Lists information about Accelerate settings.
--accelerate
Accelerates a given disk or volume with the specified SSD disk.
-C, --create
Creates a new volume and array or creates a new volume on an existing array.
-c, --controller
Lists information about the controllers in the storage system.
--cache-size <MIN or MAX>
Sets a size in gigabytes for the cache memory. This is an optional switch. If the size is not
specified, the complete size of the SSD will be used for acceleration.
--cache-volume <Volume name>

Specifies a name for the volume used as cache.
--createCache
Creates the cache.
-D <Volume name>, --delete <Volume name>

Deletes the specified volume.
-d, --disk
Lists information about the disks in the storage system.
--disassociate
Disassociates the Cache volume from acceleration
--disk-to-accel <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>
Specifies a disk if accelerating a pass-through disk.
--dynamic-storage-accelerator <true or false>

Enables/disables dynamic storage accelerator; using ‘true’ enables, ‘false’ disables.
-E <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>, --create-from-existing <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>

Identifies the disk if data is to be migrated from one of the disks. Disk identifier is SCSI address.
-F <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>, --normal <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>

Resets failed or SMART event disk to normal.
-f <Volume name>, --normal-volume <Volume name>

Resets failed RAID 0 volume to normal and recovers data.
-h, --help
Displays help documentation for command line utility modes, options, usage, examples, and
return codes. When used with a mode switch (create, information, mange, modify, or accelerate),
instructions for that mode display. For example, --create --help displays Create option help.
-I, --information
Displays disk, volume, array, and controller information.
-i <Volume name>, --initialize <Volume name>

Initializes the redundant data on a RAID 1, 5 or 10 volume.
-L <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>, --locate <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>

Locates device and blinks the LED.
-l <0, 1, 5, 10>, --level <0, 1, 5, 10>

Changes the Raid type of an existing volume. Options are migrations from RAID 1 to RAID 0 or
5, RAID 0 to RAID 5, and RAID 10 to RAID 5.
--loadCache C:\Windows\*.* --recurse

Used to pre-load files into the cache
-M, --manage
Manages arrays, volumes and disks present in the storage system.
-m, --modify
Modifies an existing volume or array.
--mode <Enhanced or Maximized mode>

Specifies Accelerate mode as Enhanced or Maximized.
-N <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>, --not-spare <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>

Resets a spare disk to available.
-n <Volume name>, --name <Volume name>

Specifies a name for the volume created. Renames an existing volume in Modify mode.
-P <Volume name>, --volume-cache-policy <Volume name>

Sets volume cache policy to either off or wb.
-p <Volume name>, --verify-repair <Volume name>

Verifies and repairs the volume.
-q, --quiet
Suppresses output for create, modify, and manage modes. Not valid on info mode.
-R <Volume name>, --rebuild <Volume name>

Rebuilds the degraded volume.
-r, --rescan
Forces the system to rescan for hardware changes.
--reset-to-available
Resets the cache volume to available.
--rrt
Creates a recovery volume using Intel(R) Rapid Recovery Technology (RRT).
--rrtMaster <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>
Optionally creates a recovery volume that allows you to select a specific disk as the master disk.
Default is the first disk in the disk list.
--rrtUpdate <Continuous or OnRequest Update>

Specifies a data update setting when creating a recovery volume as Continuous or OnRequest.
Default is Continuous.
-S <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>, --spare <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>

Marks a disk as a spare.
--SSD <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>
Specifies SSD disk that will be used as cache. If another SSD is being used as cache, then that
volume needs to be deleted to use a new SSD disk.
-s <size in KB>, --stripe-size <size in KB>

Sets a stripe size in kilobytes (2^10 bytes) for a volume. Valid when creating or changing the
type of a volume and for RAID 0, RAID 5 and RAID 10. Options are 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 and 128 KB.
--setAccelConfig
Sets the config for accelerating a volume or disk.
--stats
Indicates percentage of cache usage.
-T <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>, --delete-metadata <<host>-<bus>- <target>-<lun>>

Deletes the metadata from the specified disk. (deletes the metadata only on disks that are in a
non-Normal state e.g. offline or unknown)
-t <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>, --target <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>

Indicates the pass-through disk to be used for rebuilding a degraded volume.
-U <Volume name>, --verify <Volume name>

Verifies data on the volume.
-u <password>, --unlock <password>

Unlocks a disk.
-V, --version
Displays version information.
-v, --volume
Lists information about the volumes on the system. Stipulates the volume to act on when used
in Modify or Manage mode.
--volume-to-accel <Volume name>

Specifies a name of the volume to be accelerated.
-w <true or false>, --write-cache <true or false>

Enables or disables write cache for all disks that are part of an array.
-X, --expand
Expands a volume to consume all available space in an array.
-x <Volume name>, --cancel-verify <Volume name>

Cancels a verify operation in progress.
-z <size in GB>, --size <size in GB>

Sets a size in gigabytes. This is an optional switch. If the size is not specified or specified to 0,
then the maximum size available will be used.
-Z --delete-all-metadata
Deletes the metadata on all disks in the system without any warning prior to initiating and
completing the action.
RETURN CODES:
0, Success
Request completed successfully.
1, Request Failed
Request is formatted correctly but failed to execute.
2, Invalid Request
Unrecognized command, request was formatted incorrectly.
3, Invalid Device
Request not formatted correctly, device passed in does not exist.
4, Request Unsupported
Request is not supported with the current configuration.
5, Device State Invalid

Request is not supported with the current device state.
20, Invalid Stripe Size

Stripe size is not supported.
21, Invalid Name

Volume name is too long, has invalid characters, or already exists.
Volume name cannot exceed 16 English characters.
22, Invalid Size

Size requested is invalid.
23, Invalid Number Disks

Number of disks requested is invalid.
24, Invalid RAID Level

RAID level requested is invalid.
3.5 UEFI System BIOS and the Intel® RST UEFI/RAID

Package
Beginning with the Intel® RST 11.5 Release version, the product provides a native UEFI driver for
OEMs and their BIOS vendors to integrate into their RAID-enabled platforms (Not required for AHCI
mode platforms).
3.5.1 Specification References

This document is not intended to be a go-to document for the UEFI specification. The specification
is owned by the UEFI working group and detailed information regarding UEFI can be found in
documents published by that organization. The Intel® RST UEFI driver implementation conforms to
the UEFI specification and is in compliance with version 2.3.1.
Table 3-1: UEFI Specifications and Location
Specification Location
UEFI Specification version 2.3.1 (http://www.uefi.org/specsandtesttools)
UEFI Platform Initialization Specification version 1.2 (http://www.uefi.org/specsandtesttools)
UEFI Shell Specification version 2.0 (http://www.uefi.org/specsandtesttools )
3.5.2 What Intel® RST Provides to OEMs/BIOS Vendors
3.5.2.1 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UEFI Driver

This is the main component of the Intel® RST pre-OS EFI solution. It is provided in three different
formats:
RaidDriver.efi (filename):
 UEFI driver that requires integration into the UEFI System BIOS by the OEM’s BIOS
vendor. This file can be placed into the OEMs’ UEFI BIOS source build where their tools
can integrate it.
RaidDriver.ffs (filename):
 The Intel® RST UEFI driver (RaidDriver.efi) is wrapped in the Firmware File System
(.ffs)
 Useful for an external tool to integrate the binary into a compiled BIOS image. Firmware
File System Details:
o Firmware File Type - EFI_FV_FILETYPE_DRIVER (0x07)
o File GUID - 90C8D394-4E04-439C-BA55-2D8CFCB414ED
o 2 Firmware File Sections
 EFI_SECTION_PE32 (0x10)
 EFI_SECTION_USER_INTERFACE (0x15)
Name “SataDriver”
RaidDriver.bin (filename):
 This is an optional format that is provided to OEMs that might want it delivered as a PCI
3.0 UEFI OROM
 Disadvantage of the UEFI OROM format is that it likely will require the BIOS to have a
Compatibility Support Module (CSM) in order to function
3.5.2.2 Intel® RST UEFI User Interface

An HII-compliant user interface is provided for the pre-boot configuration of the RAID system,
including management of Intel® Smart Response Technology. The same functionality provided in
the legacy OROM UI is available in this UI.
 The UI is integrated within the UEFI driver binary (RaidDriver.efi, .ffs, and .bin files)
 Per the UEFI specification, we publish the UI as string and forms packages
 The UI is accessible from within the UEFI BIOS (How the user accesses it from within the
BIOS is OEM-dependent upon implementation)
 The text string ‘Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology’ will be displayed as the selection to enter
the UI
 Some OEMs may want to hard assign where the Intel® RST UEFI GUI will be located within
their BIOS.
 The Intel® RST UEFI Driver FORMSET_GUID is:
FORMSET_GUID { 0xd37bcd57, 0xaba1, 0x44e6, { 0xa9, 0x2c, 0x89, 0x8b, 0x15, 0x8f,
0x2f, 0x59 } }
{D37BCD57-ABA1-44e6-A92C-898B158F2F59}
Figure 1: Example location of RST UEFI UI in a System BIOS
3.5.2.3 Command line RAID Configuration Utility
RcfgSata.efi (filename):
 A UEFI application that requires booting to the UEFI Shell environment to run
 Same functionality and commands as have been provided by the legacy DOS version
(RcfgSata.exe) in previous releases of the Intel® RST product.
 Requires the exact same version of the RST UEFI Driver to be loaded on system in order
to function.
Figure 2: rcfgsata command line syntax
3.5.2.4 Command line RAID Compliance Checking Utility
RcmpSata.efi (filename):
 A UEFI application that requires booting to the UEFI Shell environment to run.
 Investigates if the list of UEFI required protocols by the RST UEFI Driver are present.
Also provides a list of the protocols published by the RST UEFI Driver and the
capabilities/features of the RST UEFI Driver.
Figure 3: rcfgsata command line syntax
3.5.3 UEFI System BIOS Requirements for Platform

Compatibility with Intel® RST UEFI
This section covers what the OEM/BIOS Vendor is required to accomplish in order to ensure that the
platform is compatible the Intel® RST UEFI driver.
3.5.3.1 Required Protocols/Functions to be Provided by the UEFI

System BIOS
The Intel® RST UEFI driver requires the following protocols/functions to be provided by the BIOS:
EFI_BOOT_SERVICES:
 LocateHandleBuffer
 OpenProtocol
 CloseProtocol
 WaitForEvent
 HandleProtocol
 FreePool
 AllocatePages
 AllocatePool
 InstallMultipleProtocolInterfaces
 UninstallMultipleProtocolInterfaces
 Stall
EFI_RUNTIME_SERVICES:
 SetVariable
 GetVariable
 GetTime
Other Protocols:
 EFI_ACPI_TABLE_PROTOCOL (or EFI_ACPI_SUPPORT_PROTOCOL (EDK117))
3.5.3.2 Optional Protocols/Functions to be Provided by the UEFI

System BIOS
If the OEM plans to use the Intel® RST HII-compliant UI, then the following protocols/functions
are required to be provided by the BIOS:
 Form Browser 2 Protocol
 Config Routing Protocol
 HII String Protocol
 HII Database Protocol
3.5.3.3 Protocols Provided by the Intel® RST UEFI Driver

The Intel® RST UEFI driver provides the following protocols:
 Driver Binding Protocol
 Component Name Protocol (English only)
 Component Name 2 Protocol (English only)
 Driver Supported EFI Version Protocol
 Device Path Protocol
 Config Access Protocol
 EFI_BLOCK_IO_PROTOCOL
o For Logical Devices
 EFI_STORAGE_SECURITY_PROTOCOL
o For Non-RAID disks that support TCG Feature Set
 EFI_EXT_SCSI_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL:
o All SCSI commands are supported (for ATAPI devices)
 EFI_ATA_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL:
o Non-RAID disks:
 All ATA commands are supported
o RAID disks (only the following commands are supported):
 EXECUTE DEVICE DIAGNOSTIC (0x90)
 IDENTIFY DEVICE (0xEC)
 IDLE (0xE3)
 IDLE IMMEDIATE (0xE1)
 SECURITY DISABLE PASSWORD (0xF6)
 SECURITY ERASE PREPARE (0xF3)
 SECURITY ERASE UNIT (0xF4)
 SECURITY FREEZE (0xF5)
 SECURITY SET PASSWORD (0xF1)
 SECURITY UNLOCK (0xF2)
 SET FEATURES (0xEF)
 SMART READ DATA (0xB0 / 0xD0)
 SMART READ LOG (0xB0 / 0xD5)
 SMART RETURN STATUS (0xB0 / 0xDA)
 STANDBY (0xE2)
 STANDBY IMMEDIATE (0xE0)
o All disk types:
 EFI_ATA_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL_ATA_NON_DATA
 EFI_ATA_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL_PIO_DATA_IN
 EFI_ATA_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL_PIO_DATA_OUT
 EFI_ATA_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL_DEVICE_DIAGNOSTIC
 EFI_ATA_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL_UDMA_DATA_IN
 EFI_ATA_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL_UDMA_DATA_OUT
 EFI_ATA_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL_RETURN_RESPONSE
3.5.4 How-to-Enable the Platform with Intel® RST UEFI

Driver/HII_GUI
This section covers what the OEM/BIOS Vendor is required to accomplish in order to ensure that the
platform is compatible with the Intel® RST UEFI driver.
3.5.4.1 Step1: Platform UEFI BIOS

1. Ensure that the UEFI System BIOS meets UEFI Specification 2.3.1 compliance
2. The BIOS must provide the following protocols:
o EFI_Boot_Services Protocols (see section 3.5.3.1)
o EFI_Runtime_Services Protocols (see section 3.5.3.1)
o EFI_HII Protocols** (see section 3.5.3.2) *** Required for the Intel® RST UEFI UI
3.5.4.2 Step2: Download and Integrate the Intel® RST UEFI Package
1. Download the latest kit from the Intel VIP (Validation Internet Portal) website. From the kit
select the efi_sata.zip file which will contain the UEFI driver binary files (RaidDriver.efi,
RaidDriver.ffs, and RaidDriver.bin)
2. Select and extract the binary file based on the planned integration method:
o RaidDriver.efi: Use this binary if planning to integrate at the time of the BIOS image build
o RaidDriver.ffs: Use this binary if planning to integrate into an already built BIOS image
o RaidDriver.bin: Use this binary if planning to integrate as legacy type OROM (CSM may also
be required)
3. Use the proper integration tools based on the binary file selected above
3.5.4.3 Step3: Verify Compliance

1. From the efi_sata.zip downloaded in step 2, extract the RCmpSata.efi file.
2. Place the file on a USB thumb drive and insert the drive into the platform
3. Boot to the UEFI Shell environment.
4. Run the RCmpSata.efi application (it’s a command line utility): at the prompt type the
command:
o To print to screen: rcmpsata.efi
o To print to a file: rcmpsata.efi > comply.txt
5. Ensure all sections pass with no fails reported
3.5.5 Known Compatibility Issues with the UEFI Self

Certification Test (UEFI SCT) tool
The following UEFI 2.3.1 SCT tests will appear as FAIL in reports generated using the “Report
Generation” tool of the SCT framework. The “Report Generation” tool is the only method that
should be used to determine if tests fail. Do not determine test failing test results by viewing the
raw log files. The “Report Generation” tool will discard any test results that failed due to an invalid
system configuration.
3.5.5.1 Bootable Image Support Test\Block IO Protocol Test
EFI_BLOCK_IO_PROTOCOL.Reset - Reset() returns EFI_SUCCESS with ExtendedVerification being

TRUE
 Test Index: 5.7.5.1.1
 Test GUID: 61EE3A34-62A2-4214-B076-5073B177156C
 Reason: The Intel® RST UEFI driver does not support Reset – EFI_UNSUPPORTED is
returned.
EFI_BLOCK_IO_PROTOCOL.Reset - Reset() returns EFI_SUCCESS with ExtendedVerification being

FALSE
 Test Index: 5.7.5.1.2
 Test GUID: 98530F3D-8BD8-44A1-9D06-08039FDFEC63
 Reason: The Intel® RST UEFI driver does not support Reset – EFI_UNSUPPORTED is
returned.
EFI_BLOCK_IO_PROTOCOL.ReadBlocks - ReadBlocks() returns EFI_SUCCESS with valid parameter

 Test Index: 5.7.5.2.1
 Test GUID: 9EFE26C2-C565-478A-A0B4-05A8FD2E7E3E
 Reason: Test called ReadBlocks() with a BufferSize of 0 so EFI_BAD_BUFFER_SIZE is
returned. The UEFI 2.3.1 specification states for ReadBlocks, “The size of the Buffer in
bytes. This must be a multiple of the intrinsic block size of the device.”
3.5.5.2 ATA Bus Support Test\ATA Pass-Thru Protocol Test
EFI_ATA_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL.BuildDevicePath - call BuildDevicePath with NULL DevicePath.

 Test Index: 5.7.8.2.1
 Test GUID: D72E6A78-5292-4493-9040-B0445A9C1714
 Reason: The Intel® RST UEFI driver does not support BuildDevicePath – EFI_UNSUPPORTED
is returned
EFI_ATA_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL.BuildDevicePath - call BuildDevicePath with invalid Port.

 Test Index: 5.7.8.2.2
 Test GUID: A42A0E01-7B80-46E4-A757-86C4EC53F4E4
is returned
EFI_ATA_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL.BuildDevicePath - call BuildDevicePath with invalid

PortMultiplierPort
 Test Index: 5.7.8.2.3
 Test GUID: 322F00C1-F6BF-41ED-AEFD-AAC48F3FA9DB
is returned
EFI_ATA_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL.BuildDevicePath BuildDevicePath() with available device, device

path
 Test Index: 5.7.8.2.4
 Test GUID: 230D44B6-CE53-42B6-9BA6-3D115D492B33 should be created.
is returned
EFI_ATA_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL.GetDevice GetDevice() with NULL device path.

 Test Index: 5.7.8.3.1
 Test GUID: 0F2F0849-690B-48EA-8E35-64363FAA8C5C
 Reason: The Intel® RST UEFI driver does not support GetDevice – EFI_UNSUPPORTED is
returned
3.5.5.3 HII Test\HII Config Access Protocol Test
HII_CONFIG_ACCESS_PROTOCOL.RouteConfig - RouteConfig() returns EFI_NOT_FOUND if no target

was
 Test Index: 5.18.6.2.3
 Test GUID: 1F99EBC8-0253-455F-88AC-9E2BA6DCD729 found with the routing data.
 Reason: Intel® RST UEFI driver does not support RouteConfig – EFI_UNSUPPORTED is
returned. RouteConfig is not supported so that Intel® RST HII form values are only modified
by the Intel® RST driver itself.
HII_CONFIG_ACCESS_PROTOCOL.RouteConfig - RouteConfig() returns EFI_INVALID_PARAMETER

with Configuration been NULL
 Test Index: 5.18.6.2.1
 Test GUID: 495C99F3-0231-45A5-AFFA-D25C6F9A191C
 Reason: is caused by not using EFI HII Configuration Access Protocol (see section 31.4 in
UEFI 2.4 specification) in RST UEFI Driver. The RST software does not use it as it is not
necessary.
HII_CONFIG_ACCESS_PROTOCOL.RouteConfig- RouteConfig() returns EFI_SUCCESS with valid

parameters
 Test Index: 5.18.6.2.4
 Test GUID: 1A15DF85-6CC1-43F2-9B86-218BD5FDF4A0
 Reason: is caused by not using EFI HII Configuration Access Protocol (see section 31.4 in
UEFI 2.4 specification) in RST UEFI Driver. The RST software does not use it as it is not
necessary.
4 New in Release Version 15.x
4.1 15.2 Release
4.1.1 New Features/Specifications in This Release
4.1.1.1 Compatibility with Microsoft Windows Device Guard
4.1.1.2 Microsoft Redstone OS Support
4.1.1.3 Support for McAfee SW Full Disk Encryption:

 SATA Pass-through disk
 PCIe Pass-through disk
 RAID
 SRT Block Cache + Extra Space Volume
4.1.1.4 Support for Bitlocker SW Full Disk Encryption:

 SATA Pass-through disk
 PCIe Pass-through disk
 RAID
 SRT Block Cache + Extra Space Volume
4.1.2 Updated Features/Specifications in This Release
4.1.2.1 PCIe NVMe Pre-OS

 Support for Admin command: Format NVM (80h) to RAID member
 Support for Admin command: Format NVM (80h) to SRT member
4.2 15.0 Release
4.2.1 New Features/Specifications in This Release
4.2.1.1 Driver Assisted Striping

This is a performance enhancement feature for selected Intel-brand NVMe SSDs.
This feature is only supported on remapping-enabled Intel platforms. There is no
user interaction or configurable parameters for this feature.
4.2.2 Updated Features/Specifications in This Release
4.2.2.1 PCIe
Modern Standby support is updated to include remapped PCIe NVMe SSDs. PCIe
AHCI devices are NOT SUPPORTED.
4.2.2.2 RTD3
RTD3 support is updated to include remapped single pass-through PCIe NVMe
devices. PCIe AHCI devices are NOT SUPPORTED.
4.2.2.3 RAID/SRT
Feature enhancements/updates for the RAID and SRT features when creating a RAID
volume form existing partitioned disk or accelerating a partitioned disk (usually the
system disk)
5 14.x Features
5.1 General Overview
5.1.1 Windows 10 OS Upgrade Recommendations
OS Steps:
1. Download Windows10 x64 iso from official Microsoft Insider
Windows 8.1
website: https://insider.windows.com/
x64
2. Upgrade driver to version 13.2.4.1000
3. Open iso and launch setup.exe to update directly from current system Windows 8.1 x64
Windows 8 x64
/ Windows 8 x64
4. Follow the Windows 10 setup steps
(Legacy / UEFI)
1. Download Windows10 x32 / 10 x64 iso from official Microsoft Insider website:
https://insider.windows.com/
Windows 7 x32
2. Upgrade RST driver to version 13.2.4.1000 or higher.
/ x64
3. Open iso and launch setup.exe to update directly from current system Windows 7 x86 /
Windows 7 x64
(Legacy / UEFI)
4. Follow the Windows10 setup steps
5.1.2 PCIe/SATA Remapping
Beginning with the Intel® RST 14.0 Release version, NVMe storage devices over the PCIe bus are
supported on the following Skylake PCH SKUs:
Skylake(SPT) PCH SKU PCH Family Segment

C236 (3) SPT** PCH-H Workstation
CM236 (3) SPT PCH-H Mobile Workstation
Z170 (3) SPT PCH-H Desktop
Q170 (3) SPT PCH-H Desktop
H170 (2) SPT PCH-H Desktop
HM170 (2) SPT PCH-H Mobile
QM170 (2) SPT PCH-H Mobile
Premium-U (2) SPT PCH-LP Mobile-LP
Premium-Y (2) SPT PCH-LP Mobile-LP
Note: Support for NVMe storeage devices over PCIe will not be backwards compatible (not
supported) on pre-Skylake PCH platforms.
**SPT denotes Sunrise Point PCH

(n) denotes the total number of RST PCIe storage devices supported
See Apendix D for available remapping configurations for Sklylake (SPT) PCH to meet
OEMs’ specific platform design requirements.
Skylake PCH-H HSIO Details (Lanes 15 – 26) PCIe lanes 9 - 20
Table 1 PCIe Controller #3 :| (Cycle Router #1) PCIe Controller #4 | (Cycle Router #2) PCIe Controller #5 | (Cycle Router #3)
SKU 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe /
HM170 PCIe PCIe N/A N/A N/A N/A
SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA
QM170 PCIe PCIe N/A N/A N/A N/A

H170 PCIe PCIe SATA SATA PCIe PCIe
PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe /

Q170 PCIe PCIe PCIe PCIe
SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA
Z170 PCIe PCIe PCIe PCIe
C236 / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe /
PCIe PCIe
CM236 SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA
x4 x4 x4
x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2
Intel RST PCIe Storage Device #1 Intel RST PCIe Storage Device #2 Intel RST PCIe Storage Device #3
<------------------------------------------------------------------------H170**, Q170, Z170, C236------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
<---------------------------------------------------HM170, QM170-------------------------------------------------->
** H170 Supports Only a Maximum of 2 Remapped PCIe Devices (Controllers) of the 3 Available
Skylake PCH-H SATA/PCIe Muxing

SPT-H
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe #09
PCIe #10
PCIe #11
PCIe #12
PCIe #13
PCIe #14
PCIe #15
PCIe #16
PCIe #17
PCIe #18
PCIe #19
PCIe #20
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
SATA 6 'C236' ONLY
SATA 7 'C236' ONLY

SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5
x4 x4 x4
x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2
Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage
Device #1 Device #2 Device #3
Skylake PCH-LP HSIO Details (Lanes 9 – 16) PCIe lanes 5 - 16
PCH-LP HSIO Detail (Lanes 9 -16) (PCIe #5 -#12)
PCIe Controller #2 PCIe Controller #3
HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Prem-U PCIe PCIe PCIe / SATA PCIe / SATA PCIe PCIE PCIe / SATA PCIe / SATA
Prem-Y PCIe PCIe PCIe / SATA PCIe / SATA PCIe PCIE N/A N/A
x4 x4
x2 x2 x2 x2
Intel RST PCIe Storage Device #1 Intel RST PCIe Storage Device #2
<------------------------------------------------------------U-------------------------------------------------------------->
<---------------------------------------------Y---------------------------------------------->
Skylake PCH-LP SATA/PCIe Muxing

SPT-LP Premium-U
HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
SPT-LP Premium-Y
PCIe #5
PCIe #6
PCIe #7
PCIe #8
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
PCIe #11
PCIe #12
HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14
PCIe #5
PCIe #6
PCIe #7
PCIe #8
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 1 'Alternate'
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
x4 x4 x4
x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2
Intel RST P CIe Sto rage

Intel RST PCIe Storage Device #1 Intel RST PCIe Storage Device #2 Intel RST PCIe Storage Device #1 Device # 2
5.2 14.8 Release
5.2.1 Windows Threshold-2 OS Support

Intel® RST will support Windows* Threshold-2 OS on RST pre-14.8 driver for 90 days
after OS RTM. After which time Intel will not accept any bugs/issues submitted
against Intel® RST on any systems running the Threshold-2 OS and any RST pre-
14.8 driver package.
5.2.2 FUA Customization for PCIe NVMe Devices

This customization allows the RST product to provide more accurate settings for FUA in
‘Battery-backed’ systems and during benchmarking activities for NVMe devices.
5.2.2.1 Battery Presence Detection

The RST INSTALLER creates a registry key and sets the appropriate
value when it detects a battery-backed system:
Registry Key:
'HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStoreA\Parameters\Device\IsSystemOnB
attery'
Available vaules are:

0 = no battery detected in the system, 1 = battery detected in the system.
5.2.2.2 Ignore FUA for PCIe NVMe Devices

The RST DRIVER shall use "Ignore FUA" mechanism per each NVMe PCIe
storage device in the system. This gives more accurate/real world action of
FUA during benchmarking activities.
5.2.3 RST API Passthrough IOCTL Support for SATA/NVMe Device FW

Upgrade
SATA Limitation Support is limited to only those SATA drive models that are compliant with
the “Windows 10: Storage Firmware Updates” document; see section “SATA
Requirements”.
5.2.3.1 Device Firmware Upgrade

The RST DRIVER provides an IOCTL for firmware upgrades on PASS-
THROUGH devices.
5.2.3.2 Device Firmware Upgrade - SRT

The RST DRIVER provides an IOCTL for firmware upgrades on devices that are
the member disks/volumes of an Intel® SRT configured system.
5.2.3.3 Device Firmware Upgrade - RAID

The RST DRIVER provides an IOCTL for firmware upgrades on devices that are
the members of RAID volumes.
5.3 14.7 Release
5.3.1 EFI Support for EFI_NVM_EXPRESS_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL

The RST PRE-OS UEFI driver implements the
EFI_NVM_EXPRESS_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL as per UEFI specification for all
Remapped NVMe PCIe storage devices.
5.3.1.1 Exceptions in Pass-Thrugh Procotol Functions Availability

The RST PRE-OS UEFI does not expose functions BuildDevicePath() and
GetNamespace(), and returns EFI_UNSUPPORTED if the function is called.
5.3.1.2 EFI_NVM_EXPRESS_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL Installation
Location
The RST PRE-OS UEFI driver will install the
EFI_NVM_EXPRESS_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL on the SATA controller's handle.
5.3.1.3 Configuration of Protocol "Attribute" Field

The RST PRE-OS UEFI sets the protocol's "Attribute" field to either Logical or
Physical (as defined in the UEFI specification).
5.3.2 NVMe Commands support for

EFI_NVM_EXPRESS_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL for pass-thru disks
The RST PRE-OS UEFI allows NVMe commands as per NVMe specification and vendor
specific commands to be passed to pass-thru Remapped NVMe PCIe storage device,
except for the Format Command and Queue Management Commands.
5.3.3 NVMe Commands support for

EFI_NVM_EXPRESS_PASS_THRU_PROTOCOL for RAID and SRT
The RST PRE-OS UEFI only allows the following NVMe commands as per the NVMe
specification for SRT disks/volume member disks and RAID volume member disks:
 Identify
 Get Features
 Set Features
 Asynch Event Request
 Firmware Image Download
 Abort
5.4 14.6 Release
5.4.1 Intel® RST Private NVMe pass-through IOCTL support
Notice! A new private API architecture is introduced in release 14.6. This

architecture will be used for all RST releases going forward and is not
compatible with the API that was delivered with the RST 14.5 release.
The RST DRIVER provides a new private API that allows user-space applications to
send and execute NVMe commands to remapped PCIE NVMe devices. This new API is
based on the new IOCTL definition to implement NVMe pass-through channel.
5.4.1.1 Target Devices
Unsupported
 Non-Remapped : PCIe NVMe devices not configured using the Intel® 100
Series or later chipset’s remapping technology are not supported by this
API
Supported
 Pass-through Disk : Single PCIe NVMe devices configured as Pass-

through (stand-alone) devices on platforms using the Intel® 100 Series or
later chipset’s remapping technology
 RAID Arrays : PCIe NVME devices configured as members of RAID Arrays
 Intel® SRT : PCIe NVME devices configured as Cache_SSDs in Intel® Smart

Response Technology (Intel® SRT) configurations
5.4.1.2 Operating Systems
Supported
 Windows* 10 /64bit (TH, TH-2)
 Windows* 8.1 /64bit
 Windows* 8 /64bit
 Windows* 7 /64bit
5.4.1.3 Supported NVMe Commands
The Intel® RST NVMe Passthrough API allows to send commands listed below. All
other are rejected and request is returned with status
SRB_STATUS_INVALID_REQUEST.
 NVM Commands:
o Vendor Specific
o Flush
o Read
 Admin Commands:
o Get Log Page
o Identify
o Get Features
o Set Features:
 Power Management
 Temperature Threshold
 APST
o Vendor Specific commands
5.5 14.5 Release
5.5.1 NVMe pass-through IOCTL support

The RST DRIVER provides a private API that allows user-space applications to send
and execute NVMe commands to remapped PCIE NVMe devices. This new API is based
on the new IOCTL definition to implement NVMe pass-through channel.
 Supported:
o Pass-through Disks
 Unsupported:
o RAID Volumes
o SRT Cache Devices
5.5.2 Adaptive D3 for Connected Standby (Windows 10)

The RST DRIVER provides API that allows a user-space application to send and
execute NVMe commands. New API is based on new IOCTL definition to implement
NVMe pass-through channel.
Beginning with the release of Microsoft Windows 10, in order to enable storage
devices with rotating media on Connected Standby systems the time period of
idleness (Idle Timeout) required to remove power to the device changes depending
upon varying factors. Thus this ‘Adaptive’ mechanism uses new algorithms to balance
power savings and device wear.
Once RST enables the Adaptive Idle Timeout feature it does nothing else with respect
to the feature. Windows Storport completely handles the adaptive timeout
mechanism.
 Enable Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for Rotating Media Storage Devices
The RST DRIVER enables the adaptive D3 idle timeout feature for SATA rotating
media.
 Hard Disk Drives (HDD)
 Hybrid Hard Drives (SSHD)
 RAID Arrays
o Enable:
 RAID Arrays with only a single RAID volume
 RAID Array must be homogeneous (e.g. all array
members must be HDDs)
o Disable:
 MATRIX RAID volumes.
 MIXED RAID volumes.
 Disable Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for:
The RST DRIVER always disables the adaptive D3 idle timeout for:
 Non-Rotating Media Storage Devices
o SATA SSDs
o PCIe Remapped SSDs
 ATAPI Devices
o Tape Devices
o ODDs
o ZPODDs
5.6 14.0 Release
5.6.1 NVMe Interface Version Compliance

The RST SOLUTION adheres to the NVMe Specification.
5.6.2 Accelerated Volume Criteria with Multiple Controllers

A volume must meet all the following criteria to be an ACCELERATED VOLUME:
Supported RAID Configurations:

 RAID0, RAID1, RAID5, RAID10
HW: All its member disks must be on the PCH AHCI controller OR all its member disks
must be on the REMAPPED PCIe controllers
5.6.3 RAID volume support with multiple controllers

RAID volumes are not allowed to have both PCH AHCI member drives and REMAPPED
PCIe member drives.
5.6.4 Remapped PCIe Storage Device Support

A maximum of 3 REMAPPED PCIe ports are allowed on the system which is SKU
dependent.
5.6.5 Supported Configurations for Remapped PCIe Storage Devices

For the RST PRE-OS UEFI + UEFI CONFIG UTILITY, RST WINDOWS CONFIG
UTILITIES, and RST UI, the user is allowed to utilize a REMAPPED PCIe Storage
Device only in the following configurations and will prevent the user from utilizing the
device in any other configuration:
1) Pass-through
2) Cache device
3) Extra space volume
4) RAID volume
5) RAID Spare
5.6.6 Non-PCH Remapped AHCI Controller Devices
The RST SOLUTION only allows non-PCH REMAPPED AHCI controller target devices on
port 0 of the PCIe add-in card and will ignore any devices present on any other ports
on the add-in card.
Port 0 corresponds to Ports Implemented (PI) bit 0. If bit 0 of PI is not set, no

remapped target device shall be surfaced.
5.6.7 Remapped PCIe Spare Support - RST UI

The RST UI will display an option to select available REMAPPED PCIe SSDs and mark
them as spares.
Note: The option ROM does not support configuration of spares.
5.6.8 Remapped PCIe Spare Support – Driver

The RST DRIVER detects REMAPPED PCIe SSDs marked as spares.
5.6.9 MSI-X Support

The RST DRIVER implements MSI-X vectors for PCH AHCI devices
and REMAPPED PCIe SSDs.
5.6.10 RRT volume support with multiple controllers

The RST SOLUTION cannot create RRT volumes using REMAPPED PCIe member
drives.
5.6.11 Pass-through remapped NVMe PCIe Storage Device Support

The RST SOLUTION allows the use of remapped NVMe PCIe STORAGE devices.
5.6.12 NVMe Admin Security Commands Support

The RST DRIVER supports admin security commands from NVMe specification.
5.6.13 NVMe Autonomous Power State Transition (APST) Support

RST NVMe driver configures APST for NVMe device if it supports this feature. The
device supports APST if APSTA field is set to one in Identify Controller Data Structure.
This data structure contains power state descriptors with information about the
number of the power states (up to 32) supported by the device.
6 Intel Rapid Storage
Technology for PCIe NVMe
Storage Devices
6.1 OEM System BIOS Requirements

System BIOS System BIOS must enable remapping for the device to be
supported by RST(consult the Intel BIOS Writers
Guide/Specification for your platform)
6.2 General Requirements

Hardware Only enabled on specific SKUs of the Skylake platforms (see 1st
section above in this chapter). SATA/PCIe Remapping must be
enabled on the platform. (Refer to the External Design
Specification for the respective platforms:
Doc #545659: Skylake Platform Controller Hub (SKL PCH)

External Design Specification – Volume 1 of 2
 Tables 1-2, 1-3
 Chapter 3
 Chapter 25, Table 25-2
Doc #546717: Skylake H Platform Controller Hub (SKL PCH-H)

External Design Specification – Volume 1 of 2
 Tables 1-2, 1-4, 1-5, and 1-7
 Chapter 3
 Chapter 25, Table 25-3 ).
Operating All x64 bit supported Operating Systems for this release
System
Supported NVMe PCIe Devices

Devices
SATA Mode RAID Mode Only
Specificcation Will adhere to the NVMe Specification

Support
The driver will implement MSI-X vectors for PCH AHCI devices
and remapped PCIe SSDs
6.3 Feature Limitations
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology for PCIe NVMe Storage Devices has the following feature
limitations:
 No support for:
o Legacy AHCI DEVSLP
o RTD3
o Hot Plug
o InstantGo*
 Supports: maximum of 3 ports can be remapped using x2 or x4 lanes
 If used in a RAID volume, all member devices must be on the same bus type
6.4 PCIe NVMe Device Usage Model

Intel® Rapid Storage Technology NVMe PCIe Device storage is limited to the following usages:
 As a single Pass-Thru Bootable device with PCH SATA controller in RAID mode.
 As a cache device for Intel® Smart Response Technology with the PCH SATA controller in
RAID mode.
 As a member disk in a RAID volume with the PCH SATA controller in RAID mode (all
member devices have to be on the same bus type).
 As a spare disk for a RAID volume (has to be on the same bus type as the RAID member
devices)
6.5 Intel® RST for PCIe NVMe Storage Use cases

Prerequisite:
 A remapping-enabled PCH chipset.
 The platform BIOS must implement the remapping logic and turn it on.
 The PCIe Storage device must be attached to a remapable PCIe slot or PCIe M.2 connector.
o Only x2 and x4 lane support for Skylake and later platforms
o Only x1 and x2 lane support for pre-Skylake platforms that support re-mapping
 The PCIe Storage device must be NVMe-controller based.
 System must be in RAID mode.
 The platform must include the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UEFI driver*.
If any of the above conditions are not met, the PCIe NVMe SSD will not be recognized by the RST
driver.
*No Legacy OROM support
Use Cases:
Use Case Description Boot Support
Pass-through Device: When all the prerequisites RAID

Using NVMe PCIe Storage referred above are met,
the PCIe Storage device
device as a pass-through can be used as a pass-
device through device. It can be a
boot device or a data
device.
Configurations:
 Up to 3 pass-through
disks PCH SKU
dependent)
When all the prerequisites

SRT Cache Device: Turn referred above are met RAID
on SRT, using NVMe PCIe and all conditions to
Storage device to enable SRT are met, SRT
accelerate SATA HDD, can be turned on to use
RAID volume the PCIe Storage device as
the cache device to
accelerate the SATA HDD.
*Refer to section on SRT

Extra Space Volume: referred above are met RAID
Turn on SRT, using NVMe and all conditions to
PCIe Storage device to enable SRT are met, SRT
accelerate SATA HDD can be turned on to use
the PCIe Storage device as
the cache device to
Any additional space on
the PCIe device not being
used for cache can be used
disk volume.

RAID Volume: Creation of referred above are met the RAID
RAID volumes using NVMe PCIe devices can be used
PCIe storage devices to creatre RAID volumes.
Only supported RAID levels
are 0, 1, and 5. The actual
RAID level support will be
dependent upon your
platform’s specific SKU and
configuration; coinsult
your platform
documentation
Configurations:
 3-disk RAID volume
(RAID 0 or 5)
(RAID 0 or 1) + Spare
(RAID 0 or 1) + Single
Disk
6.6 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UEFI

Compliance Utitlity for PCIe Storage
Beginning with Intel® RST UEFI version 13.0, the RcmpSata.efi utility includes the ability to test
Intel® RST PCIe conformance for OEMs and ODMs in the UEFI shell (RcmpSata.efi)or DOS
environment (RcmpSata.exe).
*RcmpSata utility is also available in earlier releases for Legacy OROM and UEFI compliance testing in the Pre-
OS environment (see section 3.5.2.4).
With the RcmpSata.efi utility downloaded to a Fat32 formatted usb drive attached to the platform,
the following syntax can be used in the UEFI shell to download compliance data to a text file for
viewing in a text editor (where ‘#’ is the file system number of the usb drive shown when booting to
the UEFI shell):
Fs#:> rcmpsata.efi > rcmpsata.txt
You may scroll through the text file in the UEFI shell by typing the following command:
Fs#:>edit rcmpsata.txt
The final test results are displayed at the end. Test Section 16 will confirm “remap” for PCIe is
enabled/disabled for debugging issues in the Pre-OS environment.
7 Intel Rapid Storage
Technology for PCIe AHCI
Storage Devices
Beginning with the Intel® RST 13.0 Release version, PCIe storage devices are supported on the
following SKUs:
PCH SKU PCH Family Segment

H97 LPT-H Refresh Desktop
Z97 LPT-H Refresh Desktop
7.1 OEM System BIOS Requirements

System BIOS System BIOS must enable remapping for the device to be
supported by RST(consult the Intel BIOS Writers Guide for your
platform)
7.2 General Requirements

Hardware Only enabled on specific SKUs of the Haswell Refresh
platforms. Remapping must be enabled on the platform. (Refer
the Product Design guide for the respective platforms).
Operating All x64 bit supported Operating Systems for this release
System
Supported AHCI PCIe Devices

Devices
SATA Mode RAID Only
7.3 Warnings
7.3.1 Features Limitations

Intel® Rapid Storage Technology 13.1 for PCIe Storage Devices will not support the following
features:
 Legacy AHCI DEVSLP
 L1.2 Support for PCIe devices is not supported until 13.5 release
 RTD3
 Hot Plug
 InstantGo*
7.3.2 PCIe Device Usage Model

Intel® Rapid Storage Technology PCIe Device storage is limited to the following usages:
 As a single Pass-Thru Bootable device with controller in RAID mode.
 As a cache device for Intel® Smart Response Technology with controller in RAID mode.
7.4 Intel Rapid Storage Technology for PCIe Storage

Use cases
Prerequisite:
 The chipset must have the remapping hardware.
 The BIOS must implement the remapping logic and turn it on.
 The PCIe Storage device must be attached to remapable PCIe slot or PCIe M.2 connector.
 The PCIe Storage device must be AHCI-controller based.
 System must be in RAID mode.
 The system BIOS must include the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UEFI driver*.
If any of the above conditions are not met, the PCIe SSD will not be recognized by the RST driver.
*No Legacy OROM support
Reference documents: For detailed use case information refer to RST13.0 Use case document ID
539242 published on CDI
Use Cases:
Use Case Description Boot Support
Using PCIe Storage device When all the prerequisites RAID

as a pass-through device referred above are met,
the PCIe Storage device
can be used as a pass-
through device. It can be a
boot device or a data
device.

Turn on SRT, using PCIe referred above are met RAID
Storage device to and all conditions to
accelerate SATA HDD enable SRT are met, SRT
can be turned on to use
the PCIe Storage device as
the cache device to
7.5 Intel® Customer Reference Board BIOS Settings

The following settings can be used on Intel® Customer Reference Boards (CRB) that support
remapping. Please consult with your BIOS vendor for compatible settings for Intel® RST PCIe
storage.
BIOS Settings using the EDISTO BEACH FAB 4 SKU-2 SDIO WIFI card with PCIe SSD
connected
1. Enter into Bios set-up and choose the below settings:

a. Intel Advanced Menu->PCI Subsystem Settings->Install Ext OpRom Before BIOS = "Ext
PCIe Both Storage and Other OpRom"
b. Intel Advanced Menu -> SA Configuration->X2APICOPTOUT = Disabled
c. Intel Advanced Menu -> SA Configuration-> VT-d = disabled
d. Intel Advanced Menu-> PCH-IO Configuration->PCI Express Configuration->PCI Express
Root Port 6->PCIe Speed = Gen1
e. Intel Advanced Menu->PCH-IO Configuration->SATA Configuration->SATA Mode
Selection = RAID
f. Intel Advanced Menu->PCH-IO Configuration-> SATA Configuration ->PCIe Nand
Configuration = Enabled
g. Intel Advanced Menu->PCH-IO Configuration->PCI Express Configuration->PCIe Nand
Port Selection = Port 6
h. Intel Advanced Menu->PCH-IO Configuration->SATA Configuration->EFI RAID =
Enabled
i. Boot Maintenance Manger Menu->boot configuration Menu->CSM control = Always On
2. Restart the SUT to reflect the setting in BIOS
3. Enter into Bios and navigate to TVP Device manager-> Check for the PCIe NAND SSD
7.6 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UEFI

Compliance Utitlity for PCIe Storage
Beginning with Intel® RST UEFI version 13.0, the RcmpSata.efi utility includes the ability to test
Intel® RST PCIe conformance for OEMs and ODMs in the UEFI shell (RcmpSata.efi)or DOS
environment (RcmpSata.exe).
*RcmpSata utility is also available in earlier releases for Legacy OROM and UEFI compliance testing in the Pre-
OS environment (see section 3.5.2.4).
With the RcmpSata.efi utility downloaded to a Fat32 formatted usb drive attached to the platform,
the following syntax can be used in the UEFI shell to download compliance data to a text file for
viewing in a text editor (where ‘#’ is the file system number of the usb drive shown when booting to
the UEFI shell):
Fs#:> rcmpsata.efi > rcmpsata.txt
You may scroll through the text file in the UEFI shell by typing the following command:
Fs#:>edit rcmpsata.txt
The final test results are displayed at the end. Test Section 16 will confirm “remap” for PCIe is
enabled/disabled for debugging issues in the Pre-OS environment.
8 Using Dynamic Storage
Accelerator (DSA)
Note: Beginning with the Intel® RST 14.0 Release, this feature will not be enabled on
Broadwell and all newer platform platforms. The 14.0 release will continue to be enbaled
on those supported pre-Broadwell platforms.
Beginning with the Intel® RST 12.0 Release version, DSA feature is supported.
8.1.1 OEM System BIOS Vendors’ Requirements
System BIOS System BIOS must include the ACPI method GLTS (Get Dynamic
Storage Accelerator Status) implemented (consult the Intel BIOS
Writers Guide for your platform)
The default is ‘Off’; it must be set to ‘On’ to enable DSA.
8.1.2 General Requirements
Hardware Only enabled on specific SKUs of the Intel® 8 / 9 Series chipset

platforms:
 QM87
 HM87, HM97
 Q87
 Z87, Z97
 C226
With CoreTM branded CPUs.
Operating All supported Operating Systems for this release 131

System
Figure 3.6.1.1 RST UI Performance Page
Figure 3.6.1.2 RST UI Dynamic Storage Accelerator Page
8.1.3 Configuring DSA
Beginning with RST 13.0 the default configuration setting for DSA is “Automatic”.
Settings The feature can be configured on one of two modes:
1. Automatic (Default mode): Dynamic Storage

Accelerator is enabled and is optimizing your system’s
CPU C-state by using the Windows* Power plan setting
and the dynamic I/O activity detected on the system
when in DC mode and will go high performance gear
when in AC mode.
2. Manual: Dynamic Storage Accelerator is enabled and will

operate in one of three ‘gears’ that you set regardless of
the Windows power plan setting.
Automatic To set the DSA feature to automatic mode:
1. Open the RST UI in Windows (you must be logged in as

Administrator)
2. Click on the ‘Performance’ button at the top menu of
the UI
3. In the left navigation menu of the page, select “Dynamic

Storage Accelerator” if it is not the default.
4. In the main pane of the page select the ‘Automatic’ radial
button (this is the default selection when the feature is
enabled)
Manual To set the DSA feature into one of the three gear settings:
1. Open the RST UI in Windows (you must be logged in as

Administrator)
2. Click on the ‘Performance’ button at the top menu of
the UI
3. In the left navigation menu of the page, select “Dynamic
Storage Accelerator” if it is not the default
4. In the main pane of the page select the ‘Manual’ radial
button. Now you can select one of the following three
gears based on your system needs:
a. Power saver gear

b. Balanced gear
c. High performance gear
Disable To disable the feature and use the Windows power plan setting,
you can click the Disable link near the top of the page (Item
labeled ‘1’ in figure 3.6.1.2).
8.1.4 Configuring DSA using Intel® RSTCLI 32/64 Windows*
Utilities
The RSTCLI 32/64 utilities support the enable or disable of DSA in the manufacturing environment.
These utilities do not support any other DSA configuration options; DSA configuration must be
performed from the RST UI Dynamic Storage Accelerator Page.
Enable Usage:
rstcli.exe --dynamic-storage-accelerator true
Disable Usage:
rstcli.exe --dynamic-storage-accelerator false
9 How to Enable the Platform for
Intel® RST Support of BIOS
Fast Boot
Beginning with the Intel® RST 12.0 Release version, Intel® RST implements pre-OS UEFI driver and
Windows runtime driver support for the platform BIOS Fast Boot specification.
9.1.1 OEM System BIOS Vendors’ Requirements

This section covers what the OEM’s system BIOS vendor must provide in order for the Intel® RST
Fast Boot BIOS implementation to be enabled on the platform.
System BIOS The Intel® RST UEFI driver requires the following BIOS
components:
 2KB of non-volatile UEFI variable storage with access from
runtime and as a boot service
 Access to UEFI Hand-off Block Hand-off Info Table (PHIT
HOB) to determine boot mode
o BOOT_WITH_FULL_CONFIGURATION = Fast-Boot
disabled
o BOOT_WITH_MINIMAL_CONFIGURATION = Fast-Boot
enabled
o BOOT_ON_S4_RESUME = Fast-Boot enabled
9.1.2 Supported System Configurations

This section covers the system configurations that are required for the Intel® RST BIOS Fast Boot
implementation to support the platform’s BIOS Fast Boot specification.
System BIOS SATA controller must be set to RAID mode

Any of the following configurations are supported:
HW
Configuration 1. Platform configured with a single pass-through SSD or PCIe
storage device (system boot drive)
2. Platform configured with a single SSD/mSATA + 2 HHD’s as
a RAID 1 (system boot drive), Accelerated with Intel®
Smart Response Technology*
3. Platform configured with a single SSD/mSATA + single HDD
(system boot drive), Accelerated with Intel® Smart
Response Technology*
Note: ATAPI devices do not affect BIOS Fast Boot specification
*Fast Boot will not be supported on configurations where the
PCIe Storage device is used as the cache disk.
Operating  Windows 8.1 64

System
 Windows 8 64
 Windows 7 64
10 Creating a RAID Volume
RAID volumes can be created three different ways. The method most widely used by end-users is to
use the Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI in Windows*. The second method to create a RAID
volume is to use the Intel Rapid Storage Technology option ROM user interface (or the Intel® RST
pre-OS UEFI HII UI). The third way, used by OEMs only, is using the pre-OS RCfgSata or Windows
(including WinPE) RSTCLI 32/64 utilities.
10.1 Using the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UI

1. Run the Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI from the following Start menu link within Windows:
Pre-Windows* 8
StartProgramsIntel Control Center (optional) ->Intel® Rapid Storage
TechnologyIntel Rapid Storage Technology UI
Windows* 8 and Newer
*The UI is not added to the Start Window upon installation and must be added
manually
File Explorer->Local Disk(C)->Program Files->Intel->Intel® Rapid Storage
Technology->IAStorUI.exe (right click and pin to start)
2. Based on the available hardware and your computer's configuration, you may be able to create a
volume by selecting the ‘easy to use’ options such as ‘Protect data’ under ‘Status’, or by
selecting a volume type under ‘Create’. Based on the number of non RAID disks available to you
and the size of the disks the user will only be able to see the possible volume creation options...
(e.g. if you have only two disks ...you can only see options to create RAID 0, RAID1 and
Recovery(Intel® RRT) ; if you have three disks, you can only see options for creating RAID 0,
RAID 1, RAID5 and Recovery)
NOTE: To create a volume the user must be in admin mode and the system must be in RAID
Ready mode with two or more hard disks connected to it
3. Instructions to create a volume by selecting volume type under ‘Create’
a. After selecting the volume type to create, click on ‘Next’
b. Now configure the volume by providing the volume name, selecting the hard disks to
be part of the volume and strip size if applicable
NOTE: When configuring a volume, the application will only list the disks that meet
the min requirements to be part of the volume. Based on the first disk selected or
the order of selection, some disks may become grayed out if one or more
requirements are not met. Changing the order of selection generally helps re-enable
disks that were grayed out. For Ex: If the first selection is a system disk, only disks
that are of equal or greater size will be presented for selection and other remains
grayed out. For more information on disk requirements refer ‘creating a volume’
under help file in the UI.
c. Once the disks are selected for volume creation, the user will presented with option,
if you want preserve data on which selected disk. Click on ‘Next’ and select the
‘Create Volume’ button.
4. After the RAID volume is created, you will be shown a dialog box stating that the RAID volume
was successfully created and you will you will need to use Windows Disk Management or other
third-party software to create a partition within the RAID volume and format the partition. Click
OK to close this dialog box.
5. After formatting the partition, you may begin to copy files to, or install software on, the RAID
volume.
10.2 Using the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Legacy

Option ROM User Interface
1. Upon re-boot, you will see the option ROM status message on the screen – press CTRL-I to enter
the Intel Rapid Storage Technology option ROM user interface.
2. In the Main Menu, select option #1 ‘Create RAID Volume’. Enter the name you want to use for
the RAID volume, then press Enter.
3. Select the RAID level by using the arrow keys, then press Enter.
4. Press Enter to select the disks to be used by the array that the volume will be created on. Press
Enter when done.
5. Select the strip size (128 KB is the default for RAID 0) by using the arrow keys, then press Enter
when done.
6. Enter the size for the RAID volume in gigabytes. The default value will be the maximum size. If
you specify a smaller size, you will be able to create a second volume in the remaining space
using the same procedure.
7. After this is done, exit the Option ROM user interface.
10.3 Using the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UEFI

User Interface
Note: This section is OEM dependent. Where/how the OEM chooses to implement the
UEFI UI is based on OEM preference
1. Upon re-boot, launch the Intel® RST UEFI user interface (HII compliant)
Figure 4
The UEFI UI is divided into three main sections:
1. Section 1 is the main section.
a. It displays RAID configuration and status information
b. It displays RST UEFI driver version (see arrow #4 in figure above)
c. It displays physical devices enumerated by the RST UEFI driver that are not part
of the RAID volume
2. Section 2 gives a brief description of current page of the UI
3. Section 3 gives information on how to navigate within the current page of the UEFI UI.
Note: this section is not implemented by the RST UEFI driver and is specific to
the BIOS that was used for documentation purposes.
2. In the Main Menu, select ‘Create RAID Volume’
a. Enter the name you want to use for the RAID volume, then press <Enter>.
Figure 5
b. Scroll down to ‘RAID Level” and press <Enter> to select a RAID level
Figure 6
c. Scroll down to ‘Select Disks’ and at each disk that you wish to include in the RAID
volume press <space bar>
Figure 7
d. Next scroll down to ‘Strip Size’ and press <enter> to select a Strip size or continue if
you wish to use the default strip size
Figure 8
e. Next scroll down to ‘Capacity (MB)’ where the maximum capacity is selected and
displayed in MB. To select a smaller capacity for the RAID volume, type in the size
in MB that you wish to use
Figure 9
f. Next scroll down to ‘Create Volume’ and press <Enter>
3. After this is done, exit the Intel® RST UEFI UI.
Note: The “Create Volume” action will only be enabled if the RAID volume options
selected will result in a valid configuration.
4. Changes in HII, Beginning with Intel® RST UEFI 13.0, for PCIe Devices include new labeling for
Devices and multiple controller management ability.
 Device Ids numbering scheme =
<Device Type><Controller ID>”.”<Device ID>
 Example below: “PCIe 1.0”
10.4 Using the RAID Configuration Utilities (DOS, UEFI
Shell, and Windows)
Note: rstcli and rstcli64 can be used interchangeably below.
Run “rcfgsata.exe in DOS environment (or rcfgsata.efi from UEFI shell) or “rstcli.exe (or
rstcli64.exe)” (Windows environment) with the following command line flags to create a RAID
volume.
With PCIe Storage, the command line utilities will require a controller ID to be specified when
creating RAID volumes:
SATA SSD, HDD, SSHD Controller ID = 0

PCIe AHCI SSD Controller ID = 1
PCIe NVMe SSD Controller ID = 2
The following command line will instruct the utility to create a RAID 0 volume named “OEMRAID0”
on hard drives attached to the SATA Controller (Controller #0) on Port 0 and 1 with a strip size of
128 KB and a size of 120 GB:
C:\>rcfgsata.exe(or rcfgsata.efi) /C OEMRAID0 /DS 0.0 0.1 /SS 128 /L 0 /S 120
C:\>rstcli.exe –C –l 0 –n OEMRAID 0-0-0-0 0-1-0-0 –s 128 –z 120
The following command will create a RAID volume using all of the default values. It will create a
RAID 0 volume with a strip size of 128 KB on the two hard drives in the system. The volume will be
the maximum size allowable.
C:\>rcfgsata.exe /C OEMRAID0 (requires that only two disks can be attached to the
system)
The following command line will instruct the utility to create a RAID 0 volume named “PCIeRAID0”
on 1 PCIe AHCI SSD (Controller #1 ) and 1 PCIe NVMe SSD (Controller #2 ) attached to the system
on remapped Port 0 and Port 2 with a strip size of 128 KB and a size of 120 GB:
C:\>rcfgsata.exe(or rcfgsata.efi) /C OEMRAID0 /DS 1.0 2.2 /SS 128 /L 0 /S 120
C:\>rstcli.exe –C –l 0 –n OEMRAID 0-0-0-0 0-1-0-0 –s 128 –z 120
The following command line will display usage for all support command line parameters:
C:\>rcfgsata.exe(or rcfgsata.efi) /?
C:\>rstcli.exe --help
Note: Selecting the strip size is only applicable for RAID 0, RAID 5, RAID 10 levels. Strip size is
not applicable for RAID 1.
11 Deleting a RAID Volume
RAID volumes can be deleted in three different ways. The method most widely used by end-users is
the Windows user interface utility. The second method is to use the Intel Rapid Storage Technology
Option ROM user interface. The third way, used by OEMs only, uses the RAID Configuration utility.
11.1 Using the Windows User Interface Utility

1. Run the Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI from the following Start menu link:
StartAll ProgramsIntel® Rapid Storage Technology Intel Rapid Storage

Technology UI
2. Under ‘Status’ or ‘Manage’ Click on the volume you want to delete. The user will be presented
with the volume properties on the left.
3. Click on ‘Delete volume’
4. Review the warning message, and click ‘Yes’ to delete the volume.
5. The ‘Status’ page refreshes and displays the resulting available space in the storage system
view. You can now use it to create a new volume.
11.2 Using the Option ROM User Interface

1. Upon re-boot, you will see the Intel Rapid Storage Technology option ROM status message on
the screen – press CTRL-I to enter the option ROM user interface.
2. Within this UI, select option #2 ‘Delete RAID volume’.
3. You should be presented with another screen listing the existing RAID volume.
4. Select the RAID volume you wish to delete using the up and down arrow keys.
5. Press the Delete key to delete the RAID volume
6. Press Y to confirm.
Note: Option #3 ‘Reset Hard Drives to Non-RAID’ in the option ROM user interface may also be
used to delete a RAID volume. This resets one or more drives to non-RAID status, by deleting all
metadata on the hard drives. This has the affect of deleting any RAID volumes present. This function
is provided for re-setting the hard drives when there is a mismatch in RAID volume information on
the hard drives. The option #2 ‘Delete RAID Volume’ on the contrary, will allow deleting a volume at
a time, while retaining the existing RAID array metadata (for instance Matrix RAID).
11.3 Using the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UEFI

User Interface
Note: This section is OEM dependent. Where/how the OEM chooses to implement the
UEFI UI is based on OEM preference. Use the following example for Intel CRB.
1. Upon re-boot, enter the system BIOS and select the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology menu for
the UEFI user interface
2. In the Main Menu, go to the ‘RAID Volumes’ section, highlight the volume to be deleted and
press <Enter>
a. Select ‘Delete’, then press <Enter>.
b. At the dialogue box press <Enter> to confirm the deletion of the volume (Note: All
data on the volume will be lost!)
3. After this is done, exit the Intel® RST UEFI UI.
11.4 Using the RAID Configuration Utilities (DOS, UEFI

Shell, and Windows)
Run “rcfgsata.exe in DOS environment (or rcfgsata.efi in UEFI shell)” or “rstcli.exe/rstcli64.exe”
(Windows environment) with the following command line flag to delete a RAID volume. The
following command line will instruct the utility to delete a RAID 0 volume named “OEMRAID0”
C:\>rcfgsata.exe /D OEMRAID0
C:\>rstcli.exe --manage --delete OEMRAID0
The following command line will display usage for all support command line parameters:
C:\>rcfgsata.exe(rcfgsata.efi) /?
C:\>rstcli.exe --help
12 Common RAID Setup
Procedures
12.1 Build a SATA RAID 0, 1, 5 or 10 System
This is the most common setup. This configuration will have the operating system striped for RAID
0, or mirrored for RAID 1, or striped with parity for RAID 5, or mirrored and striped across two or up
to four drives for RAID 10. All RAID member drives must be from the same BUS PROTOCOL GROUP.
To prepare for this, you must have the Intel RAID driver on a floppy drive (USB). See the procedure
for creating this floppy (USB) further down in this document.
1. Assemble the system using a motherboard that supports Intel Rapid Storage Technology
and attach the drives depending on the RAID level that will be built.
2. Enter System BIOS Setup and ensure that RAID mode is enabled. This setting may be
different for each motherboard manufacturer. Consult the manufacturer’s user manual if
necessary. When done, exit Setup.
12.1.1 Using the Legacy OROM User Interface

3. Upon re-boot if your system is using a legacy OROM, you will see the Option ROM status
message on the screen – press CTRL-I to enter the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Option
ROM user interface.
4. Within this UI, select option ‘1. Create RAID Volume’. When ‘Create RAID Volume’ menu is
displayed, fill the following items:
a. Name: Enter a volume name, and press Enter to proceed to next menu item,
b. RAID Level: select RAID level (0, 1, 5, 10), and press Enter to proceed to next
menu item;
c. Disks: press Enter on ‘Select Disks’ to select the hard drives to be used for your
configuration.
d. Within the ‘SELECT DISKS’ window, choose the hard drives and press Enter to
return to the ‘MAIN MENU’.
e. Strip Size: Applicable for RAID levels 0, 5, and 10 only. You may choose the
default size or another supported size in the list and press Enter to proceed to
the next item.
f. Capacity: The default size would be the maximum allowable size summation of
all the drives in your configuration. You may decrease this volume size to a
lower value. If you specified a lower capacity size volume, the remaining space
could be utilized for creating another RAID volume. Press Enter to proceed to the
next item.
g. Create Volume: Press Enter to create a volume.
h. Press ‘Y’ to confirm the creation of volume.
5. After this is done, exit the Intel Rapid Storage Technology option ROM user interface by
pressing the Esc key or Option #4.
6. Begin OS setup by booting from the Windows OS installation CD.
7. Installation procedures as follows: Use the ‘load driver’ mechanism when prompted. Insert
a USB key with the Intel® RST driver and browse to the directory on the USB key where the
driver that you wish to install is located. Select the driver INF file. If correct the proper
Intel controller for your system will be shown. Continue the driver install.
8. Finish the Windows installation and install all other necessary drivers.
9. Install the Intel Rapid Storage Technology software package obtained from the Intel VIP
website. This will add the Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI that can be used to manage the
RAID configuration.
12.1.2 Using the UEFI HII User Interface

3. Upon re-boot if your system is using the RST UEFI Driver and the HII protocol is in the
system BIOS, you will see the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology option within the BIOS
setup menu.
4. Select this menu. Choose the ‘Create RAID Volume’. When ‘Create RAID Volume’ menu is
displayed, fill the following items:
a. Name: Enter a volume name, and press Enter to proceed to next menu item,
b. RAID Level: select RAID level (0, 1, 5, 10), and press Enter to proceed to next menu
item;
c. Disks: press space bar to ‘Select Disks’ to select the devices to be used for your
configuration.
d. Within the ‘SELECT DISKS’ window, choose the devices and press Enter to return to
the ‘MAIN MENU’.
e. Strip Size: Applicable for RAID levels 0, 5, and 10 only. You may choose the default
size or another supported size in the list and press Enter to proceed to the next
item.
f. Capacity: The default size would be the maximum allowable size summation of all
the drives in your configuration. You may decrease this volume size to a lower value.
If you specified a lower capacity size volume, the remaining space could be utilized
for creating another RAID volume. Press Enter to proceed to the next item.
g. Create Volume: Press Enter to create a volume.
h. Press ‘Y’ to confirm the creation of volume.
5. After this is done, exit the Intel Rapid Storage Technology menu HII user interface by
pressing to save changes and the Esc key.
6. Begin OS setup by rebooting from the Windows OS installation CD.
Intel controller for your system will be shown. Continue the driver install.
RAID configuration.
12.2 Build a “RAID Ready” System

The following steps outline how to build an Intel “RAID Ready” system with OS installed on a
single SATA hard drive. A “RAID Ready” system can be upgraded to RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID5 or
RAID 10 at a later time using the RAID migration feature built into Intel Rapid Storage
Technology. Intel® RST enables you to install additional SATA hard drives, and then migrate
to a RAID level volume without re-installing the operating system.
1. Assemble the system using a motherboard that supports Intel Rapid Storage Technology
with Intel Rapid Storage Technology OROM integrated into the BIOS and attach one SATA
hard drive.
2. Enter System BIOS Setup; ensure that RAID mode is enabled. This setting may be different
for each motherboard manufacturer. Consult your manufacturer’s user manual if necessary.
When done, exit Setup.
3. Begin Windows Setup by booting from the Windows OS installation CD.
Intel controller for your system will be shown. Continue the driver install:
RAID configuration.
12.3 Migrate to RAID 0 or RAID 1 on an Existing “RAID

Ready” System
If you have an existing “RAID Ready” system as defined in section 6.2: Build a SATA "RAID Ready"
System, then you can use the following steps to migrate from a single-drive non-RAID configuration
to a two drive RAID 0 or RAID 1 configuration. The resulting configuration will be identical to that
created by the procedure in section 6.1: Build a SATA AID0, 1, 5 or 10 System. To prepare for this,
you will need to install another drive with a capacity equal to or greater than the capacity of the
drive being used as the source hard drive and also belong to the same BUS PROTOCOL GROUP as
the source drive.
1. Note the port number of the source hard drive already in the system; you will use this to select
hard drive for preserving data for the migration.
2. Install the second drive on the system.
3. Boot Windows, then install the Intel Rapid Storage Technology software, if not already installed,
using the setup package obtained from a CD-ROM or from the Internet. This will install the
necessary Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI and start menu links.
4. Open the Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI from the Start Menu and select the volume type
under Create from the Actions menu. Click on ’Next’
5. Under the configure options provide the volume name , select disks
6. When the disks are selected, the user will be presented the option to select the disk on which to
preserve the data. Here the user need to select the right disk on the which the data needs to
preserved and migrated
7. After the migration is complete, reboot the system. If you migrated to a RAID 0 volume, use
Disk Management from within Windows in order to partition and format the empty space created
when the two hard drive capacities are combined. You may also use third-party software to
extend any existing partitions within the RAID volume.
12.4 Migrate an Existing Data Hard Drive to a RAID 0

or RAID 1 Volume
If you are booting from a parallel ATA (PATA*) drive that contains the operating system, you may
use the Intel Rapid Storage Technology to create a RAID 0 or RAID 1 volume on two SATA drives.
Also, if you have a single SATA hard drive that contains program or personal data, you may use the
migration feature to use this hard drive as the source hard drive for a migration. After the migration
is completed, you will have a two hard drive RAID 0 volume where data is striped or a two hard
drive RAID 1 volume where the data is mirrored across the two SATA hard drives. To do this, the
PCH I/O RAID Controller must be enabled in the BIOS and you must have the Intel Rapid Storage
Technology software installed.
Begin with a system where you are booting from a PATA hard drive. Make sure the PCH I/O RAID
controller is enabled and the Intel Rapid Storage Technology is installed. Then do the following:
1. Note the serial number of the SATA hard drive that is already installed. You will use this to select
it as the source hard drive when initiating the migration.
2. Physically attach the second SATA hard drive to the available SATA port.
3. Boot to Windows, install the Rapid Storage Technology software, if not already installed, using
the setup package obtained from a CD-ROM or from the Internet. This will install the necessary
Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI and start menu links.
4. Open the Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI from the Start Menu.
5. Follow steps 4 to 7 in section 6.3
12.5 Migrating From one RAID Level to Another
RAID level migration allows an existing RAID configuration to be migrated to another RAID
configuration. The following migrations are possible.
NOTE: Not all migrations are supported on all chipsets. The support varies depending on the chipset
and the ports supported on the chipset (For supported migrations for each chipset please Intel Rapid
Storage Technology product requirements document):
Change Type from To

2-disk recovery volume 2-disk RAID 1
2-disk RAID 1 2-disk recovery volume
2-disk RAID 1 2-disk RAID 0
3, 4, 5 or 6-disk RAID 0
2-disk RAID 0 3, 4, 5 or 6-disk RAID 5
3-disk RAID 0 4, 5 or 6-disk RAID 5
4-disk RAID 0 5 or 6-disk RAID 5
Note: In order for the migration options to be accessible, the minimum required SATA hard drives
for the RAID level have to be met.
Please follow the procedure illustrated below
1. Start the Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI application:
Start Menu ->All Programs -> Intel Rapid Storage Technology -> Intel Rapid Storage
Technology UI
2. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the array or volume to which you
want to modify. The volume properties now display on the left.
3. Click 'Change type'.
4. In the 'Change Volume Type' dialog, type a new name if you want to change the default name.
5. Select the new volume type, and then click 'OK'.
6. The 'Manage' page refreshes and reports the new volume type.
7. After the migration starts, you can view the migration progress under status.
8. When the Status field indicates volume as ‘Normal’, the migration is complete.
12.6 Create a RAID Volume on Intel® SATA Controller

While Booting to Different Controller
This configuration is for users who would like to use a RAID 0 volume as a high performance data
hard drive or use the data redundancy properties of RAID 1. Starting with a configuration where the
system is booting to a Windows, with installation on a different disk controller, the user can add two
SATA hard drives and create a RAID volume on them.
1. Physically install two SATA hard drives to the system.
2. Enter System BIOS Setup; ensure that RAID mode is enabled. This setting may be different for
each motherboard manufacturer. Consult your manufacturer’s user manual if necessary. When
done, exit Setup.
3. Boot to Windows; install the Intel Rapid Storage Technology software, if not already installed,
use the setup package obtained from a CD-ROM or from the Internet. This will install the
necessary Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI and Start menu links.
4. Use the Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI to create a RAID 0 volume on two SATA drives
according to the procedure in section 6.1 of this document.
5. After the RAID volume is created, you will need to use Windows Disk Management or other
third-party software to create a partition within the RAID volume and format the partition. At
this point, you may begin to copy files to, or install software on, the RAID volume.
12.7 Build a RAID 0 or RAID 1 System in an Automated

Factory Environment
This is a two-part process. First, create the master image of the Windows installation; you will load
these on the system before they are delivered to the customer. The second part is to apply this
image to a system that has two SATA hard drives installed with a RAID 0 or RAID 1 volume. This
procedure will apply the image to the RAID volume so that the system may boot from it and the
operating system will be fully striped by the RAID 0 volume or mirrored by the RAID 1 volume. The
same procedure, and master image, could be applied to a single SATA hard drive to create a “RAID
Ready” system.
12.7.1 Part 1: Create the Master Image

1. Build a RAID 0 or RAID 1 System as described in section 6.1 of this document.
2. Install the Intel Rapid Storage Technology software from the CD-ROM included with your
motherboard or after downloading it from the Internet. This will add the Intel Rapid Storage
Technology UI that can be used to manage the RAID configuration in Windows*.
3. Use third-party software to create an image of the RAID volume as if it were a physical hard
drive or create an image of the partition within the RAID volume containing the operating
system, program and data files.
4. Store it in a place where it can be accessed by systems on the assembly line.
12.7.2 Part 2: Apply the Master Image

1. Assemble the system using a motherboard that supports Rapid Storage Technology and attach
two SATA hard drives.
2. Enter System BIOS Setup; ensure that RAID mode is enabled. This setting may be different for
each motherboard manufacturer. Consult your manufacturer’s user manual if necessary. When
done, exit Setup.
3. If the system has CSM on, and can boot to a DOS environment, use the Intel RAID Configuration
utility (RCfgSata.exe). Else if CSM is off, or not present, boot to the UEFI shell and use the
RcfgSata.efi utility to create a RAID volume. The following command line will instruct the utility
to create a RAID 0 volume named “OEMRAID0” on hard drives on Port 0 and 1 with a strip size
of 128 KB and a size of 120GB (rcfgsata.efi can replace rcfgsata.exe if using the UEFI shell
environment):
‘/DS’ for device selection will distinguish the different controllers for device selection:
<Controller><Port>
0.0 = SATA device on port #0
1.3 = PCIe AHCI device remapped to port #3
2.6 = PCIe NVMe device remapped to port #6
Create RAID 0 using 1 PCIe AHCI SSD on port 3, and 1 PCIe NVMe SSD on port 6:
C:\>rcfgsata.exe /C:OEMRAID0 /DS:1.3 2.6 /SS:128 /L:0 /S:120.
The following command line will display all supported command line parameters and their
usage: C:\>RCfgSata.efi /?
4. The system does not need to be rebooted before moving on to the next step. If there are no
PATA hard drives in the system, the RAID volume created will become the boot device upon
reboot.
5. Use third-party software to apply the image created in Part 1 to the RAID volume you created in
Part 2.
13 RAID Volume Data Verification
and Repair Feature
This feature is available starting with Intel® Matrix Storage Manager 6.1.
13.1 Verify and Repair Volume Feature

The RAID volume verification feature identifies any inconsistencies or bad data on a RAID 0, RAID 1,
RAID 5, or RAID 10 volume and reports the number of inconsistencies or number of blocks with
media errors found during RAID volume data verification.
When the verification process is complete, a dialog will appear that displays the number of
verification errors, verification errors repaired and blocks with media errors that were found.
Follow the below steps to start RAID volume data verification
1. Under ‘Status’ or ‘Manage’ click on the RAID volume you want to perform the verify operation
under ‘storage system view’. The volume properties now display on the left.
2. Click on ‘Advanced’ and then Click on ‘Verify’
3. For RAID 0 the verification process starts once you click ‘verify’. For RAID1, 5, 10, Recovery
volumes, a dialog box with check box option to repair the errors found automatically during the
verification process is present. If the user wants to perform repair you can select this box and
then click ‘verify’.
4. The verification progress is shown under ‘status’
5. When the verification process is complete and the volume status is set to normal, now you can
click on the volume under ‘status’ or ‘manage’. Under the volume properties to the left under
‘Advanced’ you can view the number of verification errors, verification errors repaired and blocks
with media errors that were found.
13.2 Verify and Repair Scheduler

The Verify and Repair feature includes a scheduler for the Verify and Repair (V&R) operation. To
enable the scheduler take the following steps:
Pre-conditions: UI installed, at least 1 RAID volume on the system that is initialized, in normal state,
and a valid RAID type (RRT, R0**, R1, R5, R10) **RAID 0 volumes can only do a Verify; they
cannot be repaired
1. Login to Windows and launch the Intel® RST UI and click on the ‘Preferences’ tab at the top of
the UI
2. From the ‘Preferences’ page, select the ‘Scheduler’ button on the left navigation pane to display
the
3. Check mark the ‘Enable scheduler’ checkbox
4. Select ‘Recurrence’ schedule: Once (default), Daily, Weekly, or Monthly
5. Select the ‘Start Date’; day for the scheduler to begin/run the V&R operation
6. Select the ‘Time’ of the scheduled runs on a 24 hour clock
7. Select the ‘Recur every’ schedule: choices will vary depending upon what is selected for
‘Recurrence’ (this step is not applicable for Recurrence of once)
8. Select whether or not to Automatically Repair Errors encountered during the Verify operation
9. Click ‘Apply Changes’ to enable
14 Intel® Rapid Recover
Technology
This technology utilizes RAID 1 functionality to copy data from a designated Master drive to a
designated Recovery drive with the following limitations:
 The size of the Master drive must be less than or equal to the size of the Recovery
drive.
 The size of the Master drive is limited to less than or equal to (<=) 1.3125TB in
capacity.
When a Recovery volume is created, complete capacity of the Master drive will be used as the
Master volume. Only one Recovery Volume can exist on a system. There are 2 methods of updating
the data on the Master to the Recovery drive. They are:
 Continuous Update Policy
 On Request Update Policy
When using the continuous update policy, changes made to the data on the master drive while the
recovery drive is not available are automatically copied to the recovery drive becomes available.
When using the Update on request policy, the master drive data can be restored to a previous state
by copying the data on the recovery drive back to the master drive.
Some of the advantages of Intel® Rapid Recover Technology are:
 More control over how data is copied between master and recovery drives
 Fast volume updates (only changes to the master drive since the last update are copied to
the recovery drive)
 Member hard drive data can be viewed in Windows* Explorer
 Better power management on mobile systems by spinning down the Recovery drive when in
On Request Update Policy mode or when the Recovery drive goes offline when in Continuous
Update Policy mode.
Applications: Critical data protection for mobile systems; fast restoration of the master drive to a
previous or default state.
14.1 Creating a Recovery Volume Through the RAID

Option ROM
A Recovery volume consists of two disks – a primary disk and a recovery disk.
A Recovery volume can be created through the RAID Option ROM or through Intel ® Rapid Storage
Technology UI application.
Follow the below steps to create a Recovery volume through the OROM
1. Enter the OROM by pressing the Ctrl and I keys early during system POST.
2. Under the ‘Create RAID’ volume option, select the option to create a Recovery volume.
3. Select the Primary disk and the Recovery disk.
Note: The Primary disk size must be less than or equal to the Recovery disk size.
OROM Recovery menu provides the following options
1. Enable Only Recovery Disk
2. Enable Only Master Disk
14.2 Creating a Recovery Volume Using the Intel®

Rapid Storage Technology UEFI User Interface
Follow the below steps to create a Recovery volume through the UEFI UI
i. Enter the BIOS Setup Menu and select Intel® Rapid Storage Technology
menu.
ii. Select ‘Create RAID Volume’.
iii. Select the RAID Level [Recovery].
iv. Select Name and type in the name of the volume.
v. Highlight each drive and press <space> bar to select either R or M

depending on which disk will be Recovery or Master.
vi. Highlight Synchronization, press <Enter> and select Mode of ‘On Request’ or
‘Continuous’
vii. Highlight ‘Create Volume’ and press <Enter>
viii. Volume created will be displayed on Main Page.
14.3 Creating a Recovery Volume Through the Intel®

RST UI
To create a Recovery volume through the Rapid Storage Technology UI, the system needs to be
configured in RAID mode with 2 drives. Boot the system and open the Rapid Storage Technology UI
application.
Follow the below steps to create a Recovery Volume
1. Under Create select the volume type as ‘Recovery’ and click ‘Next’
2. Under the ‘Configure Volume’ you can change the default volume name if you want, then select
the ‘master’ disk and then the ‘recovery’ disk. Now change the ‘update’ mode if needed to ‘On
Request’. The default selection is ‘continuous’.
3. Once all the above selections are made, click ‘Next’
4. Under ‘Confirm’ review the selected configuration. If you are not ok with the configuration click
‘back’ or click ‘create volume’ if you are fine with the configuration.
5. Now you will see a dialog box with warning message and read the warning message before
clicking ‘ok’ to make sure you are erasing data on the right disk.
6. Once you click ‘ok’ the volume creation starts and progress of the volume creation can be
viewed under status. Once the status is set to ‘normal’ the volume creation is completed.
7. The system will synchronize the Primary with the Recovery disk once after the creation of the
Recovery volume.
14.4 Changing Recovery Volume Modes

When you have a recovery volume on your system in ‘continuous mode’ or ‘on request’ mode and
you need to change the mode of the recovery volume, follow the below steps
1. Open Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UI.
2. Under ‘Manage’ or ‘Status’ click on the recovery volume under the storage system view on
right where you need to change the update mode. The volume properties now display on the
left view
3. Click ‘change mode’ and then click ‘yes’ to confirm.
4. The page refreshes and the volume properties report the new update mode. NOTE: Disabling
the continuous update policy requires the end-user to request updates manually. Only
changes since the last update process are copied. The recovery volume will remain in On
Request Policy until the end-user enables continuous updates.
14.5 Update Recovery Volume in On Request Update

Policy
When the recovery volume is ‘on request’ mode on your system and you need to synchronize the
data between both the master and recovery disk , follow the below instructions
1. Open Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UI.
2. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the recovery volume. The
volume properties now display on the left.
3. Click ‘Update data’.
4. A dialog box is shown stating that the only changes since the last update will be copied.
Select the check box if you don’t want this confirmation message to display each time you
request an update. Click ‘Yes’ to confirm.
5. The progress of update process can be viewed under ‘status’ or ‘manage’.
14.6 Access Recovery Drive Files
When data recovery to the master disk of a recovery volume is required, you can use ‘access the
recovery disk files’ option. This action is only available if a recovery volume is present, in a normal
state, and in on request update mode. Follow the below instructions to access the recovery drive file
when you have a recovery volume in ‘on request’ mode on your system (If the recovery drive is not
in continuous mode, use the instructions in section 8.3 to change the mode)
1. Open the ‘Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI’.
3. Click on 'Access recovery disk files'.
4. Now you can view recovery disk files using Windows Explorer*.
NOTE: The recovery drive can only be accessible in read only mode and data updates are not
available in that state
14.7 Hide Recovery Drive Files

This action is only present when the recovery drive is on request mode and the recovery drive files
are accessible. Follow the below instructions to hide the recovery drive files
1. Open the ‘Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI’.
3. Click ‘Hide recovery disk files’.
4. Now the recovery drive files are no longer accessible in Windows Explorer.
5. The page refreshes and data updates on the volume are now available.
14.8 Scenarios of Recovering Data

Scenario 1:
What happens if the Recovery drive that is part of the Intel® Rapid Recover Technology volume fails
or gets stolen?
Solution:
When a Recovery drive that is part of a Intel® Rapid Recover Technology volume fails, follow the
below steps to set up a new disk as the Recovery drive.
1. Shut down the system.
2. Remove the failed Recovery disk and insert a new hard drive. The size of the new drive must
be greater than or equal to the Master drive.
3. Boot to the Master drive and open Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI.
4. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the recovery volume to be
rebuilt. The volume properties now display on the left.
5. Click on ‘rebuild to another disk’
6. Now a dialog box is shown requesting you to select one of the non RAID disks to rebuild the
volume.
7. Once the disk selection is complete, click ‘rebuild’
8. Now you can view the progress of the build under ‘status’ or ‘manage’
Scenario 2:
What happens if the Master Drive fails and/or the user would like to do a reverse synchronization to
a new Master Drive?
Solution:
If the Recovery volume was in Continuous update policy when the Master drive crashed, then the
system will continue to function off of the Recovery drive.
If the Recovery volume was in Update on Request policy, then a Master drive failure may result in a
BSOD.
In either case, follow the below steps to create a new Master drive using the Recovery Drive.
1. Shut down the system.

2. Remove the old Master disk and connect a new Hard Disk Drive to be designated as the new
Master disk. Note: The size of the new Master drive should be less than or equal to the
Recovery disk.
3. Power on the system. It will automatically boot from the Recovery drive. After the operating
system is running, select the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UI from the Start Menu.
rebuilt. The volume properties now display on the left.
5. Click on ‘rebuild to another disk’.
6. Now a dialog box is shown requesting you to select one of the non RAID disks to rebuild the
volume.
7. Once the disk selection is complete, click ‘rebuild’.
8. Now you can view the progress of the build under ‘status’ or ‘manage’.
Scenario 3:
What is the expected behavior if a power failure occurs (and no battery supply available)
in the middle of migration for each of the below?
 Creating a recovery volume (migration)
 Updating a recovery volume (Copy some files from Master drive to Recovery drive)
 Verify and Repair a recovery volume
 Recovering a recovery volume (copy from a Recovery drive to a Master Drive
Solution:
In each case, upon the next reboot, the migration, or Verifying a Recovery Volume, or
Verify and Repair a Recovery Volume or Recovering a Recovery Volume operation would
continue normally starting from where it had been interrupted by the power failure.
In the case where the Recovery volume was getting updated or was being recovered, if it
were a fast synchronization, then if writes had been in progress while the power was lost,
then it would result in a dirty shutdown. As a result, the fast synchronization would
degenerate to a slow synchronization or a complete update.
Note: If the system is running is on battery, the volume will not synchronize if it is in
continuous update policy. If the volume is in Update on Request policy, then the
synchronization will be successful.
Additional comments: need to call out that an on update volume should first be updated
before the recovery disk is valid.
Scenario 4:
Once a system is configured with Intel Raid Recover Technology, a user would like to
revert the Master Drive Data to a Previous State.
Solution:
If the recovery volume is set to the on request update policy, you can revert master drive data to
the state it was in at the end of the last volume update process. This is especially useful when a
virus is detected on the master drive or guests use your system.
1. Restart the system. During the system startup, press Ctrl-I to enter the user interface of the
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology option ROM.
2. In the 'MAIN MENU' select 'Recovery Volume Options'.
3. In the 'Recovery Volume Options' menu, select 'Enable Only Recovery Disk' to boot from the
recovery drive.
4. Exit the option ROM and start up Windows*.
5. After the operating system is running, select the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UI from
the Start Menu.
recovered. The volume properties now display on the left.
7. Click on ‘recover data’ and then click ‘ok’ on the dialog box.
8. Now you can view the progress of the recovery under ‘status’ or ‘manage’.
9. Once the recovery of the volume is completed, you can reboot to the master drive.
14.9 System Running from Recovery Drive

The “System Running from Recovery Drive “ is an existing feature in the current UI but is
documented here for the sole purpose of providing Validation and Localization with the flow of
expected behavior for test pass preparation.
14.10 Drive Offline or Missing

System 2 hard drives: recovery drive connected, master drive offline or missing
Configuration
Product Recovery volume created with recovery drive normal and master drive
Condition offline or missing
 Access UI OROM – Note that the master drive is designated as an offline disk or master drive
missing
 Select option 4 Recovery Volume Options
Figure 10
Then Select Option 2 Enable Only Recovery Disk.
15 Pre-OS Installation of the
Intel® Rapid Storage
Technology Driver
The Intel® Rapid Storage Technology driver can be loaded before installing the Windows OS on a
RAID volume or when in AHCI mode. All later Windows OS releases do not require that the Intel®
RST driver be installed and loaded prior to the OS installation. On those OS versions the Intel® RST
driver can be loaded post OS installation. The Intel® Rapid Storage Technology AHCI driver can be
installed over Window’s native AHCI driver.
15.1 Pre-OS Driver Installation Using the “Load

Driver” Method
1. During the Operating system installation, after selecting the location to install Windows click on
‘Load Driver’ button to install the Intel® RST storage AHCI/RAID driver.
2. When prompted, insert the media with the Intel® RST driver files and press Enter.
3. You can find the media and browse to the folder where the files are located.
4. Follow the steps to load the driver and return the installation.
5. Continue the installation.
16 Determining the Version of the
RAID Driver
There are two accurate ways to do this. The first is to use the Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI.
The second alternate method is to locate the driver (iaStorA.sys) itself and view its properties.
16.1 Using Intel® Rapid Storage Technology User

Interface (UI)
Use this method if the Intel® RST UI is installed on the system; if not use the alternate method.
1. Run the Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI from the following Start Menu path:
2. StartAll ProgramsIntel® Rapid Storage Technology Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI
3. Click on the top menu button ‘help’ to launch the ‘Help’ window. In the ‘help’ window click the
top menu button ‘System Report’‘
4. If not already expanded, click on ‘Intel® Rapid Storage Technology’ link to expand the item.
Under it you can view the driver version in the following format: WW.XX.YY.ZZZZ
5. This is the current version of the user interface utility installed on your system. The WW.XX.YY
portion is the product release number; the ZZZZ portion is the build number. E.g. 10.5.1.1001.
16.2 Using Intel® RST File Properties (Alternate)

1. Locate the file “iaStorA.sys” within the following path:
<System Root>\Windows\System32\Drivers
2. Right Click on “iaStorA.sys” and select Properties
3. Select the “Details” tab (for Windows 7; may vary for other OS versions)
4. At the top of this tab, there should be a parameter called “File version”. Next to it is the version
of the driver currently installed on your system. It should have the same format and version as
the one you obtained using the Intel Rapid Storage Technology UI
16.3 Determining the Version of the Option ROM

There are two ways to determine the version of the Intel Rapid Storage Technology option ROM
integrated into the system BIOS. Use the following procedure to determine the version.
16.3.1 Using the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UI

1. Follow the procedure illustrated in section 11.1
2. Look for the parameter RAID Option ROM version.
16.3.2 Using the Intel® RST Option ROM User Interface
1. Early in system boot-up, during post, or when you see the “Intel® RAID for Serial ATA” status
screen output, type CTRL-I. This will open the Option ROM user interface.
2. The following banner will be displayed:
3. Intel® Rapid Storage Technology option ROM w.x.y.zzzz Intel® SATA Controller
4. w.x.y.zzzz is the version of the Option ROM currently installed on your system. The w.x.y
portion is the product release number; the zzzz portion is the build number.
16.3.3 Using the EFI Shell

If the UEFI Driver is enabled the following command can be issued from the EFI shell:
Shell:>Drivers
The Intel®RST UEFI driver will be shown along with version, where xx.x.x.xxxx will be replaced with
the actual UEFI OROM Version i.e.:
“CD 0000000B B - - 1 2 Intel® RST xx.x.x.xxxx SATA Driver”
17 Un-installation
Uninstalling the RAID driver could potentially cause an end-user to lose access to important data
within a RAID volume. This is because the driver can only provide functionality for the Intel® SATA
RAID controller. Therefore, Intel does not provide a way to permanently remove the driver from the
system. However, disabling the Intel® SATA RAID Controller causes the operating system to not use
the RAID driver.
The uninstallation application that is included with the Intel Rapid Storage Technology software can
remove all components except the RAID driver (i.e. it removes the UI application, Start Menu links,
Control Panel Applet, etc.).
Use the following procedures to remove the Intel Rapid Storage Technology software or to disable
the SATA RAID controller:
17.1 Uninstalling the Intel® RST Software (except the

RAID Driver)
1. Run the Uninstall program from the following start menu link:
2. StartAll ProgramsIntel® Rapid Storage Technology Uninstall
3. The first dialog box that appears gives you the option of un-installing all components of the Intel
Rapid Storage Technology software except the RAID driver. Click ‘OK’ to do so.
4. The next dialog box is a confirmation that you would like to un-install all components of the
software except the RAID driver. Click ‘Yes’ to confirm.
5. All components of the software will be un-installed except the RAID driver. You should no longer
see any Start menu links to the UI application or a control panel applet for Intel Rapid Storage
Technology. However, the RAID configuration should still function normally.
17.2 Disabling the RAID Driver by Disabling the RAID

Controller
WARNING: If you use this method and your computer’s operating system is installed to a
disk attached to the Intel® SATA RAID Controller, you will no longer be able to boot into
that operating system!
1. Enter System BIOS Setup and disable RAID Mode. This setting may be different for each
motherboard manufacturer. Consult your manufacturer’s user manual if necessary. When done,
exit Setup.
2. Reboot the system (The OS must have been installed on a disk not attached to the Intel® SATA
RAID controller). You should no longer see the RAID Option ROM status screen during boot, and
you should no longer see the Intel® SATA RAID Controller in Device Manager.
3. At this point, Windows will no longer be using the RAID driver and you will not have Intel RAID
functionality. All data contained in existing RAID volumes will no longer be accessible.
To re-enable Intel RAID functionality, re-enter System BIOS Setup and re-enable RAID mode.
Uninstall Note: End-users can use this same procedure to disable the Intel® SATA RAID Controller
if necessary. In fact, the uninstall program used in section 12.1 of this document will display a text
file with a similar procedure. Run the Uninstall Program, click ‘Cancel’ when presented with the first
dialog box, then click ‘Yes’ at the second dialog box to read the text document containing the
procedure.
18 Registry Customizations
Note: Windows registry changes require reboot to take effect.
After installation of the Intel Rapid Storage Technology, the registry will contain keys to allow
customization of several features. Customize Support URLs in Rapid Storage Technology UI
The Rapid Storage Technology UI [Help] Menu, Submenu [Online Support] when selected will
display a pop-up window with the support URLs as shown in the figure below:
Product information and support : (http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/highlights/chpsts/imsm)
Compatibility information : (http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/imsm/sb/CS-020680.htm)
Intel’s download center :

(http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&ProductFamily=Chipsets&ProductLin
e=Chipset+Software&ProductProduct=Intel%c2%ae+Rapid+Storage+Technology+(Intel%c2%ae+R
ST)&ProdId=2101&LineId=1090&FamilyId=40)
18.1 Zero Power ODD Settings

Beginning with the Intel® RST 10.0 release and the Intel® Mobile Express Chipset SATA AHCI and
the Intel® Desktop/Workstation/Server Express Chipset SATA AHCI controllers (PCH), the product
supports the zero-power ODD feature (also referred to as ZPODD). It is intended to allow an
unused ODD to be powered off, and then powered on only upon receipt of demand requests or when
the ODD eject button is pressed. This goal is achieved by utilizing ACPI** methods to change the
power condition of the drive when several platform (HW) conditions exist.
**Note: This feature is not supported on Windows XP and older operating systems.
Associated with this feature are two registry keys located at
[KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorA\Parameters]
1. ZPODD enable/disable
[KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorA\Parameters\Device]
"OddZeroPowerEnable"=dword(0, 1)
This key determines a platform’s eligibility for the feature. When the value is zero then this
feature will be disabled. When the value is non-zero or not present the feature will be
enabled. Default value will be enabled (1).
2. ODD idle timeout

[KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorA\Parameters\Device]
"SecondsToOddZeroPower"=dword:(30, 300)
This key determines the idle timeout value. When the value is zero then this feature will be
disabled. The value is the number of seconds the ODD must be idle (defined as a period of
time in which no non-GESN commands are received; minimum value is 30 and maximum
value is 300) before the ODD will be powered off. The default value is 60. If the registry
value is set to a value outside this range then the default value of 60 seconds will be used.
18.2 E-mail Notification UI Visible Enable/Disable

By default the e-mail notification feature is visible in the UI under the [Preferences] button. The
registry can be modified to allow or disallow the end-user from being able to configure the system to
allow email notification. The registry key by default is not populated in the registry. In order to
remove the functionality from the UI the registry key has to be created using the following settings:
Open the registry editor and Add the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Intel\IRST
Create a new DWORD (32) value as follows:
DisableEmail
Registry Value Description
DisableEmail DWORD(32) = 0 (default):
By default or when this value is created and cleared to 0, the UI

[Preferences] page displays an item in the left column of the
page that allows the user to setup the desired e-mail
preferences for the system.
DWORD(32) = 1:
When this value is created and set to 1, the UI will not display a
menu item in the ‘Preferences’ page for the end-user to setup
email notification on the system. The feature is disabled.
18.3 Disabling Maximized Mode Option for Intel® SRT
OEMs have the ability to disable the Accelerate Maximized mode option and limit the Intel® Smart
Response Technology to Enhanced mode selection only.
The registry key by default is not populated in the registry. In order to remove the functionality
from the UI the registry key has to be created using the following settings:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Intel\IRST
DisablePerformanceMode
DisablePerformanceMode DWORD(32) = 0 (default):
By default or when this value is created and cleared to 0,

the UI will allow the end-user to Accelerate disks/volumes
in both Maximized and Enhanced mode.
DWORD(32) = 1:
When this value is created and set to 1, the UI will not

display the option to Accelerate to Maximized mode and
will not allow the user to change from Enhanced mode to
Maximized mode
18.4 Rebuild On Hot Insert

When a redundant RAID volume is in the ‘Degraded’ state and a hot insert event of a new disk is
detected by the RST driver, the driver will automatically begin a rebuild of the degraded RAID
volume to the new disk. The new disk must meet all the requirements to be an array member of
the degraded RAID array.
The registry key by default is not populated in the registry. In order to enable the functionality in
the UI the registry key has to be created using the following settings:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorA\Parameters\Device
RebuildOnHotInsert

DWORD(32) = 0 (default):
By default or when this value is created and cleared to 0,
RebuildOnHotInsert this feature is disabled.
DWORD(32) = 1:
When this value is created and set to 1, this feature is
enabled and when all the system conditions are met, the
driver will begin an auto-rebuild upon hot insertion of a
supported disk.
18.5 SATA Asynchronous Notification

The location of the key to control SATA Asynchronous Notification functionality has been added.
The registry key by default is not populated in the registry, but AN is enabled by default. In order to
change the functionality in the driver, the registry key has to be created using the following setting:
Controller0PhyXANEnable
Where ‘X’ represents the SATA port on which AN is to be disabled or enabled.

DWORD(32) = 0
Controller0PhyXANEnable
When set to 0, this feature is disabled.
DWORD(32) = 1 (default)
When set to 1, this feature is enabled.
18.6 Runtime D3 (RTD3)

RTD3 is part of Microsoft Power Management Framework* (PMF). The following registry setting is
MSFT specific. A device may be “spun down” after being in Idle a designated time while the system
is running (RTD3). When a value less than 60 seconds is chosen, it will default to 20 minutes. When
using “MAXULONG” value, the registry key will be ignored and devices will not “spin down”, which
effectively “disables” RTD3.
KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\SCSI\<Device ID>\<instance ID>\Device

Parameters\Storport
Please see MSFT on how to set this registry key: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/241679/en-us
The REG_DWORD value is as follows:
MinimumIdleTimeoutInMS
Registry Key: Name Description
MinimumIdleTimeoutInMS Type: REG_DWORD(32) = {0 to MAXULONG-1}
This value specifies the minimum amount of time the power
framework must wait to power down a logical unit once it is at
idle.
REG_DWORD(32) = MAXULONG:
The Default: MAXULONG, indicating unset. If the miniport

provides no timeout value, the actual default value is 5 minutes,
or, 5 * 60 * 1000.
18.7 Hybrid Hinting

Hybrid Hinting is enabled automatically without the need for user intervention. In the case that
Hybrid Hinting needs to be disabled, a registry key can be created for that purpose. On Windows
8.1 platforms, a registry key is automatically added without user intervention.
18.7.1 Instructions to Disable Hybrid Hinting

Enter the registry editor and navigate to the following path:
HybridHintDisabled
HybridHintDisabled DWORD(32) = 0
Leaves Hybrid Hinting enabled
DWORD(32) = 1
Disables Hybrid Hinting
18.7.2 Hybrid Hint Reset

As of Win* 8.1, MSFT introduced hinting in their inbox driver. This leaves the hybrid threshold in
states that causes decreased performance when the RST driver is installed AFTER Win* 8.1 OS is
installed using MSFT inbox driver. To prevent this scenario, RST has provided the following registry
key when an SSHD is detected on the system and Hybrid Hinting minimum requirements are met:
Name: HybridHintReset
Location:
KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorA\Parameters\Device
Note: Upon the first reboot after the driver installation is complete, the registry key is written and
the hybrid log reset by the driver. Once the registry key is written, it will remain throughout reboots
and OS upgrades. If deleted manually, it will be rewritten automatically by the driver upon the next
reboot.
18.7.3 Disable Hybrid Hinting During Hibernation

On systems using SSHDs with small NAND size and when hybrid shutdown is enabled in Microsoft
OS, it is recommended to disable hybrid hinting during hibernation. This key can be added to
prevent longer shutdown time in some cases. In these cases, OEMs/ODMs may use this key to base
their evaluation results.
The following registry key can be added to disable hybrid hinting during hibernation.
HiberFileHintDisable

DWORD(32) = 0
HiberFileHintDisable Enable hybrid hinting during hibernate (Default)
DWORD(32) = 1
Disable hybrid hinting during hibernate
19 Power Savings with Intel®
Rapid Storage Technology
19.1 Link Power Management (LPM)
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology implements the Link power management (LPM) feature described
by the Serial ATA specification to overcome the power demand of a high-speed serial interface,
SATA and providing the capability of SATA at the minimum power cost. LPM, when used in
conjunction with a SATA hard drive that supports this feature, enables lower power consumption.
LPM was initially enabled by default on mobile platforms starting with ICH6M with Intel® Matrix
Storage Manager. Starting with ICH9R this feature has also been supported on desktop platforms
with Intel® Matrix Storage Manager 7.5 release but not enabled by default.
Beginning with the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology 10.0 release, LPM support is enabled by default
on both mobile and desktop platforms. OEM’s who wish to modify the default settings for LPM on
their platforms can follow the instructions in the section titled Instructions to disable/enable LPM.
19.1.1 Instructions to disable/enable LPM

After the system is setup with the OS and Intel® Rapid Storage Technology is installed, follow the
below instructions to modify the default LPM support.
NOTE: Beginning with the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology 10.0 release, the registry keys are no
longer populated in the Windows registry by default. The RST driver does not require the registry
keys to be present to support the default settings.
1. Go to Start->Run
2. Type in RegEdit and press the Enter Key.
3. Go to the below mentioned location to insert or configure the registry keys for LPM.
NOTE: OEM’s need to configure the LPM settings per SATA port. Ports are numbered starting
with zero (please refer to the desired platform EDS for the number of ports supported on
your platform).
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorA\Parameters\Dev
ice\
4. Now add the following registry keys under the registry location mentioned in step3, if they are not
available (These registry keys are not available by default, they can be added by using
automated scripts, .reg files, executable utilities, etc). If you find the below registry keys
already available, you can modify the values for desired support. Values are modified on a port
by port basis so modify all ports that you wish the changes to be supported on. **
Per-port Setting:
Replace the ‘X’ with the SATA port number to independently control HIPM/DIPM per port.
Host Initiated Power Management:

DWORD: Controller0PhyXHIPM
Value: 0 = disable, 1 = enable (default)
-- (Old key, DWORD: LPM)
Device Initiated Power Management:

DWORD: Controller0PhyXDIPM
-- (Old key, DWORD: DIPM)
Configure HIPM to use partial or slumber when the drive is in a D0 ACPI device state
DWORD: Controller0PhyXLPMState
Value: 0 = Partial (default), 1 = Slumber
-- (Old key, DWORD: LPMState)
Configure HIPM to use partial or slumber when the drive is in a D3 ACPI device state (Device
receives a start_stop_unit request: e.g. HDD idle spindown).
DWORD: Controller0PhyXLPMDstate
Value: 0 = Partial, 1 = Slumber (default)
-- (Old key, DWORD: LPMDState)
Controller-wide Setting:
This allows auto partial to slumber to be enabled. Actual setting of APS is controlled by the values
below:
Auto Partial to Slumber:
DWORD: EnableAPS
**Warning: If you edit the registry incorrectly, you can cause serious problems that may require
you to reinstall your operating system. Intel does not guarantee that problems that are caused by
editing the Registry incorrectly can be resolved.
19.1.2 LPM Updates in 14.0 (APS, SIPM)
19.1.2.1 APS
APS is always disabled in all connected SATA devices
19.1.2.2 Software Initiated Power Management (SIPM)

By default RST DRIVER enables SIPM for each active SATA LINK.
19.1.2.2.1 SIPM Initiated PM Enabling Rules
The RST driver enables SIPM only for SIPM capable SATA ports, and ASP will be set to
PARTIAL, and host SATA storage controller will report HIPM capability.
 The RST DRIVER enables SIPM only when ASP is set to PARTIAL
 By default the RST DRIVER enables SIPM on SIPM capable SATA ports,
excluding eSATA ports and hot-pluggable SATA ports.
 SIPM for Hot-Pluggable SATA Ports: By default the RST DRIVER enables
SIPM on SIPM capable SATA ports, excluding eSATA ports and hot-
pluggable SATA ports
 SIPM for eSATA Ports: The RST DRIVER keeps SIPM disabled on SATA
ports which are defined by the platform BIOS as eSATA ports
 SIPM Capable SATA Ports: The RST DRIVER enables SIPM only for SATA
ports which connected devices are reporting HIPM capability
 SIPM will be enabled when the host is reporting HIPM capability
 SIPM will only be enabled for SATA devices which have APS disabled
19.1.2.2.2 SIPM Timeout Configuration
The RST DRIVER reads the value of SIPM timeout from the Windows registry. In case the
Windows registry key is not present the RST DRIVER will use default values for the
timeout. The SIPM timeout will be configurable for each SATA device independently
 The RST driver allows configuring the SIPM timeout for each SATA device
independently
 The RST driver sets the SIPM timeout to 0 (zero) in order to disable SIPM for
the given SATA port
 The RST driver reads the SIPM timeout value from the Windows registry
 The RST driver uses default values for SIPM timeout when the Windows
registry key is not present. The amount of time to elapse before the RST
driver puts the link into SLUMBER is as follows:
Windows OS Version SIPM Default

Timeout
(milliseconds)
Windows* 8 and later 25
Windows* 7 and 100

earlier
19.2 Runtime D3 (RTD3)

Intel® RST now supports Microsoft® Runtime Power Management (RTPM) framework. RTPM allows
Windows® to manage the ACTIVE/IDLE power states for discrete target devices, such as hard disks,
in an effort to reduce power consumption for mobile platforms.
RTD3 refers to the abililty to completely remove power from devices (D3cold) during long idle
periods, while the system remains in S0.
RTD3 adheres to the following requirements:

1. OS is Windows* 8 or newer.
2. The SATA AHCI controller must be in AHCI mode.
3. Only HDD’s, SSD’s, and SSHD’s attached to the AHCI controller on ports that are RTD3 capable
are managed by RTPM.

4. Devices connected to hot-pluggable ports cannot be managed under RTPM.
5. Devices connected to external ports cannot be managed under RTPM.
6. Devices connected to ports with a mechanical presence switch cannot be managed under RTPM.
7. Devices connected to a Remapped PCIe port cannot be managed under RTPM.
NOTE: For system’s that support RTD3, but are shipped with RST in ‘RAID Ready’ mode, it is
suggested that RTD3 be disabled in the BIOS. This is to prevent end users from creating RAID
volumes while RTD3 is enabled.
19.2.1 Adapter RTD3 Support

Current releases of Intel® Rapid Storage Technology do not support Adapter RTD3. This means that
only the RTD3 supported devices will be placed into D3hot/D3cold. The Intel® RST driver does not
support placing the SATA controller into a D3hot / D3cold state.
For additional information on configuration and usage of this feature, please refer to its
documentation CDI/IBP document # 516865.
19.3 New for RST 14.0 Release

19.3.1 RTD3 Support - RAID HDD/SSD/SSHDs Unit Support
The RST DRIVER will register SATA RAID ARRAY to Windows Runtime Power Management
framework as a single FUNCTIONAL HARDWARE UNIT.
19.3.2 RTD3 Support - RAID w mixed RTD3 capable/non-capable

ports
RST Driver allows the creation of RAID volumes that utilize both RTD3 capable ports and
non-RTD3 capable ports in the same volume. When the RST Driver receives RTD3 events for
the RAID Volume, it will RTD3 the ports that are capable of RTD3.
19.3.3 RTD3 Support - RRT

The RST DRIVER shall NOT support RTD3 of SATA ports that are part of an RRT RAID
Volume. Ports utilized in an RRT Volume will NOT have power removed or restored by RTD3.
19.3.4 RTD3 Support - SRT

The RST DRIVER will opt-out from RTD3 requests for SRT CACHE DEVICEs.
19.3.5 RTD3 Support - Hot Spares

The RST Driver does NOT support RTD3 of RST RAID Global Hot Spares.

19.3.6 RTD3 Support - Migrations & Rebuilds
The RST Driver will prevent the Windows OS from entering RTD3 for RAID Volumes that are
currently under-going internal RAID rebuild or migration operations.
Once the operation is complete, the RST Driver will allow RTD3 activity for the RAID Volume
to continue.
19.4 DEVSLP
Beginning with Intel® Rapid Storage Technology 12.5 release, support for a new SATA link power
state was introduced, device sleep (DEVSLP). DEVSLP is a fourth and lowest link power state,
coming after Slumber. The link will enter DEVSLP when all current IO have completed, the link is in
the Slumber state and the DEVSLP idle timer has expired granting permission for the SATA
controller to assert the DEVSLP signal. BIOS is responsible for configuring and enabling DEVSLP. The
driver configurable settings for DEVSLP may be found in the section titled SATA Device Sleep
(DEVSLP) Settings. For additional information on configuration and usage of this feature, please
refer to the document CDI/IBP document # 516865.
Intel® RST supports DEVSLP for reduced power during long idle periods such as when the system is
in InstantGo*. When DEVSLP is enabled, the Intel® RST driver will support InstantGo* when
requested by the OS on pass through devices on the SATA ports that support DEVSLP. InstantGo*
is only supported on Windows* 8.1 and newer.
The following recommendation for Intel® Rapid Storage Technology DEVSLP Idle Timeout is taken
from Section 4.6 of the Intel “UltrabookTM Storage Power Management Recommendations White
Papers” CDI/IBL #528428
When the system is in InstantGo*, the DEVSLP idle timeout should be set to maximize power
savings. Because the I/O pattern while in InstantGo* is not deterministic, the DEVSLP idle time
cannot be set to an arbitrarily low value, or else the power consumed by entering and exiting
DEVLSP may be (on the average) greater than the power consumed by remaining in the next higher
power state (Slumber). Instead, the idle timeout must be set to a value that delivers the best
average power consumption. To achieve the best average power across a variety of configurations,
the DEVSLP idle timeout should be set to equal the DEVSLP transition energy recoup time. The
DEVSLP recoup time is the time in the next higher power state (Slumber) that consumes that same
amount of power as entering and exiting DEVLSP. Using the recoup time ensures that (on the
average) the device is not placed in DEVSLP before the energy consumed by the transition can be
recouped.
Recoup time for a device to enter and then exit the next lowest power state relative to the device
remaining in and then exiting from its current power state is calculated as follows:
(𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 + 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 − 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦)
𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑝 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 =
(𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 − 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟)
…where entry and exit transition energy is calculated as follows:
𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 = 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 ∗ 𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
In the following example, DEVSLP recoup time is calculated for a hypothetical device with the
following characteristics:

Table 19-1. DEVSLP Recoup Time
In-State or
In-State or Transition
Transition Average In-State or Transition
State/State Transition Time (S) Power (W) Energy (J)
Slumber (1) 0.05
Slumber resume transition 0.001 1.3 0.0013
DEVSLP entry transition 0.000 0 0.0000
DEVSLP (2) 0.005
DEVSLP resume transition 0.100 1.3 0.1300

1. Maximum time in Slumber is determined by the DEVSLP recoup time
2. Maximum time in DEVSLP is determined by the RTD3 recoup time (see next section)
Following the general case above, DEVSLP recoup time is calculated as follows:
𝐷𝐸𝑉𝑆𝐿𝑃 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 + 𝐷𝐸𝑉𝑆𝐿𝑃 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 − 𝑆𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦

𝐷𝐸𝑉𝑆𝐿𝑃 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑝 𝑡𝑖𝑚 =
𝑆𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 − 𝐷𝐸𝑉𝑆𝐿𝑃 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟
Substituting values from the table above:
0 𝐽 + .13 𝐽 − .0013 𝐽
𝐷𝐸𝑉𝑆𝐿𝑃 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑝 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 = = 2.86 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠
. 05 𝑊 − .005 𝑊
A device with these characteristics may stay in Slumber for 2.86 seconds and use the same power
as would be consumed by transitioning to DEVSLP. Therefore, the recoup time is defined as 2.86
seconds, and the DEVSLP idle time-out when in InstantGo* should be set to 2.86 seconds.
For additional information on configuration and usage of these parameters, refer to the document
CDI/IBP document # 516865
19.4.1 DEVSLP Registry Key Setting:
Per-port Settings:
This allows the OEM to customize the DEVSLP Idle Time Out value for InstantGo*
enabled systems. When the OS enters InstantGo*, the driver configures the SATA
controller to enter DEVSLP sooner to save power. This setting will temporarily
override the BIOS configured value for the duration of the InstantGo* period. Upon
exiting InstantGo*, the driver will restore the value the BIOS originally
programmed:
Replace the ‘X’ with the SATA port number to independently control the DEVSLP
timeout value while in InstantGo*.
DEVSLP Device Idle Time Out Small in milliseconds:

DWORD: Controller0PhyXDevSlpDITOsmall
Value: 0x1– 0x3FF0, default 0x0BB8 (values need to be entered as hex, equivalent decimal
values are 1 to 16368 ms, default 3000 ms)

19.5 DevSleep Tool
Beginning with Intel® RST versions 13.5 and newer, OEMs can pre-configure their platforms with
the DevSleep tool. This tool is a Windows/WinPE or Dos-based command line interface utility for
configuring DEVSLP registry keys for fine tuning Low Power DEVSLP enabled devices.
At boot time, the RST DRIVER shall read the configured registry key values and use them as
overrides on a per-device basis.
Each of the following registry keys have the characteristic:

String Value: “<product id> <timeout>”
Example: "xx740ADFD?00NLR1* 3000"
<product id>: The First part is the device product id to match
Special characters can be used in product id:
‘?’ matches any single character
‘*’ matches any length of characters
“* 3000”: applies a 3000ms value to all disks.
< timeout >: The value of the DEVSLP time variable.
 CsDeviceSleepIdleTimeoutInMS
 DeviceSleepIdleTimeoutInMS
 DeviceSleepExitTimeoutInMS
 MinimumDeviceSleepAssertionTimeInMS
Multiple “product id timeout” pairs can be placed in the registry key. Each pair is separated by a
null delimiter.
The RST DRIVER will first look for the per-device registry key and if a device match is found it shall
use the value indicated. If per-device registry key does not contain a match for any attached
device, then the driver shall use the per-port specific registry key if present. This requirement shall
not modify the behavior of any per port registry key.
Per-Device Key Per-Device String Match Port Key Results
Present Found Present Use Per-Device
Present Found Missing Use Per-Device
Present Missing Present Use Port
Present Missing Missing Use Default
Missing Missing Present Use Port
Missing Missing Missing Use Default
19.5.1 CsDeviceSleepIdleTimeoutInMS
Path: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorA\Parameters\Device

Key:
CsDeviceSleepIdleTimeoutInMS
This registry key is the Device Sleep idle timeout (DITOActual) to use when the system is in
connected standby. DITOActual = (DITO * (DM+1)
Total DevSlp Idle Timeout is the total amount of time in ms that the host bus adapter will wait after
the port is idle before raising the DevSlp signal, max=16368.
If this registry key is not present, the RST DRIVER shall check for the per-port specific registry key
“DevSlpDITOsmall”. This registry key will not take precedence over the registry setting of
“DevSlpDITOsmall” if already present.
19.5.2 DeviceSleepIdleTimeoutInMS
Key:
DeviceSleepIdleTimeoutInMS
This registry key is the Device Sleep idle timeout (DITOActual) to use when the system is not in
Connected Standby (CS). Note: this registry shall apply to both CS and non-CS platforms. The <
timeout> is the value of the DEVSLP idle timeout to use when the system is not in Connected
Standby, in milliseconds (decimal value).
19.5.3 DeviceSleepExitTimeoutInMS
Key:
DeviceSleepExitTimeoutInMS
This registry key is the Device Sleep Exit timeout (PxDEVSLP.DETO). The < timeout > value is the
DEVSLP exit timeout in milliseconds (decimal value).
19.5.4 MinimumDeviceSleepAssertionTimeInMS
Key:
MinimumDeviceSleepAssertionTimeInMS
This registry key is the minimum amount of time, in ms, that the HBA must assert the
DEVSLP signal before it may be de-asserted; Minimum Device Sleep Assertion time
(PxDEVSLP.MDAT). The nominal value is 10ms and the minimum is 1ms depending on device
identification information.

The < timeout > value is the minimum DEVSLP assertion time in milliseconds (decimal value).
19.5.5 DevSleep Tool Usage

USAGE:
Create Options:
Create Usage:
Creates the new registry keys and populates them with default values
--create [--key x] [--inline]
Create Examples:
-C
--create
--create --inline
--create --key CsDeviceSleepIdleTimeoutInMS
--create --key DeviceSleepExitTimeoutInMS --inline
--create --help
Export Options:
Export Usage:
Exports the Dev Sleep registry keys to a distributable .reg file
--export
Export Examples:
-E
--export
--export --help
List Options:
List Usage:
Lists all devices and values in the registry
--list [--key x]
List Examples:
-L
--list
--list --key MinimumDeviceSleepAssertionTimeInMS
--list --help
Modify Options:
Modify Usage:
Modifies the reg key
--modify --index z --value y [--key x] [Product ID]
Modify Examples:
-M --index 3 --value 10
--modify --index 0 --value 3 --key DeviceSleepIdleTimeoutInMS
-M --index 1 --value 7 --key CsDeviceSleepIdleTimeoutInMS newproductid
--modify --index 1 --value 7 productid with spaces for all reg keys
--modify --help

Add Options:
Add Usage:
Adds a new registry key
--add --value y Product ID
Add Examples:
-A --value 10 newproductid
--add --value 3 --key DeviceSleepIdleTimeoutInMS newproductid
-A --value 7 productid with spaces for all reg keys
--add --help
Import Options:
Import Usage:
Imports the Dev Sleep registry key to a specified OS image
--import --driveLetter c
Import Examples:
-I --driveLetter C
--import --driveLetter C
--import --help
Delete Options:
Delete Usage:
Deletes an existing registry key
--delete --index z [--key x]
Delete Examples:
-D
--delete --index 3
--delete --index 1 --key MinimumDeviceSleepAssertionTimeInMS
--delete –help
19.6 L1.2 Support

Starting with RST version 13.5, L1.2 will be supported for PCIe SSD devices. L1.2 is the lowest, non-
zero power state that uses a 2 step resume process for better responsiveness and power savings.
RST will support L1.2 when it is enabled on the platform and when L1.2 is enabled on the PCIe
Storage device. Because this feature is controlled primarily by the system BIOS, please refer to your
BIOS reference guide to for correct system setup.

19.7 InstantGo* Device Notification Support
NOTE: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology support for InstantGo* is limited to platforms
that support this feature. InstantGo* is a Microsoft feature and for more details, please
consult Microsoft.
Beginning with Intel® Rapid Storage Technology 13.0, the Intel® RST driver also supports
InstantGo* Notification on all InstantGo* Notification capable devices connected to the AHCI
controller. The Intel® RST driver will notify devices when the system is entering/exiting InstantGo*.
This allows supported devices to change policy and be more aggressive in internal power
management and power savings.
19.7.1 Requirements
 Devices must support the Advanced Power Management feature (APM) defined in the ATA*
standard (ACS-3) and report support for APM levels.*
o IDENTIFY DEVICE data Word 159 set to 0xA5A5 in the Vendor Specific area.**
 Platform Hardware and Devices must support the DEVSLP Feature.
o Device supports the Device Sleep feature (per ATA IDENTIFY DEVICE command)
IDENTIFY DEVICE data word 78 bit 8 is set to ‘1’.(i.e., resume from Device Sleep using
COMWAKE).
 Devices must support DevSleep_to_ReducedPwrState (as indicated in Identify Device data).
 Supported on pass-thru devices (non-RAID member).
*Intel recommendations for IHVs to support devices’ INSTANTGO* Notification requirements and
APM levels can be found in “Ultrabook Storage Power Management Recommendations White Paper”
on CDI/IBL #528428.
**InstantGo* Notification feature is currently supported on Intel Dalecrest (530) devices.
19.7.2 Detail Description

Intel® Rapid Storage Technology driver customizes InstantGo* Device Notification on a per device
basis when the sytem is entering / exiting InstantGo*.
Once the Intel® RST driver receives notification from the OS that the system is going to enter or
exit InstantGo*, Intel® RST driver will notify the device by using the APM (Advanced Power
Management) mechanism defined in the ACS (ATA Command Set).
The Intel® RST driver will use a SET FEATURE command to send a hint of power/performance
balance to the device. The hint value is 01 – FEh.
Values:
- FEh - max performance at the expense of power
- 01h - max power savings at the expense of performance
- 80h – defined for HDDs as max power savings, but cannot spin down, lower than 80h and
the device is allowed to self spin down
- All other values are vendor specific
Intel® RST uses 10h as the default value for entering InstantGo*, and 80h is the default value
Intel® RST uses for exiting InstantGo*. Values are customizable by using registry keys.

Note: Additionally, a device should be prepared for a power loss after any completed
STANDBY IMMEDIATE command (see ACS-3) regardless of the link power state entered
between the completion of a STANDBY IMMEDIATE command and the loss of power. This
includes Active, Partial, Slumber and DevSleep link power states.
19.7.3 Registry Settings

InstantGo* Device Notification is enabled by default. The following registry keys can be used to
disable InstantGo* Device Notification and/or to change default values on a per device basis.
Open the registry editor and navigate to this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorA\Parameters\ Device
Add the following key to disable InstantGo* Notification for device on port ‘X’:
DWORD: Controller0PhyXCsDeviceNotification
Value: 0x0– 0x01, default 0x01 (1= enabled / 0=disabled)
The following Registry key will allow customizable APM levels to set the device to when the system
enters and/or exits InstantGo*. This will only be done if InstantGo* Notification is enabled.
Open the registry editor and navigate to this path:
Add the following registry key to customize Entry into InstantGo* notification :
DWORD: Controller0PhyXEnterCSApmLevel
Values: As below (default is 10h)
Add the following registry key to customize Exit from InstantGo* notification :
DWORD: Controller0PhyXExitCSApmLevel
Values: As below (default is 80h)
VALUES: APM levels interpreted as follows:
 FEh – Maximum performance mode
 80h – Minimum power management without standby (e.g. balance between power savings
and performance)
 10h – High performance bursts, quick to low power (e.g. Windows* 8.1 InstantGo*)
 01h – Minimum power consumption with standby
The requested APM levels persist across resets, but not power cycles. Intel® RST 13.0, and newer,
supports this capability and will set the appropriate APM levels after power is applied to the devices
(either power on or after resume from RTD3).
*InstantGo* is a MSFT feature and was formerly referred to as “Connected Standby”.

19.8 New in 14.5 Release
19.8.1 Connected Standby Power State Support for SSHD

The RST DRIVER allows CONNECTED STANDBY power state for SSHD under
following conditions:
 Platform supports CONNECTED STANDBY power state,
 SSHD is used as BOOT VOLUME,
 SSHD is used in pass-through mode.
Hybrid Type Device Criteria
The RST DRIVER classifies a drive as HYBRID TYPE when the drive reports
HYBRID HINTING, PUIS and APM capabilities.
Spin-Down on Entering Connected Standby
The RST DRIVER uses APM to spin down of the SSHD rotational media when
entering CONNECTED STANDBY power state.
Use Hybrid Hinting when in Connected Standby
The RST DRIVER uses HYBRID HINTING to redirect I/O requests to SSHD
NVCACHE when in CONNECTED STANDBY power state.
Use APM to Control Spindle
The RST DRIVER uses APM to control the spindle. The APM will automatically
spin-up the rotational media part of the drive for time of a “read cache miss”
event.
Restore APM on Exiting from Connected Standby
The RST DRIVER restores APM to its original value upon exiting CONNECTED
STANDBY power state.

PUIS Capabilities for Connected Standby Power State
The RST DRIVER enables PUIS prior entering CONNECTED STANDBY to prevent
spin-up of the rotational media part after RTD3 transition requests from the
operating system.
19.8.2 CONNECTED STANDBY Power Model

The RST DRIVER utilizes the CONNECTED STANDBY power model for low-power capable
platforms.
19.8.3 Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout

The RST DRIVER enables the adaptive D3 idle timeout feature for SATA rotating media.
Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for Hard Disk Drives

The RST DRIVER enables the adaptive D3 idle timeout feature for SATA HDDs.
Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for RAID

The RST DRIVER enables the adaptive D3 idle timeout feature for homogeneous RAID
volumes comprise SATA rotating media.
Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for Matrix RAID
The RST DRIVER disables the adaptive D3 idle timeout feature for MATRIX RAID
volumes.
Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for mixed RAID
The RST DRIVER always disables the adaptive D3 idle timeout feature for MIXED
RAID volumes.
Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for Hybrid Hard Drives

The RST DRIVER always enables the adaptive D3 idle timeout feature for SSHDs (HHD).

Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for Non-Rotating Media
The RST DRIVER always disables the adaptive D3 idle timeout feature for all types of non-
rotating media.
Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for PCIe Remapped SSDs
The RST DRIVER always disables the adaptive D3 idle timeout feature for PCIe
Remapped SSDs.
Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for SATA SSDs
The RST DRIVER always disables the adaptive D3 idle timeout feature for SATA
SSDs.
Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for ATAPI Devices

The RST DRIVER always disables the adaptive D3 idle timeout for ATAPI devices.
Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for Tape Devices
The RST DRIVER always disables the adaptive D3 idle timeout feature for tape
drives.
Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for ODDs
The RST DRIVER always disables the adaptive D3 idle timeout feature for ODDs.
Adaptive D3 Idle Timeout for ZPODDs
The RST DRIVER always disables the adaptive D3 idle timeout feature for ZPODDs.
19.8.4 Connected Standby Power Model Support for SRT

The RST DRIVER enables entering into CONNECTED STANDBY power state when a CACHE
VOLUME is configured.

Allowed Configuration
Minimum 16GB of cache and SRT must be configured in MAXIMIZED MODE.
Storage Device Criteria

The CACHE DEVICE and the BACKING STORAGE both must be SATA storage devices.
Entering Connected Standby Power State

The RST DRIVER enters into CONNECTED STANDBY power state on explicit notification
received from Windows operating system.
Allow Entering Connected Standby for Cache Device
The RST DRIVER allows entering into CONNECTED STANDBY power state under
following conditions:
 Platform is supporting CONNECTED STANDBY power state,
 CACHE DEVICE is used to accelerate a BOOT VOLUME.
SRT Enhanced Mode Constraint on MODERN STANDBY Platforms
The RST DRIVER will not D3 the BACKING STORAGE when the CACHE VOLUME is
configured in ENHANCED MODE.
Exiting Connected Standby for Backing Storage

The RST DRIVER will D0 the BACKING STORAGE upon exiting the CONNECTED
STANDBY power state.
Waking up Backing Storage

The RST DRIVER prevents the BACKING STORAGE from entering D0 by directing I/O
requests to CACHE DEVICE.

Waking up Backing Storage on Cache Miss or Cache Clean
The RST DRIVER may D0 the BACKING STORAGE while in CONNECTED STANDBY
power state, regardless of power source, for time of occurred events:
 Cache miss during I/O READ request,
 Cache cleaning due to cache volume full.
Aggressive D3 and Semi-Aggressive D3 for Backing Storage

AGGRESSIVE D3 and SEMI-AGGRESSIVE D3 of BACKING STORAGE will only be available
when SRT is configured in MAXIMIZED MODE.
Registry Support for Aggressive D3 and Semi-aggressive D3 Inactivity Timeouts
The RST DRIVER reads configuration of I/O inactivity timeouts for AGGRESSIVE D3
and SEMI-AGGRESSIVE D3 from Windows Registry.
Default Inactivity Timeout for AGGRESSIVE D3
The RST DRIVER waits not less than 2 seconds for completion of an I/O request to
BACKING STORAGE before attempting to D3 the BACKING STORAGE.
Default Inactivity Timeout for SEMI-AGGRESSIVE D3
The RST DRIVER waits not less than 30 seconds for completion of an I/O request to
BACKING STORAGE before attempting to D3 the BACKING STORAGE.
Entering Resiliency Phase on AC Power

The RST DRIVER will SEMI-AGGRESSIVELY D3 the BACKINGS TORAGE when entering the
RESILIENCY PHASE of CONNECTED STANDBY when the system is on AC power.
Entering Resilience Phase on Battery Power
The RST DRIVER will AGRESIVELLY D3 the BACKING STORAGE when entering the
RESILIENCY PHASE of CONNECTED STANDBY when system is on battery power.

19.8.5 SATA Link Power Management Support
The RST DRIVER implements SATA Link Power Management as specified in the Power State
Transition section of the SATA AHCI Specification.
SIPM Support for MODERN STANDBY Power Model

The RST DRIVER disables SIPM and sets ASP to SLUMBER upon entering into MODERN
STANDBY, and re-enables SIPM and sets ASP to PARTIAL upon existing from MODERN
STANDBY
SIPM Disabled when in MODERN STANDBY
The RST DRIVER disables SIPM on entering to MODERN STANDBY.
SIPM Re-enabled Upon Exiting MODERN STANDBY
The SIPM is re-enabled upon exiting from MODERN STANDBY.
ASP Configuration when in MODERN STANDBY
The RST DRIVER keeps ASP set to SLUMBER when the platform is in MODERN
STANDBY.
ASP Configuration when not in MODERN STANDBY
The RST DRIVER keeps ASP set to PARTIAL when the platform is not in MODERN
STANDBY.

20 Legacy RAID Option ROM and
Utilities
There is a unified RAID Option ROM (.ffs or .bin) and RAID Utilities (RCfgSata.exe and
RCmpSata.exe) beginning with the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology 9.6 and later release versions.
This unified OROM package is supported on the platforms identified below and all later platform
releases when enabled for RAID. With this RAID Option ROM, these platforms now support all RAID
functionality based on the hardware capability.
20.1.1 General Requirements
Hardware Only enabled on specific SKUs of the Intel® 8 / 9 Series chipset

platforms:
 H87, H97, HM87, HM97

 Q87, QM87,
 Z87, Z97
 C226
 LPT-LP Premium
 Broadwell U/Y Premium
With one of the following Intel® Processors installed:
- Intel® Core™ Branded (i3, i5, and i7 processor families)

- Intel® Xeon® Processor family
Operating All supported Operating Systems for this release 131

System

21 HDD Password Support With
RAID Volumes
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology supports password protected HDDs to be RAID array member
disks and pass-thru disks. The product will rely on the BIOS implementing for most of the ATA
Security support. There is a whitepaper available called “Implementing Intel® Matrix Storage
Manager Compatible Support for ATA Security in BIOS” available on CDI that describes the
necessary BIOS design for compatibility with the Intel Rapid Storage Technology. Rapid Storage
Technology product will handle the RAID and hot-plug related behavior with regards to password
protected disks.
21.1 HDD Password Use Cases

If at least one unlocked member disk and one locked member disk (with relevant data for the RAID
array) are connected, then the RST Driver will reset the “offline disk member” status prior to a boot-
time enumeration in the case that a member disk is unlocked by entering the correct password. The
Intel® RST UI will display the locked disk as locked, and any member disks as offline.
Accelerated volumes containing a locked member disk will return to a normal online state upon
transitioning from S4 to S1 and entering the correct password to unlock the volume/disk.
Scenario Action Result Comments
RAID1 Volume Remove Disk 1 Volume becomes The user had authority to
Disk 1 – Locked (locked disk) unlocked and access Disk 2 which has
Disk 2 - Unlocked Degraded. the same data as Disk 1,
Volume – Locked by removing the locked
User can rebuild drive the user can access
(Both disks have volume unto a new Disk 2.
relevant data) unlocked disk.
RAID1 Volume None N/A The user has access to

Disk 1 – Locked Disk 2 because the data
Disk 2 – Unlocked on Disk 1 is old and
Volume – Degraded irrelevant.
Disk 1 has old data and

caused the volume to
go Degraded.

Scenario Action Result Comments
RAID5 Volume Remove Disk 1 Volume becomes The user had authority to
Disk 1 – Locked (locked disk) unlocked and access Disk 2 and Disk 3
Disk 2 – Unlocked Degraded. which has all the data
Disk 3 – Unlocked needed to rebuild the
Volume – Locked User can rebuild volume, by removing the
volume onto a new locked drive the user can
(All disks have relevant unlocked disk. access Disk 2 and Disk 3
data to Volume) as a Degraded Volume.
Intel® RRT Volume User connects The recovery drive Similar situation to a user
Master Disk – Locked laptop to can be connected to leaving a laptop unlocked
Recovery Disk - docking station a new laptop and the and unattended.
Locked (external port and unlocks information can be
docking station) Recovery disk used to rebuild an
Volume – Locked and Master Disk Intel® RRT volume if
and boots. the power was
(Both disks have maintained, because
relevant data) Then user takes the drive is still in an
the laptop from unlocked state.
the docking
station and
leaves the
external drive
connected to
power
21.2 Unlocking Password Protected Disks

The ability to unlock password protected drives from within the Intel® RST GUI during OS runtime
has been removed beginning with RST production release version 11.6.0.1030. Users will only
be able to unlock password protected drives from within the system BIOS. Please consult the
system manufacturer for instructions on BIOS use for this feature.

22 Intel® Smart Response
Technology – Dual Drive
Configuration
¥Note:This feature requires that the SATA controller be set to RAID mode via the system
BIOS. There is no support in AHCI mode.
Intel® Smart Response Technology is an Intel® RST caching-related feature that improves
computer system performance and lowers power consumption for systems running on battery power
while in Maximized mode. It allows OEMs to configure computer systems with an SSD used as
cache memory between the hard disk drive and system memory. This provides the advantage of
having a hard disk drive (or a RAID volume) for maximum storage capacity while delivering an SSD-
like overall system performance experience. Intel® Smart Response Technology caching is
implemented as a single drive letter solution; no additional drive letter is required for the SSD
device used as cache. Beginning with Intel® Rapid Storage Technology 13.0 minimum cache device
size requirement is 16GB (1000x1000=1MB).
£Note: This feature is only supported on designated RAID enabled SKUs; for SKU support see
“Requirements and Limitations”.
22.1 Overview
22.1.1.1 Driver/OROM updates of Accelerated systems:

 Updating a production version of the driver to a newer production version of the driver
requires a production version of the 10.5 or later OROM (Note: the system will be limited
to the features available to the OROM that is installed on the system)
 If using OROM/UEFI utilities (RcfgSata) to create/configure an SRT volume, cache creation size
restrictions exist, therefore, a 13.0 or newer OROM/UEFI and Rcfgsata utility would need to be
used to create a 16GB cache volume.
 Updating the OROM to a newer version requires that the driver version be updated to a driver
version from the same release package of the OROM or newer.

Table 17-1: Example of driver/OROM compatibility
OROM Version
Driver Version 10.5.0 PV 10.5.1 PV 10.6.0 PV 12.0.0 PV
10.5.0 PV O X X X
10.5.1 PV S O X X
10.6.0 PV S S O X
12.0.0 PV S S S O
 X = this configuration is not supported
 O = this configuration is supported and is optimal for the driver and OROM
 S = this configuration is supported; however, it is limited to the features of the driver that
was originally released with that OROM version. E.g. if the 11.0.0 PV driver is
installed/updated to a system running the 10.5.0 PV OROM, the system will be limited to the
features of the 10.5.0 OROM. Any new features associated with the 11.0.0 PV release may
not be enabled with this configuration.
22.1.1.2 Hot removal (hot unplug) of Maximized Accelerated

components:
 DO NOT physically hot unplug any component of the Accelerated system that is in Maximized
mode. Before removal of either the Accelerated disk/volume or the “Cache SSD” the user must
disable (turn-off) Acceleration. This will eliminate the potential loss of any data that is being
accessed or has not been flushed from the cache to the Accelerated disk/volume.
22.1.2 Requirements and Limitations
Architectural Limitations:
5MB unallocated disk space at the max LBA of the disk: There is a limitation associated with
the HDD and SSD when enabling Acceleration. When a system is first booted with no RAID volumes
or no SRT enabled on a disk, there is no Intel® Rapid Storage Technology configuration information
stored on the disks (this configuration information is called RAID metadata). This is true for all disks
in the system that are in the pass-through state. Whenever a RAID volume is created or a disk is
accelerated with SRT, the Intel® RST driver writes metadata to the disks that stores all the
configuration information (metadata) associated with the disks. The driver locates the max LBA of
the disk and determines if the final ~5MB of space is un-partitioned unallocated space. If the space
is un-partitioned, the driver will reserve this space for the Intel ® RST driver metadata. This
reserved space will be hidden from the host so that the host will never be able to access this space
and overwrite the Intel® RST driver metadata. The max LBA presented to the host will be the full
capacity of the disk minus the 5MB offset from the max LBA.
In those cases when the user attempts to create a RAID volume or enable SRT on a disk that the
driver detects a partition within the max LBA minus the 5MB offset, the operation will fail. The user
will not be able to complete the RAID creation or the enable SRT operation. In order to complete
the action, the user would have to use the appropriate Windows tool to delete the partition or shrink
the size of the partition. WARNING! Deleting a partition can result in loss of user data. Ensure that
there is no data on the partition that is required to be preserved without backing it up somewhere
else.

System Requirements:
For a system to support Intel® Smart Response Technology it must have the following:
 One of the following platforms (RAID enabled SKUs):
o Intel® 9 Series Chipset SATA RAID Controller:
 Broadwell LP U/Y: Premium

 Desktop: Z97, H97
 Mobile: HM97
 Mobile: QM87, HM87
 Desktop: Q87, Z87, H87
 WS/Server: C226
 Lynx Point LP: “Premium I/O”
 CPU:
o Intel® Core™ i3, i5, or i7 processor (only works on production processors that have the
‘Core’ or ‘Xeon’ brand name)
o Intel® Xeon® brand processors (only works on production processors that have the
‘Core’ or ‘Xeon’ brand name)
 Operating system:
o All supported OS for this release*.
*UEFI Driver support only available on 64-bit OS versions.
 System BIOS with the Intel® Smart Response Technology caching bit (bit 9) of the ‘Intel RST
Feature Capabilities’ register in the SATA controller MMIO space enabled (set to 1; the
default setting is 0).
 System BIOS with SATA mode set to RAID enabled
 System BIOS that is PCI 3.0 and PMM (POST Memory Management) compliant to allow the
OROM to handle dirty shutdowns of Accelerated disks/volumes;
o Legacy OROM: BIOS PMM must be able to allocate a minimum of 130MB of temporary,
non-aligned, extended memory to the Legacy OROM
o UEFI Driver: BIOS UEFI global boot services must be able to allocate 130 MB of
temporary, non-aligned, extended memory to the UEFI Driver.
 Intel® RST driver and OROM installed from the production Intel ® RST 10.5 version release or
later production releases
 Flash part must budget the following space for the Intel® RST OROM:
o Image file size ~119KB
o Runtime size ~41.5KB

“Cache SSD” Requirements:
For an SSD to meet the Intel® Smart Response Technology ”Cache SSD” criteria it must have the
following:
 Must be from a faster Bus Protocol Group than the device/raid member devices it is accelerating.
Examples:
o 1 RST PCIe AHCI/NVMe SSD can accelerate 1 single SSD/mSATA/HDD
o 1 RST PCIe AHCI/NVMe SSD can accelerate SSD/mSATA/HDDs in a RAID 0/1/5
configuration.
o 1 SSD can accelerate 1 HDD
o 1 SSD can accelerate HDDs in a RAID 0/1/5/10 configuration.
 16GB minimum capacity (1000x1000=1MB) as calculated by most SSD vendors
OR
 14.9GB minimum capacity (1024x1024=1MB) will be used and calculated by the Intel® RST UI
and Configuration utilities
The Intel RST product recognizes a device as an SSD if its IDD data structure word 217 = 0x01
Feature Limitations of Intel® Smart Response Technology:

 No support for this feature on Windows XP (all versions)
 A total of only one pass-through disk (RAID Ready system) or RAID volume can be ‘Accelerated’
per computer system
 Accelerated Volume criteria:
o Accelerated RAID volumes are limited to 31.5TB or less
o RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 10
o When RST PCIe SSDs are used as the cache device, limited to RAID levels 0, 1, and 5.
o No IRRT volumes allowed to be accelerated
o All array member disks must be from the same Bus Protcol Group.
 i.e. all SATA SSDs or all SATA HDDs.
 No Acceleration of a RAID volume that is one of the volumes of a Matrix array (multiple volumes
on a single array)
 The cache device is attached to an internal SATA port, or REMAPPED PCIe slot.
 The SSD to be used as the “Cache SSD” must not be a system/boot disk.
22.1.3 Acceleration Modes

There are three ‘Acceleration’ modes of operations for Intel® Smart Response Technology caching.
Acceleration Mode Values and Limitations

Mode Performance Separation Data Caching
Safe
Off No Acceleration N/A N/A
Enhanced Boot-time, Yes Write-Through

Run-time
reads, Paging
Maximized Boot-time, No Write-Back

Run-time reads
& writes,
Paging
22.2 Dynamic Cache Sharing Between SRT and Rapid

Start
Note: Beginning with RST13.2 release, Dynamic cache sharing with Rapid Start Technology will not
be supported on Broadwell and Skylake platforms. On older platforms supported for this release, if
the BIOS and platform support Rapid Start, and SRT is enabled, then the dynamic cache will be
available.
22.3 Build a New System with Disk/Volume

Acceleration Enabled
Note: This section requires that the computer system’s Intel® SATA AHCI/RAID controller be set
to RAID mode via the system BIOS. This applies to both the ‘New System’ and the ‘Build System’
when using CLI 32/64 utilities.
Note: There is no ability to enable Acceleration while in the OROM UI. Acceleration must be
enabled either in the Intel® RST UI or CLI 32/64 utilities during OS runtime or the RCfgSata CLI
utility (as described below) if required to do so pre-OS. The OROM UI only allows disabling of
Acceleration.
22.3.1 Prepare New Computer

The following instructions are for preparing a brand new computer system to be built with
disk/volume Acceleration enabled.
 Meet System Requirements

For Acceleration requirements, see section Requirements and Limitations. Ensure that the targeted
system meets all the requirements for Acceleration.
 Determine Type of System Configuration

Although the OEM can configure a system any number of possible configurations, the following are
four of the most common configurations. Config1 will be used in this setup and configuration
example detailed in the next few sections.

1. Config1: OS installed on an Accelerated pass-through disk; RAID Ready system
2. Config2: OS installed on an Accelerated RAID volume (RAID 0, 1, 5, or 10)
3. Config3: OS installed on a non-Accelerated pass-through disk with an Accelerated data disk;
RAID Ready system
4. Config4: OS installed on a non-Accelerated RAID volume with an Accelerated data disk
22.3.2 Setup the HW for Installing the OS to an Accelerated

Disk/Volume
22.3.2.1 Install HDD(s)
1. Select the required HDD(s) needed for the type of system configuration
2. Locate SATA port(s) and attach HDD(s). (Note the port number of the pass-through HDD to be
used for the OS system disk.)
3. Install any other HW peripheral desired for the system configuration (e.g. ODD)
22.3.2.2 Install SSD Meeting Intel® Smart Response Technology

Caching Criteria
1. Select an SSD that has a minimum capacity of 16 GB.

2. Locate a SATA port that is configured as ‘Internal’ and attach the SSD. Note the port number of
the SSD.
22.3.2.3 Configure the SSD to be the “Cache SSD”

This section will step through the process for setting up the SSD and HDD for Config1 where the OS
will be installed on a single pass-through HDD that will be accelerated in Maximized mode.
 If Using RCfgSata
1. Copy the RCfgSata tool from the RST 13.0 release or newer for PCIe SSD cache devices to a
UEFI bootable media (e.g. USB thumb drive) and attach the media device to the targeted new
system (for non-RST PCIe SSD systems the tool also runs in DOS)
2. Boot to the UEFI bootable media (or DOS)
3. Setup the HDD:
At the command line type: rcfgsata /c Sys_Vol /ds 0 (where ‘Sys_Vol’ is the logical name of the
single pass-through disk and ‘0’ is the Internal configured port where the single physical disk is
located)
4. Setup the SSD to be the “Cache SSD”:
At the command line type: rcfgsata /c Cache_Dev /ds 3 (Where ‘Cache_Dev’ is the logical name
representing the “Cache SSD” and ‘3’ is the Internal configured port location of the physical
SSD. (Note: if the SSD is larger than 64GB, the following command will be required: rcfgsata /c
Cache_Dev /ds 3 /s 14.9; where /s is for the size of the caching region in GB (14.9 (1024mb =
1GB) or 16 GB (1000mb = 1GB) is the minimum and 64 GB is maximum supported size)
OR

4a. To configure the SSD with both Cache and User Data regions it must be done in the
following order:
1. User Data region: rcfgsata /c SSD_UserData /ds 3 /s 4 (where 4 is the size of the user data
region of the SSD)
2. Cache region: rcfgsata /c Cache_Dev /ds 3 (this will default to the remaining capacity of the
SSD) (where 64 is max size of 64GB and 16GB is the minimum)
3. Pre-configure the pass-through disk (OS system disk) for Acceleration:
At the command line type: rcfgsata /accel Sys_Vol Cache_Dev max (Where Sys_Vol is the
single disk to be Accelerated, ‘Cache_Dev’ is the “Cache SSD”, and ‘max’ indicates the
Acceleration mode is ‘Maximized’ .
Note: The disk/volume is not actually Accelerated until the system is booted and the
pre-configured Accelerated disk/volume and the pre-configured “Cache SSD” are
enumerated by the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology driver.
5. Reboot; the ‘New System’ is now prepared and ready for Windows OS installation to a pre-
configured Accelerated pass-through disk.
22.3.3 If Using RSTCLI32/64 (compatible with WinPE)

Locate a Widows system that meets all the system requirements for Acceleration; let’s call this the
‘Build System’. (Note: The ‘Build System’ should not have any SSD’s or HDD’s already configured
for Acceleration. If so, remove Acceleration and reset any SSD configured as a “Cache SSD” to an
Available SSD.)
Locate the HDD that will be used as the single pass-through disk that will have the OS installed and
Accelerated on the new system and attach it to an unused SATA port on the ‘Build System’
Locate the SSD that will be used as the “Cache SSD” on the new system and attach it to an
‘Internal’ configured SATA port on the ‘Build System’. (Note: the ‘Build System’ cannot already have
an SSD configured as a “Cache SSD”)
Boot the ‘Build System’ into Windows (login as administrator) and launch a DOS prompt command
line. If not already done so, copy a version of the RSTCLI32/64 application from the RST 11.5
Release or later to a directory on the ‘Build System’.
22.4 At the DOS prompt command line (note that rstcli

and rstcli64 are interchangeable in the below
example).
Accelerate a single pass-through HDD using the --disk-to-accel command:

22.5 Setup the SSD to be the “Cache SSD”:
At the DOS Prompt, type: rstcli –-accelerate –-createCache –-SSD 0-Y-0-0 –-cache-size Z (Where you need to
replace ‘Y’ with the SATA port number on the ‘Build’ system where the SSD is physically located, and replace
‘Z’ with a number representing the capacity in GB of the NVCache volume size with 14.9GB being the
minimum and 64GB being the maximum)
22.6 Accelerate the pass-through disk (this is the disk

planned to be the OS system disk for the ‘New
System’):
At the DOS Prompt, type: rstcli –-accelerate --setAccelConfig --disk-to-accel 0-Z-0-0 --mode maximized (Where
the single pass-through disk is located a SATA port number ‘Z’ and ‘maximized’ represents that it is in
Maximized Acceleration mode.)
Accelerate a multi-disk RAID volume (i.e. RAID1) using --volume-to-accel command:
22.7 Setup the SSD to be the “Cache SSD”:

At the DOS Prompt, type: rstcli –-accelerate –-createCache –-SSD 0-Y-0-0 –-cache-size Z (Where you need to
replace ‘Y’ with the port number on the ‘Build’ system where the SSD is physically located, and replace ‘Z’
with a number representing the capacity in GB of the NVCache volume size with 16GB being the minimum
and 64GB being the maximum)
22.8 Accelerate the RAID volume (this is the RAID

volume planned to be the OS system disk for the
‘New System’):
At the DOS Prompt, type: rstcli –-accelerate --setAccelConfig --volume-to-accel SysVolume --mode enhanced
(Where SysVolume is the logical name of the RAID volume to be accelerated and ‘enhanced’ represents that it
is in Enhanced Acceleration mode.)
Power down the ‘Build System’ and physically remove the “Cache SSD” and the Associated
single pass-through disk that are targeted for the new system. (Note: To remain valid, the
preconfigured “Cache SSD” and Accelerated HDD must be installed as a pair in a system that
has no Accelerated Disk/Volume or “Cache SSD” already installed.)
In the ‘New System’, install the “Cache SSD” and the Associated pass-through disk onto the
desired SATA ports (Note: the SSD must be installed to an Internal SATA port or a remapped
PCIe port).
The ‘New System’ is now prepared for OS installation to an Accelerated single pass-through disk
22.8.1 If Using the Intel® RST UI

This process is similar to using RSTCLI32/64

1. Repeat the steps 1 – 4 from previous section “If Using RSTCLI32/64 (compatible with
WinPE)”
2. Launch the Intel® RST UI
3. Click on the ‘Performance’ tab at the top of the UI and click the Enable acceleration link
a. If multiple SSDs on the build system, select the SSD that will be used in the ‘New
System’
b. Select the size to be allocated on the SSD for cache memory; options are:
i. 16 GB – minimum required
ii. Full disk capacity (up to 64 GB)
iii. Custom
c. Select the HDD to be accelerated that will be used in the ‘New System’
d. Select the mode of Acceleration and click [OK]
4. Power down the ‘Build System’. Remove the “Cache SSD” and the Associated single pass-
through disk that are targeted for the ‘New System’.
5. On the ‘New System’, install them into the desired SATA ports (Note: the SSD must be installed
to an Internal SATA port or a remapped PCIe port ).
6. The ‘New System’ is now prepared for OS installation to an Accelerated single pass-through disk.
7. Skip the next section and go to section for OS installation instructions.
22.8.1.1 Install HDD(s)
1. Select the required HDD(s) needed for the type of system configuration
2. Locate SATA port(s) and attach HDD(s). (Note the port number of the pass-through HDD to be
used for the OS system disk.)
22.9 Installing the OS to a New System Prepared for

Disk/Volume Acceleration
To install the OS to a disk/volume previously configured for Acceleration, the RST driver installation
files will be required. Download the f6 zipped archive file (from the RST 10.5 Release or later kit)
and extract the files to a media that can be accessed during OS installation (e.g. USB thumb drive).
22.9.1 For Acceleration Components Pre-configured Via RCfgSata

(DOS or UEFI Shell)
If the Accelerated disk and the Cache SSD” were prepared using the RCfgSata utility then all that
should be required is to boot the system to the Windows OS installation media located in the ATAPI
ODD.

22.9.2 For Acceleration Components Pre-configured Via RSTCLI
32/64 (OS)
1. If not done already, locate the desired SATA port(s) of the ‘New System’ and install the
disk/volume to be Accelerated that was previously configured on the ‘Build System’.
2. Locate the desired Internal configured SATA port of the ‘New System’ and install the SSD that
was previously configured on the ‘Build System’
22.9.2.1 OS Installation
1. Boot to the Windows OS installation media (ensure that the media with the RST driver, e.g. USB
thumb drive, is not installed in the system during boot)
2. When prompted to load driver, insert the RST driver installation media and click the Load Driver
link.
3. Load the RST driver for your computer system
4. The disk/volume with Acceleration enabled, should now be available in the list of storage drives.
5. Select the Acceleration enabled disk/volume and continue with the normal OS installation
procedure from this point.
Once the installation is complete nothing else is required to enable Acceleration. Acceleration
should be enabled on the disk/volume that was configured via the RCfgSata/RSTCLI 32/64 tool or
RST UI.
22.10 OEM System Manufacturing and Intel® SRT

Note: This section requires that the computer system’s Intel® SATA AHCI/RAID controller be set to
RAID mode via the system BIOS. This applies to the ‘Build System’ when using RSTCLI 32/64. In
the example below, RSTCLI is used but can be interchangeable with RSTCLI64
Note: The following procedures are for setting up a single disk (RAID mode pass-through disk) in
Acceleration mode with an OS image pre-configured and installed. OEMs need only move and install
the imaged Accelerated disk along with its Associated “Cache SSD” as a pair to a properly configured
computer system. The system will boot up with the Acceleration mode enabled.
22.10.1 Imaging an OS onto a Pre-Configured Acceleration-

enabled HDD
Note: This section allows the OEM to pre-configure an HDD/SSD Accelerated pair and image the OS
onto that Accelerated HDD. The HDD and SSD pair can then be removed from the manufacturing
system and assembled together in the final system to be shipped to the end-user.
Note: The HDD and SSD must remain together at all times as an Accelerated pair.

 What You Need (Build Environment)
1. Computer platform (call it the ‘Build System’) that supports Intel® Smart Response Technology
2. HDD (targeted for Acceleration and OS image) and SSD (targeted for “Cache SSD”)
3. Media with bootable WinPE environment (USB thumb drive, ODD, etc) that has:
a) Intel® RST driver (compatible with RAID OROM on ‘Build Platform’); driver must be loaded
during WinPE boot or loaded using the drvload command.
b) RSTCLI/RSTCLI64 executable
c) The OS image
 Bring up the Build Environment

1. Attach SSD to an Internal SATA port on the ‘Build System’
2. Attach the HDD to a SATA port on the ‘Build System’
3. Boot into WinPE with Intel® RST driver, RSTCLI/RSTCLI64, and OS image
4. If the Intel® RST driver is not loaded, load the driver
 Pre-Configured the SSD/HDD for Acceleration

1. Prepare the SSD to be the “Cache SSD”: at the command prompt/> type rstcli –-accelerate –
-createCache –-SSD 0-Y-0-0 –-cache-size Z (where Y represents the port location of the
targeted SSD, Z is the size of the Cache Volume)
2. Enable Acceleration on the single HDD: at command prompt/> type rstcli –-accelerate --
setAccelConfig --disk-to-accel 0-Z-0-0 --mode maximized (where Z = the SATA port
location of the HDD to be Accelerated)
 Complete the Pre-Configuration Process

1. Use your imaging program (e.g. Ghost) to transfer the OS image to the Accelerated HDD that
you just setup in the steps above (Note: the OS image must have Acceleration enabled; select
one of the methods in one of the sub-sections of 17.2 to setup your master OS image with
Acceleration enabled)
2. Once the imaging process has completed, the Accelerated pair (HDD + SSD) can be moved to a
supported platform to build a fresh new system with Intel® Smart Response Technology
already pre-configured
3. This completes the process
22.10.2 Enabling Acceleration post end user OOBE

OEM’s may wish to enable acceleration of a system preconfigured for Intel® Smart Response
Technology as the last step of the customer OOBE. This process allows the OEM to make minimal
changes to their manufacturing environment. All the OEM would have to do is:

1. Setup the system for Acceleration of the OS system disk
a. Make sure that along with the HDD for the system disk, that an SSD is installed in the
system
b. System must meet chipset and CPU requirements for Intel® Smart Response
Technology
c. System BIOS is properly configured with the Intel® RST RAID OROM and the SATA
controller set to RAID mode
d. Image the HDD with Intel® RST RAID driver installed
2. Sysprep the system for OOBE
3. Once system boots for first time after OOBE automatically run a script in the background to
enable Acceleration of the system disk; see an example batch file in the next bullet:
 Step 1: Setup the system for Acceleration of the OS Disk
 Prepare system HW
1. At least one HDD (for the OS image) and one SSD (for the cache device; must be installed
to an Internal configured SATA port)
2. Ensure that system BIOS has a properly integrated Intel® RST OROM that supports Intel®
Smart Response Technology. Set the SATA controller to RAID mode via the system BIOS
 Transfer OS Image the HDD
1. Prepare the final master OS image with Intel® RST RAID driver (the OS image system must
have been built on a system with the RAID mode set in the BIOS so that the Intel® RST
RAID driver is the installed storage driver)
2. Transfer the RST RAID-enabled master OS image to the HDD in the new system (use
whatever is current OEM process, e.g. Ghost)
 Step 2: System preparation for OOBE

OEM should run their normal process to prepare the system for the end-user’s initial boot-up
and login of the system (OOBE).
 Step 3: Auto-run a script to enable Acceleration of the OS disk

Acceleration script for post OOBE using the RSTCLI 32/64
1. Because the RSTCLI 32/64 utilities are not supported in the end-user environment, the
script should delete the utility upon completion or the utility shall be located on the
computer in a location that is not accessible to the end user
2. Once the system boots for first time after OOBE, automatically run a script in the
background to enable Acceleration of the system disk; see an example batch file in the next
bullet:

3. Accel_SysDisk.bat (for example this batch file with the following commands included in it
will create a Cache Volume with capacity of 24GB, then Accelerate the system disk in
Maximized mode; Note that the command parameters are case sensitive):
rstcli --accelerate --createCache --SSD 0-1-0-0 --cache-size 24
rstcli --accelerate --setAccelConfig --disk-to-accel 0-0-0-0 --mode maximized
exit
EOF
The first command line prepares the SSD on port 1 as the cache device; 0-1-0-0 = the SATA
port location of the SSD, and 24 = the size of the cache volume on the SSD.
The second command line accelerates the system disk on port 0 (0-0-0-0) in Maximized
mode using the SSD on port 1 (0-1-0-0) as the cache device;
Once the script using the 2 bolded command lines above completes, the system should be in
Maximized Acceleration mode.
22.11 OEM System Manufacturing and Cache Pre-load

for Intel® SRT
The cache pre-load feature was developed to help OEMs mass produce systems configured with
Intel® Smart Response Technology enabled with a cache that is out-of-the-box in a near optimal
performance state.
The Intel® Smart Response Technology caching solution is a learning solution. This means that
when the cache is initially enabled, there is little to no data being cached. This initially results in
many cache misses causing the host to have to access the HDD for I/O requests. However, over
time, the caching policies of Intel® SRT places data in the cache that is accessed often. So after
some time the cache will be loaded with often used data giving the system its optimal or maximum
performance configuration.
The problem with this is that when a new system is first used by an end user, the system will have
no data cached and thus the performance gains expected of the cache will be small. Depending on
use, it could take days of use before the end user starts seeing the expected performance as the
cache learns what data should be stored in the cache.
To overcome this initial poor performance gain is to ship the system in the box with the cache
already loaded with user data. This could be accomplished in one of two ways. The OEM could
configure the system then spend weeks using the system so that it learns what data to load into the
cache, or the OEM could preload data into the cache that is likely to be used immediately by the end
user.
The following sections dictate the process that the Intel® SRT solution uses to pre-load the cache to
be shipped in the box ready for an optimal OOBE performance-wise. It will detail the steps for
setting up a system with an Accelerated single pass-through disk with a pre-loaded cache.
22.11.1 Requirements
1. Must meet all Intel® Smart Response Technology requirements

2. Intel® RST 11.1 production release or later (includes 11.1 driver and 11.1 OROM)
3. Optional: The NVCacheScripts.zip file from the RST SW kit on VIP
22.11.2 Process
The NV cache loading process is a three stage process (assuming that SRT caching has already been
enabled in Enhanced mode):
1. Setup system for Cache loading: Modify the SRT default Caching policy via the Registry and
reboot.
2. Start and complete the NV cache content loading.
3. Return the system to the SRT default Caching policy and cleanup (remove files and shutdown)
22.11.2.1 Setup System for Cache Loading

The following steps are assuming the use of the cache loading scripts provided with the Intel® RST
SW kit.
1. Configure an Accelerated system in Enhanced mode and install the OS and desired applications
that will be shipped on this system
2. Download NvCacheScripts archive (.zip) and RAID configuration utility (RSTCLI.exe) from Intel
VIP site (use same kit as the Intel® RST driver and OROM/UEFI driver that will be shipping on
the systems)
3. If not already exist, create the C:\Intel directory on the system disk
a. Copy the NvCacheScripts.zip file to this directory.
4. Unzip the archive (open it and select to extract it to the default directory which should be
C:\Intel\NvCacheScripts\). The following files should be extracted into the directory:
 cache_cleanup.reg
 cache_insert.reg
 Readme.txt
 step1_RegistrySetup.bat
 step2_LoadNVCache.bat
a. Copy RSTCLI.exe into the directory
5. Open a command prompt window (needs to be run as administrator in Windows 8) and change
directories to C:\Intel\NvCacheScripts\
6. Run the script step1_registrysetup.bat (this will change the caching policy for cache loading
then reboot the system for the new policy to take effect)
Note: this script needs to be edited or replaced to fit your specific requirements and
system configuration
7. Once the system reboots, it is ready for loading of the cache

*Rapid Start/Dynamic Cache Sharing feature support removed for Broadwell and Skylake mobile
Platforms and newer
22.11.2.2 Cache Loading and Cleanup

1. Run the script step2_LoadNVCache.bat, this will:
a. Copy selected files to the cache
b. Change Acceleration mode if required
c. Cleanup the registry to return to the default SRT caching policy
d. Cleanup the cache loading directory and reboot the system
2. The system now is ready to be shipped with the cache loaded for optimal performance out of the
box
22.11.2.3 Scripting Examples for RSTCLI/RSTCLI64

These are just example scripts provided by Intel® RST. The scripts should be edited to meet
specific OEM manufacturing requirements.
The following scripts assume the following system conditions:
1. The OEM has already configured the system in Enhanced Acceleration mode
2. The system HDD is located on SATA port 0 (0-0-0-0)
3. The SSD/mSATA is located on SATA port 1 (0-1-0-0)
4. The CLI tool, the scripts, and registry editor files are located in directory
C:\Intel\NvCacheScripts\
step1_RegistrySetup.bat
REM ************************************************
REM * PART 1: *
REM ************************************************
REM Edit the registry to set the system up for Nv Cache content
REM insertion and Startup Menu. This step in the script will
REM automatically call the cache_insert.reg file to update the registry.
REM ************************************************
regedit /s C:\Intel\NvCacheScripts\cache_insert.reg
REM ************************************************
REM * PART 2: *
REM ************************************************
REM ************************************************
REM This step will reboot the system for the cache insert policy
REM change to take effect and will automatically start the cache
REM loading script to begin copying data to the cache.
REM ************************************************

shutdown -f -r -c "Rebooting for SRT NV Cache loading"
EOF
cache_insert.reg
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorA\Parameters\Device]
"NvCachePolicy"=dword:0
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"Rstcli"="C:\\Intel\\NvCacheScripts\\step2_LoadNvCache.bat"
step2_LoadNvCache.bat
REM ************************************************
REM This section is used for content that needs to
REM have the longest eviction path as possible.
REM This will put the content into the BOOT LRU.
REM
REM Begin loading user application data into NV cache.
REM Make sure the drive selected is Accelerated i.e.
REM "C:\".
REM ************************************************
C:\Intel\NvCacheScripts\rstcli.exe --accelerate --loadCache
C:\windows\system32\winevt\logs\*.evtx
REM ************************************************
REM To make sure the content in the BOOT LRU doesn't
REM get evicted, a time delay can be used.
REM This is only needed if the user content is >1.7GB
REM and can be loaded in less than 60s.
REM The time can be "fine-tuned" to adjust for a
REM particular system. Below is the max to ensure
REM BOOT LRU content doesn't get evicted.
REM ************************************************
timeout 60
REM ************************************************
REM Finish loading content from the Accelerated disk into NV cache.
REM
REM ************************************************
"C:\Program Files" --recurse

"C:\Program Files (x86)" --recurse

C:\ProgramData --recurse

C:\Windows --recurse
REM ************************************************
REM Switch the Accelerated disk/volume to Maximized mode.
REM ************************************************

C:\Intel\NvCacheScripts\rstcli.exe --accelerate --setAccelConfig
--disk-to-accel 0-0-0-0 --mode maximized
REM ************************************************
REM Clean up the registry and shutdown to return the caching
REM policy to the default runtime configuration.
REM ************************************************
Regedit /s C:\Intel\NvCacheScripts\cache_cleanup.reg
shutdown -f -r -c "NV Cache loading complete"
EOF
Note: ‘C:\ProgramData’ directory is a hidden directory
cache_cleanup.reg
"NvCachePolicy"=-
"Rstcli"=-
EOF
Note: These are just examples that demonstrate the process. They can be edited by
each OEM for their specific requirement or can be used as a guideline to create OEM-
specific scripts.
22.11.3 Replicating the Accelerated HDD and SSD for Mass

Production
Now that system has pre-loaded the cache, the OEM can consider the images on the HDD and SSD
to be the gold images for that Accelerated system. These disks can now be mass produced
(replicated) and paired into systems and the HDD and SSD will be ‘Associated’ by the Intel® RST
OROM/UEFI Driver upon first boot up as an accelerated pair.
22.11.3.1 Rules and Limitations

The disk image replication process should not itself cause data to be loaded into the cache. This
could cause the cache to become full and evict cached data from the gold cache image. To prevent
this, the OEM must employ an image copy tool that only uses “block copying” and not “file copying”.
Once the disks are duplicated they can be paired at a later time and installed in systems on the
manufacturing line. Any SSD and any HDD can be paired because the Intel® RST OROM/UEFI
Driver will fix the metadata on both the SSD and the HDD the very first time they are booted
together after the replication process.

23 Intel® Smart Response
Technology Hybrid Drive
Accelerator
¥Note:This feature is supported only on Premium SKUs and is supported in both RAID and
AHCI mode.
Intel® Smart Response Technology for Hybrid Drives is an Intel® RST caching-related feature that
improves computer system performance and lowers power consumption for systems running on
battery power. SSHDs integrate NAND flash with traditional hard drive storage. SSHDs allow OEMs
to configure computer systems with the NAND portion used as cache memory between the hard
drive portion of the SSHD and . This provides the advantage of having a hard disk drive for
maximum storage capacity while delivering an SSD-like overall system performance experience.
£Note: This feature is only supported on designated SKUs (see Section 21.1.2).
23.1 Overview
23.1.1 Driver/OROM updates to support Hybrid Hints

Accelerated systems:
o Updating a production version of the driver to a newer production version of the driver
requires a production version of the 12.5 or later OROM (Note: the system will be limited
to the features available to the OROM that is installed on the system)
o Updating the OROM to a newer version requires that the driver version be updated to a driver
version from the same release package of the OROM or newer.
Table 21-1: Example of driver/OROM compatibility
OROM Version
Driver Version 12.0.0 PV 12.5.0 PV 13.0.0PV 13.1.0PV
12.0.0 PV X X X X
12.5.0 PV X O X X
13.0.0 PV X S O X
13.1.0PV X S S O
 X = this configuration is not supported
 O = this configuration is supported and is optimal for the driver and OROM
 S = this configuration is supported; however, it is limited to the features of the driver that was
originally released with that OROM version. E.g. if the 11.0.0 PV driver is installed/updated to a
system running the 10.5.0 PV, the system will be limited to the features of the 10.5.0 OROM.
Any new features associated with the 11.0.0 PV release will not be enabled with this
configuration.

23.1.2 Requirements and Limitations
Architectural Limitations:
5MB unallocated disk space required at the max LBA of the disk*
*see “Requirements and Limitations” under Dual Drive Configuration for details.System
Requirements:
Intel® Smart Response Technology Hybrid Accelerator is enabled when all of the following
conditions are met:
 The system has one of the following Intel® Processors installed:
- Intel® Core™ Branded (i3, i5, and i7 processor families)

- Intel® Xeon® Processor Family
 The system is one of the following SKUs:

o Intel® 9 Series Chipset SATA RAID/AHCI Controller:
 Broadwell LP U/Y: Premium
 Desktop: Z97, H97
 Mobile: HM97
 Mobile: QM87, HM86, HM87
 Desktop: Q87, Z87, H87
 WS/Server: C226
 Lynx Point LP: “Mainstream” and “Premium I/O”
o The system is running on one of the supported Operating Systems for this release.
SSHD Requirements:
Beginning with the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology 13.0 driver release version, for the SSHD to
meet the Intel® Smart Response Technology ”Cache SSD” criteria, it must have the following:
 8 GB (1GB = 1000MB) minimum non-volatile cache capacity.**
 1TB maximum non-volatile cache capacity.
 SSHD needs to report Hybrid Hinting support capability (via ATA Identify command return data
Word 78 bit 9 =1)

**Spin-down suppression associated with the PUIS feature is not validated on NV cache sizes of 8GB
or less.
Feature Limitations of Intel® Smart Response Technology Hybrid Acceleration:
 On systems in RAID mode, support for this feature is limited to pass-thru disks (not members
of an array).
 Intel® RST configuration utilities do not support reporting the enablement of this feature. The
Intel® RST UI will support reporting if feature is enabled.
23.2 Dynamic Cache Sharing Between SRT and Rapid

Start
Note: Starting with RST13.2 release, Dynamic cache sharing with Rapid Start Technology will not be
supported for Broadwell Mobile and Skylake Platforms.
When implementing both Intel® Rapid Start and Intel® Smart Response Technology with RST13.0
release or later, the Rapid Start partition is dynamically created. The size of the partition
dynamically created is dependent on the size of the cache portion of the SSHD and the DRAM on the
system:
- For SSHD NV Cache Size of < 18.6GB, The RST driver will dynamically reserve space for the
Rapid Start Feature in the Cache Volume equivalent to the size of the DRAM on the system up
to 4GB.**
- For SSHD NV Cache Size of > 18.6GB, The RST driver will dynamically reserve space for the
Rapid Start Feature in the Cache Volume equivalent to the size of the DRAM on the system up
to 8GB.
The assumption is that the OEM/user has properly met all the requirements for Intel® Rapid Start
Technology. There are NO instructions in this document for configuring the platform for
Intel® Rapid Start Technology. For detailed configuration and setup requirements for Intel®
Rapid Start Technology please contact your Intel representative for assistance.
23.3 Build a New System with Hybrid Drive

Acceleration Enabled
Note: There is no ability to enable Acceleration. As long as the system meets the criteria for SSHD
support, Hybrid Drive acceleration is enabled automatically.
23.3.1 Prepare New Computer

The following instructions are for preparing a brand new computer system to be built with Hybrid
Drive Acceleration enabled.

23.3.1.1 Meet System Requirements
For Acceleration requirements, see section Requirements and Limitations. Ensure that the targeted
system meets all the requirements for Acceleration.
23.3.1.2 Install SSHD(s)
1. Select an SSHD that has a minimum NV cache capacity of between 4GB and 1TB.
2. Locate SATA port(s) and attach SSHD(s). (Note the port number of the pass-through SSHD to
be used for the OS system disk.)
23.3.1.3 Installing the OS to a New System Prepared for Disk/Volume

Acceleration
To install the OS to a disk/volume previously configured for Acceleration, the RST driver installation
files will be required. Download the f6 zipped archive file (from the RST 12.5 Release or later kit)
and extract the files to a media that can be accessed during OS installation (e.g. USB thumb drive).
23.3.1.4 OS Installation
1. Boot to the Windows OS installation media (ensure that the media with the RST driver, e.g. USB
thumb drive, is not installed in the system during boot)
2. When prompted to load driver, insert the RST driver installation media and click the Load Driver
link.
3. Load the RST driver for your computer system
4. The disk with Hybrid Drive Acceleration enabled, should now be available in the list of storage
drives.
5. Select the Hybrid Accelerated enabled disk and continue with the normal OS installation
procedure from this point.
Once the installation is complete nothing else is required to enable Acceleration. Acceleration should
be enabled on the disk.
23.4 OEM System Manufacturing and Cache Pre-load

for Intel® SRT
The cache pre-load feature was developed to help OEMs mass produce systems configured with
Intel® Smart Response Technology enabled with a cache that is out-of-the-box in a near optimal
performance state.
The Intel® Smart Response Technology caching solution is a learning solution. This means that
when the cache is initially enabled, there is little to no data being cached. This initially results in
many cache misses causing the host to have to access the spindle portion of the SSHD for I/O
requests. However, over time, the caching policies of Intel® SRT place data in the cache that is
accessed often. So after some time the cache will be loaded with often used data giving the system
its optimal or maximum performance configuration.

The problem with this is that when a new system is first used by an end user, the system will have
no data cached and thus the performance gains expected of the cache will be small. Depending on
use, it could take days of use before the end user starts seeing the expected performance as the
cache learns what data should be stored in the cache.
To overcome this initial poor performance gain is to ship the system in the box with the cache
already loaded with user data. This could be accomplished in one of two ways. The OEM could
configure the system then spend weeks using the system so that it learns what data to load into the
cache, or the OEM could preload data into the cache that is likely to be used immediately by the end
user.
The following sections dictate the process that the Intel® SRT solution uses to pre-load the cache to
be shipped in the box ready for an optimal OOBE performance-wise. It will detail the steps for
setting up a system with a Hybrid Accelerated pass-through disk with a pre-loaded cache.
23.4.1 Requirements
1. Must meet all Intel® Smart Response Technology requirements for Hybrid Drive Acceleration.
2. Intel® RST 12.5 production release or later (If in RAID mode, this requires the 12.5 or newer
OROM)
3. The RSTCLI Pre-warming tool and scripts located in the SW kit on VIP
- rstcli64.exe
- SshdScripts.zip
23.4.2 Process
The SSHD cache loading process is a two stage process:
1. Registry and RST driver set-up, reboot.
2. NV cache content loading, cleanup, and shutdown.
23.4.3 Setup System for Cache Loading

The following steps are assuming the use of the cache loading scripts provided with the Intel® RST
SW kit.
1. Install the OS and desired applications that will be shipped on this system
2. If Intel® Rapid Start Technology is to be used, install and configure it now*
3. Download SshdScripts archive (.zip) and RAID configuration utility (RSTCLI.exe) from Intel
VIP site (use same kit as the Intel® RST driver and OROM/UEFI driver that will be shipping
on the systems)
4. If not already existing, create the C:\Intel directory on the system disk
a. Copy the SshdScripts.zip file to this directory.

5. Unzip the archive (open it and select to extract it to the default directory which should be
C:\Intel\SshdScripts\). The following files should be extracted into the directory:
 cache_cleanup.reg
 cache_insert.reg
 Readme.txt
 step1_RegistrySetup.bat
 step2_LoadSshdCache.bat
a. Copy RSTCLI.exe into the directory
6. Open a command prompt window (needs to be run as administrator in Windows 8) and

change directories to C:\Intel\SshdScripts\
7. Run the script step1_registrysetup.bat (this will change the caching policy for cache
loading then reboot the system for the new policy to take effect)
Note: this script needs to be edited or replaced to fit your specific requirements
and system configuration
8. Once the system reboots, it is ready for loading of the cache
*Rapid Start/Dynamic Cache Sharing feature support removed for Broadwell Mobile and
Skylake Platforms and newer
23.4.3.1 Cache Loading and Cleanup

3. Run the script step2_LoadSshdCache.bat, this will:
a. Copy selected files to the cache.
b. Cleanup the registry.
c. Cleanup the cache loading directory and reboot the system.
4. The system now is ready to be shipped with the cache loaded for optimal performance out of the
box
23.4.3.2 Scripting Examples for RSTCLI/RSTCLI64

These are just example scripts provided by Intel® RST. The scripts should be edited to meet
specific OEM manufacturing requirements.
The following scripts assume the following system conditions:
5. The OEM has already configured the system in Enhanced Acceleration mode
6. The system SSHD is located on a SATA port
7. The CLI tool, the scripts, and registry editor files are located in directory
C:\Intel\SshdScripts\

step1_RegistrySetup.bat
REM ************************************************
REM * PART 1: *
REM ************************************************
REM Edit the registry to set the system up for Nv Cache content
REM insertion and Startup Menu. This step in the script will
REM automatically call the cache_insert.reg file to update the registry.
REM ************************************************
regedit /s C:\Intel\SshdScripts\cache_insert.reg
REM ************************************************
REM * PART 2: *
REM ************************************************
REM ************************************************
REM This step will reboot the system for the cache insert policy
REM change to take effect and will automatically start the cache
REM loading script to begin copying data to the cache.
REM ************************************************
shutdown -f -r -c "Rebooting for SSHD Cache loading"
EOF
cache_insert.reg
"NvCachePolicy"=dword:0
"Rstcli"="C:\\Intel\\SshdScripts\\step2_LoadSshdCache.bat"
step2_LoadSshdCache.bat
REM ************************************************
REM This section is used for content that needs to
REM have the longest eviction path as possible.
REM This will put the content into the BOOT LRU.
REM
REM Begin loading AOAC content into cache.
REM "C:\".
REM ************************************************
C:\Intel\SshdScripts\rstcli.exe --accelerate --loadCache C:\windows\system32\winevt\logs\*.evtx
REM ************************************************
REM To make sure the content in the BOOT LRU doesn't
REM get evicted, a time delay can be used.
REM This is only needed if the user content is >1.7GB
REM and can be loaded in less than 60s.
REM The time can be "fine-tuned" to adjust for a
REM particular system. Below is the max to ensure
REM BOOT LRU content doesn't get evicted.
REM ************************************************
timeout 60
REM ************************************************

REM Finish loading content into cache.
REM ************************************************
C:\Intel\SshdScripts\rstcli.exe --accelerate --loadCache "C:\Program Files" --recurse
C:\Intel\SshdScripts\rstcli.exe --accelerate --loadCache "C:\Program Files (x86)" --recurse
C:\Intel\SshdScripts\rstcli.exe --accelerate --loadCache C:\ProgramData --recurse
C:\Intel\SshdScripts\rstcli.exe --accelerate --loadCache C:\Windows --recurse
REM ************************************************
REM Clean up the registry and shutdown
REM ************************************************
regedit C:\Intel\SshdScripts\cache_cleanup.reg
shutdown -f -r -c "SSHD Cache loading complete"

EOF
Note: ‘C:\ProgramData’ directory is a hidden directory
cache_cleanup.reg
"NvCachePolicy"=-
"Rstcli"=-
EOF
Note: These are just examples that demonstrate the process. They can be edited by each
OEM for their specific requirement or can be used as a guideline to create OEM-specific
scripts.

24 ATA Power-Up in Standby
(PUIS) Supporting Intel®
Smart Connect Technology‡
Note: Enablement of this feature is dependent upon the Intel® Smart Connect Technology
(Intel® SCT) feature being enable on the platform. If it is not supported and enabled on
the platform, then it will not be supported by Intel® RST.
This feature is supported in RAID mode for SRT Dual Drive configurations, and both RAID and AHCI
mode for SSHDs when Hybrid Drive Acceleration is enabled.
The Intel® Smart Connect Technology‡ Version 4.1.2308 or later feature must be enabled (for
information on installation, configuration, and usage of this feature, please refer to its
documentation CDI/IBP document # 482930 or contact your Intel® Smart Connect Technology
representative).
ATA PUIS for SRT Dual Drive requires:

 that the SATA controller be set to RAID mode via the system BIOS (there is no support in
AHCI mode)
 that the OS be installed to a PUIS compatible HDD
 that Intel® Smart Response Technology be enabled and in Maximized mode
ATA PUIS for SSHD feature requires:

 that the OS be installed to a PUIS compatible SSHD
 that the SSHD must be installed on a platform that supports Intel® Smart Response
Technology for Hybrid Drive Acceleration.
The Intel® Smart Connect Technology (Intel® SCT) is a feature of the platform in which the software
on the platform and combination of NIC (LAN/WLAN/WWAN) features provides content updates
during periods when the user is away from the PC and the PC is in a power saving mode. In
addition, if the system has the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology driver installed with the Intel ®
Smart Response Technology caching feature enabled in Maximized mode and the pass-through HDD
supports the PUIS feature of the ATA specification, then there is an additional power savings benefit
during the periods of content update. The PUIS feature allows the HDD to stay in a powered-down
state (the drive does not spin-up) during the periods of content update.
‡The Intel® Smart Connect Technology feature is not a part of the Intel® RST SW suite.
Contact your Intel field representative for more details regarding this feature.
£Note:This feature is only supported on the designated RAID-enabled SKUs of the chipsets for SRT
Dual Drive.

24.1.1 Overview
24.1.1.1 System Requirements

For a system to support ATA Power-Up in Standby (PUIS) for HDDs and SSHDs with Intel® Smart
Connect Technology it must:
 Include one of the RAID enabled SKUs for Dual Drive SRT configurations
OR
 Include one of the SKUs for SRT Hybrid Drive Acceleration on SSHDs.
 Meet the Intel® Smart Connect Technology system requirements (refer to CDI/IBP document #
482930 for all requirements)
 For Dual Drive Configurations
o Have the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology driver and OROM installed.
o 11.0 or newer production versions of each.
 For SSHD Configurations
o 12.5 or newer
o NV Cache Capacity of >=8GB and <=1TB.
 Meet the Intel® Smart Response Technology system requirements
24.1.1.2 Feature Limitations of ATA Power-Up in Standby (PUIS) for

HDDs with Intel® Smart Connect Technology
 OS must be installed to a bootable HDD or SSHD (the targeted PUIS volume) (Systems
configured with only SSDs are not supported)
 Intel® Smart Response Technology Dual Drive Configurations must be enabled in Maximized
mode
o All supported Operating Systems for this release.
24.1.2 Theory of Operation
24.1.2.1 External Dependencies Required for Activation

This feature enhancement to the Intel® RST driver has two main external dependencies:
1. The presence of the Intel® Smart Connect Technology Agent to initiate activation of the feature
in the driver (if no Agent present, the feature remains inactive)
2. OS installed on a PUIS compatible* HDD or SSHD (once the Agent communicates with the driver
to activate the feature, the RST driver checks for the presence of required HW configuration
before activating the feature)
*Note: Only HDDs that DO NOT require a jumper to emulate the feature are supported.

24.1.2.2 Activation Process
Step 1: Communication is established between Intel® Smart Connect
Technology Agent and the Intel® RST driver where the Agent
informs the driver to enable PUIS support for HDDs during Agent
triggered power state changes
Step 2: Intel® RST driver checks for the following and if all are present,
enables PUIS support per the Agent’s request:
 OS system disk (boot volume) is a single pass-through hard
disk drive (HDD or SSHD) AND
 The HDD/SSHD supports the ATA PUIS feature (jumpered
drives are not supported) AND
 The Dual drive configuration system disk is Accelerated in
Maximized mode AND
 The HDD/SSHD is Writeable
If all of these are true, then the feature enhancement is active in

the Intel® RST driver.
24.1.2.3 PUIS Feature Enable Override
Registry key A Windows registry key is provided to disable the PUIS feature
When the key is present and set to ‘1’, the RST driver does the
following:
 Disable the PUIS feature on all enumerated HDDs that
support the PUIS feature
 Enumerate all HDDs as non-PUIS HDDs
 Return an ‘Invalid’ status to the Intel® SCT Agent
 Thereafter have no special handling related to the PUIS
feature
Sub Value Type Default Description
Key
This key will determine whether or not

the PUIS feature is actively disabled on
N/A DisablePuis dword 0 the system. The feature will be enabled if
there no key or the key is set to a value
of ‘0’. Default value will be enabled (0).
[KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parameters\]
"DisablePuis"=dword(0, 1)
24.1.2.4 SSHD+Smart Connect Agent AOACTime out value

Registry key A Windows registry key is provided to get around issues where
the driver may be busy when the smart connect agent request
the timer to be extended, which might result in a disk spin-up.
To work around this scenario and get the Smart Connect
functionality when using a SSHD, 60 sec is recommended
instead of the default value as in the table.
Sub Value Type Default Description

Key
0XA;
N/A AoacTimeout dword Change to 0x3C(h) for SSHD
[KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parameters\
Device]
" AoacTimeout"=dword(0x3c(h)(or) 0xA(d))
24.1.2.5 Performance
HDD Spin-up During the period when the Intel® Smart Connect Technology
Frequency Agent cycles the system to the S0-ISCT power state to synch the
application data, the Intel® RST driver is expected to keep the
PUIS HDD in the ATA Power Standby Mode approximately 90% of
the synch cycles.
£Note:This feature is only supported on the designated RAID-enabled SKUs of the chipsets for SRT
Dual Drive.

Technology UI
NOTE: The Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UI is not required to be installed when the
storage subsystem is operating in AHCI mode. The main benefit of the Intel® RST UI is in
its management and monitoring of the Intel® RST RAID storage subsystem.
25.1 Introduction
The Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UI is a Windows*-based application that provides users
monitoring and management capabilities for the Intel® RST storage subsystem. It offers a wide
range of monitoring and management activities for the Intel® RST RAID subsystem (In AHCI
mode there are no management or monitoring capabilities offered by the UI application).
25.1.1 Getting Started

The Intel® Rapid Storage Technology software package provides high-performance SATA AHCI and
SATA RAID capabilities for supported operating systems.
The Intel® Rapid Storage Technology(RST) UI requires the Microsoft .NET 4.5 framework beginning
with Intel® RST 13.0 release. For prior releases, the RST UI connects and interoperates with the
Microsoft .NET 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 framework.

Refer to the System Requirements and the online user's manual to set up your system's
configuration and feature support level. You can also review the Readme file installed with this
software or visit Intel's online support to learn more about the full system requirements and RAID
BIOS configuration.
RAID enabled systems
Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) refers to multiple independent disks combined to
form one logical drive. The main objective of this technology is to improve storage system
performance, data protection, and increase fault-tolerance.
This technology provides support for the following features:
· Intel® Rapid Recover Technology

This technology provides full data redundancy by copying data from a designated source
drive (i.e., master disk) to a designated destination drive (i.e., recovery disk). Data
updates of recovery volumes can be continuous or on request.
· Intel® Rapid Storage Technology RAID
This technology provides the ability to create RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10
volumes on desktop and mobile platforms. Data is distributed across two or more disks
to provide data redundancy (exception of RAID0) or to enhance data storage
performance.
· Intel® Matrix RAID Technology
This technology allows two independent RAID volumes to be created on a single array.
The first volume occupies part of the array, leaving space for the second volume. The
array may consist of two to six SATA disks depending on the volume types.
· Hot plug
Also referred to as hot swap, this feature allows SATA disks to be removed or inserted
while the computer is turned on and the operating system is running. As an example,
hot plugging may be used to replace a failed external disk.
· Intel® Smart Response Technology caching
This feature allows you to use a non-system solid state disk and configure it as a non-
volatile intelligent cache device in order to accelerate a disk or volume that is part of the
storage system. This configuration helps improve the overall system performance.
· Volume migration
This feature provides support for converting system data into a high-performance or
protection RAID configuration.
· Volume size increase
This feature allows you to increase the data storage capacity of a volume by using 100%
of the available array space or by adding one or more SATA disk to an existing volume.
· Password-protected disks
This feature provides high-level security and protection for the data on your disks with a
password, denying access from any unauthorized user.
Additional features and technology supported by the driver although not directly
accessible via the Intel® RST UI:
· TRIM
This feature provides support for all solid state disks (SSDs) in your storage system that
meet the ATA-8 protocol requirements and are not part of an array. This feature
optimizes write operations, helps devices reduce wear, and maintains unused storage
area on devices as large as possible.
Beginning with the Intel® 7 Series chipset the driver supports TRIM on SSDs in a RAID
0 configuration.

· ODD power optimization
This feature allows an unused optical disk drive (ODD) to be automatically powered off
when media such as a compact disk, a DVD, or Blu-ray disk are not present in the drive
and the tray** is closed. The ODD is powered back on by the operating system or user
interaction with the device, including when the eject button is pressed. ODD power
optimization is particularly valuable for mobile computers as battery life is negatively
affected when the ODD is powered on and in an idle state. This feature is only supported
on the following system configurations: Intel® 6 Series Chipset or later, compatible
motherboards, and compatible ODDs. For more information about compatibility
requirements, refer to the SATA specifications available at www.sata-io.org
**For slot-loadable drives, the tray condition does not apply.
· Native command queuing
A feature that allows SATA disks to accept more than one command at a time. When
used in conjunction with one or more disks that support NCQ, storage performance is
increased on random workloads by allowing the disk to internally optimize the order of
commands.
· Hybrid Hinting
This feature supports the use of Solid-State Hybrid Drives (SSHD). SSHD’s are hard
disks that contain Flash memory for use as a cache to store frequently accessed data.
The driver provides hints to the SSHD to notify the drive which data would be best to
store in the data cache.
Disks of more than two terabytes
This feature provides support for hard disks and solid state disks with a capacity greater
than 2 TB that are reported as pass-through devices (available) or used in a RAID
configuration. In addition, booting from a system disk greater than 2 TB is allowed as
long as the version of the option ROM in your system supports this feature.
Note: If a source disk is greater than 2TB and using the MBR partitioning scheme, the
application will not allow data preservation in order to create a volume. Instead, a
new volume will be created with no partition on it. Also, if the operating system is
Windows* XP, capacity expansion operations will not be allowed for volume sizes
equal or greater than 2TB.
AHCI-enabled systems
Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) is an interface specification that automatically allows the
storage driver to enable advanced SATA features, such as Native Command Queuing and Native Hot
Plug, on the SATA disks connected to your computer. The following features are supported on AHCI-
enabled systems:
· Native command queuing
· Hot plug
· Disks of more than two terabytes (if that size is supported by the RST UEFI pre-OS
driver or legacy OptionROM)
· Password-protected disks
· ODD power optimization (Microsoft Windows Vista* and higher)
· Dynamic Storage Acceleration
· Hybrid Hinting

25.1.2 Understanding the Application
The Intel® Rapid Storage Technology application allows you to optimize and maintain a healthy
storage system by creating volumes, customizing performance settings and managing storage
system elements. This section provides you with a general overview of a storage system
configuration and an individual review of all the areas contained in this application.
25.1.2.1 Storage System Configuration

The storage system combines hardware capabilities with RAID technology to provide flexible data
storage units on your computer. Each data storage unit, or RAID configuration, consists of three
elements that include physical SATA disks, one or two volumes, and one array. When at least one
volume is present on the system, these elements are represented in the storage system view of the
Status and Manage areas.
In this section, we describe each of these RAID configuration elements and explain how they relate
to each other.
· Array
An array is a collection of two or more SATA disks in a RAID configuration and is the highest
element in the hierarchy of a storage system. Once a volume is created, the disks you used
to create that volume form an array. Refer to the Creating Additional Volumes topic for
details on how you can create two volumes across the same disks. An array can include one
or two RAID volumes if the hardware allows it.
· Volume
A volume is the storage area on two or more disks whose type dictates the configuration of
the data stored. If you created a volume for data protection, then your storage system may
include a RAID 1 volume spanning two SATA disks, which mirrors data on each disk.
· Disks
A disk (i.e., hard disk or hard disk drive) physically stores data and allows read/write data
access. If a disk is used to create a volume, it becomes an array disk because it has been
grouped with other disks to form an array.
The storage system can also include ATAPI devices, which cannot be used to create a volume. They
are a mass storage device with a parallel interface, such as CD-ROM, DVD/Blu-ray disc, or tape
drive.
25.1.2.2 Navigation
The application is organized into five main areas depicted by the top navigation buttons: Status,
Create, Manage, Accelerate, and Preferences. Depending on your computer's configuration and
available hardware, Create and Accelerate may not be available.
Status
The 'Status' area provides a general state of health of your storage system. If a status other than
normal is reported, the Manage sub-section will be available to provide you with basic information
and actions links necessary to return the status to normal.
Create
The 'Create' area allows you to create different types of volumes to protect data, enhance disk
performance, optimize disk capacity, or create a custom volume to combine benefits.
Note

The ‘Create’ area is only available if your computer supports RAID technology, and if the volume
requirements are met. Refer to the Volume Requirements topic for an exhaustive list of storage
system conditions to create a volume.
Manage
The 'Manage' area combines the logical and physical view of your storage system. The area displays
detailed information about each element that is part of the storage system, such as volumes and
disks; the storage system view shows how the selected element relates to others. Each element has
its own 'Manage' area which is accessible by clicking any element displayed in the storage system
view under 'Status' or 'Manage'.
The 'Manage' area also provides the actions available for the selected element, such as renaming a
volume or changing the volume type.
Accelerate
The ‘Accelerate’ area allows you to manage the cache memory configuration using a non-system
solid state disk as a cache device. If the cache is reported in an abnormal state, detailed information
and troubleshooting actions will display. The Acceleration View is specific to the ‘Accelerate’ area and
only displays in this location.
Preferences
The 'Preferences' area allows you to customize system settings by enabling the display of the
notification area icon, and by selecting the type of notifications that you want the application to
display.
Storage System View

The storage system view has two functions:
- It is a simplified representation of your storage system and displays graphic elements, such
as arrays, volumes, devices, and ports. Each element provides general attribute information, such
as status, name and size. Hovering over each element provides additional attribute details.
- You can also use the graphical view to access 'Manage' by clicking the storage system
element you want to work with. For example, if an array is present, clicking the volume opens
Manage Volume and clicking one of the array disks will open Manage Disk for the selected disk.
Acceleration View
The Acceleration View is a graphical representation of the acceleration configuration, and only
displays the devices (disks and volumes) included in this particular configuration. You can use this
view to access the ‘Manage’ page specific to each represented device by clicking the storage system
element for which you want more detailed information.
25.1.3 Notification Area

The notification area (also called the system tray) is located on your desktop. The taskbar contains
the notification area icon for Intel® Rapid Storage Technology. The icon provides storage system
status and notifications such as volume and disk events based on a change of state.

The notification area icon will automatically display in the notification area once Intel Rapid Storage
Technology is installed. Both administrators and standard users can change the notification area
settings using the application or directly from the notification area. Settings changes are applied on
a per user basis, and do not affect other users’ settings.
Opening the application from the notification area
1. Right-click the icon.

2. Click 'Open Application'.
The notification area icon can be in the following states:

Icon Description
The storage system is reported in a normal state and your data is protected
from a disk failure.
The storage system is reported in a warning state and data may be at risk. We
recommend that you open the application to review and resolve the reported
issues.
The storage system is reported in an error state and data may be lost. We
recommend that you open the application to review and resolve the reported
issues as soon as possible.
The storage system is reported in a busy state while an operation is in progress.

Once the operation is complete, all actions will be available again, allowing you to
manage the storage system as long as it is reported in a normal state. You can
follow the progress of the operation by hovering over the icon.
This icon is displayed while you are attempting to open the application, but the
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology service has not started running yet. The
service is expected to start automatically with a delay when you launch Windows.
This icon appears if you attempt to launch the application before the delay period
ends. If the application fails to open, try starting the service manually using
Microsoft Windows* Services.
Selecting system notifications
1. Right-click the icon.

2. Select the types of notifications you want to receive. The notification area menu allows you
to select or deselect one option at a time. Repeat this procedure until you are finished with
your selection. The same operation can also be completed using the application, from the
‘Preferences’ area.
Note
To hide the notification area icon, deselect ‘Show the notification area icon’ under ‘System
Preferences’.
Reviewing notifications
· Hover over the icon at any time to view the storage system status or the progression of an
operation.
· Small pop-up windows will display for a short time to notify you of specific events, such as a
missing disk or the completion of an operation.
· Open the application to view more details about storage system events in the 'Status' or
'Manage' areas.

25.2 Storage System Status
Anytime Intel® Rapid Storage Technology is launched, the application opens to the 'Status' area. This is where
the general state of health of your storage system is reported, both in the storage system view and in details.
Depending on the status, volume creation and management options may be available in order to enhance or
repair your storage system.
25.2.1 Understanding the Status

To get the full benefits of what Intel® Rapid Storage Technology has to offer, it is critical to maintain a healthy
storage system. The application helps you track and reports any disk or volume related problems that could put
the safekeeping of your data at risk.
The storage system can be in the following states:
Normal
Reports that the system is functioning as expected, SATA disks are present and connected to the computer. If
an array is present, volume data is fully accessible.
The Create subsection is only available if the storage system meets the minimum requirements to create a
volume. Depending on the available hardware, you may be given the option to create a volume to protect data,
optimize the disk performance, or create a custom volume.
The Manage subsection is only available if the storage system reports atypical conditions in a normal state.
Typically, details or a recommended action are provided to help you rectify any storage system conditions. For
example, if a recovery volume was reported as read-only, we would inform you that disk files must be hidden
prior to requesting updates.
The Accelerate subsection is only available if a solid state disk can be used as a cache device and an eligible
disk or volume can be accelerated. This area typically provides the option to enable acceleration and reports the
cache and accelerated device health state, as well as the current acceleration mode.
Warning
Reports that storage system data may be at risk due to a problem detected on one or more SATA disks.
The Manage subsection displays any SATA disk or volume states reported by the storage system that may
require your attention in order to keep data fully protected and accessible. Details or a recommended action are
provided to help you fix any storage system problems. For example, if the master disk in a recovery volume is
reported as failed, we would recommend that you rebuild the volume to another disk.
Note
In this state, we recommend that you backup any accessible data before taking action
In this state, the Accelerate subsection typically reports that the cache volume is failing possibly because
the solid state disk is reported at risk of failing (smart event). Details and a recommended action are provided to
help you fix the problem reported on the solid state disk.
Error
Reports that storage system data may be lost due to a problem detected on one or more SATA disks.
The Manage subsection displays any SATA disk or volume states reported by the storage system that
require your immediate attention in order to keep data fully protected and accessible. Details or a recommended
action are provided to help you fix any storage system problems. For example, if the data on a RAID 1 volume
appears inaccessible due to a failed array disk, we would recommend that you rebuild the volume to another
disk.
Note
In this state, we recommend that you backup any accessible data before taking action

In this state, the Accelerate subsection typically reports that the cache volume has failed possibly because
the solid state disk has also failed and there is data loss. Details and a recommended action are provided to help
you fix the problem reported on the solid state disk.
25.2.2 Storage System View

The storage system view provides a visual representation of your storage system and displays
arrays, volumes, devices, and ports. Volumes and SATA disks graphics reflect their current states,
which allows you to quickly identify the element that is causing the storage system to be in a state
other than normal.
Note:
Hovering over a designated element in the storage system view provides a snapshot of its properties.
Clicking allows you to access and manage its properties.
Overview of SATA disks states

State Description Recommendation
An internal hard disk is reported normal. None
An external hard disk is reported normal. None
An internal solid state disk is reported as None
normal.
An external solid state disk is reported as None
normal.
An internal solid-state hybrid disk reported None
as normal.
An internal disk is reported missing. Ensure that the disk is securely connected to
the SATA port and that the SATA cable is
functioning properly. Refer to the
Troubleshooting section for more information.
An internal disk is reported at risk or Back up your data and replace the disks as
Incompatible. soon as possible. Refer to the
Troubleshooting section for more information.
An external hard disk is reported at risk or Back up your data and refer to the
incompatible. Troubleshooting section for more information.
An internal solid state disk is reported as Back up your data and refer to the
being at risk or incompatible. Troubleshooting section for more information.
An external solid state disk is reported at Back up your data and refer to the
risk or incompatible. Troubleshooting section for more information.
An internal disk is reported offline. Unlock all array disks to unlock the volume.
Refer to the Troubleshooting section for more
information.
An internal recovery disk is reported offline.  The recovery volume is in on request

update mode. Change the volume
update mode to continuous, if desired.
Or,
 Your computer is running on battery and
data updates to the recovery disk are

not available. Reconnect your computer
to the power supply.
An external disk is reported offline. Unlock all array disks to unlock the volume.
Refer to the Troubleshooting section for more
information.
An external recovery disk is reported offline.  The recovery volume is in on request

update mode. Change the volume
update mode to continuous, if desired.
Or,
 Your computer is running on battery and
data updates to the recovery disk are
not available. Reconnect your computer
to the power supply.
An internal disk is reported normal and Unlock the disk to access more options.
locked.
An external disk is reported normal and Unlock the disk to access more options.
locked.
An internal hard disk is reported failed. Refer to the Troubleshooting section for more
information.
An external hard disk is reported failed. Refer to the Troubleshooting section for more
information.
An internal solid state disk is reported as Refer to the Troubleshooting section for more
failed. information.
An external solid state disk is reported as Refer to the Troubleshooting section for more
failed. information.
Volume states
Volume type Normal Degraded Failed
Refer to Troubleshooting Refer to Troubleshooting Failed
Degraded Volumes and Volumes and Caching Issues for
Caching Issues for more more information.
information.
RAID 0 Not applicable
Single-disk (cache)
Single-disk (data) Not applicable
RAID 1/Recovery
RAID 5
RAID 10
Other storage system elements

Element Description Recommendation
A port that has no devices connected to it. None
An ATAPI device is present, such as CD- None

ROM, DVD/Blu-ray disc, or tape drive.

25.3 Creating a Volume
You can combine SATA disks to create a volume in order to enhance your storage system. Based on
the available hardware and your computer's configuration, you may be able to create a volume by
selecting an enhancement goal, such as ‘Protect data’ under ‘Status’, or by selecting a volume type
under ‘Create’. We recommend you get familiar with the minimum requirements in this section
before starting the volume creation process.
Warning
Performing this action will permanently delete any existing data on the disks used to create a
volume, unless you choose to keep the data when selecting array disks. Backup all valuable data
before starting this process.
25.3.1 Volume Requirements

Creating a volume is only available as an option if the following requirements are met:
 You are logged on as an administrator.
 The computer is RAID ready (refer to the user’s manual available on Intel's online
support web site, for assistance on setting up a RAID ready system).
 Two or more SATA disks, including the operating system disk are connected, in a normal
state, and unlocked (only applies to password-protected disks).
 Each of the SATA disks that are to be part of the RAID volume may not have any SMART
events.
Enabling more disks

When configuring a volume, the application will only list the SATA disks that meet the requirements
listed below. For example, a locked disk connected to your computer will not be listed as an option
until it is unlocked.
Based on the first disk selected, some disks may become grayed out if one or more requirements
are not met. Selecting a different disk generally helps re-enable disks that were previously grayed
out.
 If the first selection is a system disk, any additional SATA disks selected must be of
equal or greater size to ensure that all the system files are migrated to the new volume.
 If the first selection is a non-system disk, and a system disk is then selected, the latter
must be of equal or smaller size to ensure that all the system files are migrated to the
new volume.
 A system volume cannot be greater than 2 TB. If your first selection is a system disk,
the total size of the other disks shall not allow the volume size to exceed 2 TB.
Exception: If you are creating a volume using disks that have no existing data, and your
operating system is a 64-bit Edition, the application will allow a volume to be greater
than 2TB.
 The SATA disks used to create a volume must have the same type of connection,
internal or external. An internal disk shall not be paired with an external disk to create a
volume. Some systems will support mixed connection types.
Enabling more volume types
Depending on the input/output (I/O) controller hub that your computer is using and the hardware
connected to the system, some volume types may not be enabled in the selection list. Refer to the
Readme file located in the Program Files directory for this application or to the Device Manager to

determine which controller is installed on your computer. Review the controller support table below
to determine which volume types you can create.
Note
Intel® 5 Series Chipset applies to both desktop and mobile platforms as well as all later chipsets.
Volume type Number of disks Controller support

Recovery volume 2 ICH9R, ICH9DH, ICH9DO, ICH9M, ICH9M-E, ICH10R, ICH10D,
ICH10DO, 5 Series/3400 Series.
Note
No other volumes can be present on the system. The master disk must include
100% of the available disk space and must be less than 1.3125 TB
RAID 0 2 ICH7R, ICH7DH, ICH7MDH, ICH7M, ICH9R, ICH9DH, ICH9DO, ICH9M,

ICH9M-E, ICH10R, ICH10D, ICH10DO, 5 Series/3400 Series.
RAID 0 3 or 4 ICH7R, ICH7DH, ICH9R, ICH9DH, ICH9DO, ICH10R, ICH10D, ICH10DO,

5 Series/3400 Series
.
RAID 0 5 or 6 ICH9R, ICH9DH, ICH9DO, ICH10R, ICH10D, ICH10DO, 5 Series/3400
Series.
RAID 1 2 ICH7R, ICH7DH, ICH7MDH, ICH7M, ICH9R, ICH9DH, ICH9DO, ICH9M,

ICH9M-E, ICH10R, ICH10D, ICH10DO, 5 Series/3400 Series.
RAID 5 3 or 4 ICH7R, ICH7DH, ICH9R, ICH9DH, ICH9DO, ICH10R, ICH10D, ICH10DO,

5 Series/3400 Series.
RAID 5 5 or 6 ICH9R, ICH9DH, ICH9DO, ICH10R, ICH10D, ICH10DO, 5 Series/3400

Series.
RAID 10 4 ICH7R, ICH7DH, ICH9R, ICH9DH, ICH9DO, ICH10R, ICH10D, ICH10DO,

5 Series/3400 Series.
25.3.2 Creation Process

Now that you have reviewed the volume requirements, this section will guide you through the three
easy steps necessary to create a volume.
25.3.2.1 Selecting a Volume Type

Before you can create a volume, you need to decide how you want to enhance your storage system
based on your needs. Depending on the available hardware, you may have the option to combine
volume types by creating more than one volume on a single array. Refer to 'Creating Additional
Volumes' for more information on this type of configuration. Below is an overview of the five volume
types that you can create.
Creating a two-disk volume from ‘Status’

This option displays if only two disks are available, one has data such as system files, the second
one doesn't, and the latter has a size that is equal or greater than the other. Based on this simple
configuration, you can create a volume to protect data or optimize disk performance by clicking one
of the two options listed in the Create subsection. When choosing this option, the application
automatically configures the volume using the only two disks available and assigns default settings.
Refer to the applicable procedure described in Completing the Process for details.

Creating a custom volume
1. Click ‘Create’ or 'Create a custom volume' under 'Status'.
2. Select the volume type. Selecting a volume type in the list updates the graphical
representation to provide a detailed description of that type.
3. Click ‘Next’.
Recovery volume: Flexible data protection

Combines two SATA disks and utilizes RAID 1 functionality to copy
data from a designated master disk to a designated recovery disk. Data
updates on the volume can be continuous or on request. In ‘on request’
mode, you can request data updates that copy changes from the master
disk to the recovery disk since the last update. No other volumes can be
present on the system. The master disk must include 100% of the
available disk space and must be less than 1.3125 TB.
Disks required 2
Advantage Full data redundancy; more control over how data is copied between master
and recovery disks; fast volume updates in on request mode; master and
recovery disk files can be viewed in Windows Explorer*.
Disadvantage Storage capacity is only as large as the smallest disk.
Application Critical data protection for mobile systems; fast restoration of the master disk
to a previous or default state. Available in specific mobile configurations.
RAID 1: Real-time data protection

Combines two SATA disks where each stores an exact copy of the data
to appear as a mirror of each other.
Disks required 2
Advantage Full data redundancy and excellent fault-tolerance; increased read transfer rate.
Disadvantage Storage capacity is only as large as the smallest disk; slight decrease in write
transfer rate.
Application Typically used in workstations and servers to store critical data. Available in
specific mobile configurations.
RAID 0: Optimized disk performance

Combines two to six SATA disks and breaks down data into units that are
spread across the array disks.
Disks required 2 to 6
Advantage Increased data access and storage performance; no loss in data capacity
Disadvantage No data redundancy (if one disk fails, all data on the volume is lost).
Application Typically used in desktops and workstations to store high performance,

temporary data and software. Various RAID 0 volume configurations available
in specific mobile configurations.

RAID 5: Efficient data hosting and protection
Combines three to six SATA disks where data and parity are striped across
the array disks in a rotating sequence. Parity is a mathematical method for
recreating lost data to a single disk.
Disks required 3 to 6
Advantage Data redundancy; improved storage performance and capacity; high fault-
tolerance and read performance.
Disadvantage Time-consuming to rebuild and decreased performance during the process.
Application Good choice for large amounts of critical data, such as file and application
servers; Internet and Intranet servers. Available in mobile configurations that
include the Intel® 5 Series Chipset which supports up to six SATA ports.
RAID 10 : Balanced performance and data protection

Combines four SATA disks to create a combination of RAID types 1+0.
The data is striped across a two-disk array forming a RAID 0 component.
Each disk in the RAID 0 array is mirrored by a disk in the RAID 1 array,
storing an exact copy of all the data.
Disks required 4
Advantage Combines the read performance of RAID 0 with the fault-tolerance of RAID 1,
resulting in increased data access and full data redundancy, and increased
storage capacity.
Disadvantage 4 disks are required, resulting in increased cost.
Application High performance applications and high load database servers requiring data
protection, such as video editing. Available in mobile configurations that
include the Intel® 5 Series Chipset which supports up to six SATA ports.
25.3.2.2 Configuring the Volume
Once the volume type is selected, you are ready to configure your volume.
Recovery volume
1. Type a new volume name if you want to change the default name.
2. Select the master disk.
3. Select the recovery disk.
4. Select a different update mode, if desired.
5. Click ‘Next’. This button will not be active until all the required selections have been made.
Advanced configuration settings:

 Enable or disable the volume write-back cache.

 Select the check box to initialize the volume. You can choose to perform this action at a later
time.
RAID Volume
1. Type a new volume name if you want to change the default name.
2. Select the required number of disks.
3. Select the disk from which you want to keep data, if desired. You can only keep data from one
disk. If you want to keep data from more than one disk, you must back up all valuable data
prior to creating a volume.
4. Click ‘Next’. This button will not be active until all the required selections have been made.
Advanced configuration settings:

 Select the array allocation by using the slider.
 Select a data strip size.
 Enable or disable the volume write-back cache.
 Select the check box to initialize the volume. You can choose to perform this action
at a later time.
Note
Currently, the application does not allow the creation of greater than 2TB volumes where the source
disk is greater than 2TB and data on that disk is preserved (e.g. system volume). Target disks can
be greater than 2TB but such volumes cannot. This limitation results from the lack of GPT partition
scheme support. Note that volumes greater than 2TB that include member disks greater than 2TB
are supported as long as array disks are unpartitioned or that no data is preserved at volume
creation.
25.3.2.3 Completing the Process

If you are creating a custom volume, and have configured the volume with the disk selection and
other settings, you are ready to review the projected configuration and complete the volume
creation process.
If you are creating a two-disk volume for data protection or disk optimization from 'Status', you can
follow the procedure provided below.
Creating a two-disk volume from ‘Status’

1. Under ‘Status’, in the Create sub-section, select the type of volume you want to create.
2. In the ‘Confirm Volume Creation’ dialog, review the volume configuration. Note that the volume
name is the only setting that can be changed.
3. Click ‘Create Volume’ to confirm. The process starts immediately.
4. Once completed, a dialog displays to notify you that the volume was successfully created. Click
‘OK’ to close the dialog.
5. The page refreshes and displays the new volume in the storage system view as well as the data
migration progress.
Creating a custom volume
Warning
You can only keep existing data from one of the disks you select to create a volume. We
recommend that you backup all valuable data before proceeding.
If you perform a driver upgrade or downgrade while the data migration is in progress and then
restart your computer, the driver will not be able to recognize the volume or the data on it. If you

are migrating a system volume, you will not be able to restart your system because the operating
system cannot load. If you are migrating a data volume, you will have to reverse (roll back) that
last performed driver update, and then restart the computer to return to a normal state.
1. Under 'Confirm', review the selected configuration.

2. Click ‘Create Volume’ if you want to create the volume using the selected configuration.
Otherwise, click ‘Back’ and make any necessary changes. The process starts immediately.
3. Click 'OK' to confirm.
4. Once completed, a dialog displays to notify you that the volume was successfully created. Click
‘OK’ to close the dialog.
5. The ‘Status’ area displays the new volume in the storage system view as well as the data
migration progress.
If the size of the new volume is larger than the size of the source drive, the following steps apply:
6. Once the migration status reports 100% complete, restart your computer for the operating
system to recognize the new volume size.
7. Create a new partition or extend the existing partition to utilize the new volume space using
Windows Disk Management*. If your system is running Microsoft XP*, you may only have the
option to create a new partition.
Note
To open Windows Disk Manager, click Start, right click My Computer, select Manage, then in the
console tree select Disk Management.
25.3.3 Creating Additional Volumes
Creating multiple volumes on a single array
You can add a volume to an existing RAID array by creating another volume that uses the available
space on the array. This feature allows you to combine different volume types and their respective
benefits. For example, a configuration with RAID 0 and RAID 1 on two SATA disks provides better
data protection than a single RAID 0 and higher performance than a single RAID 1.
The first RAID volume occupies part of the array, leaving space for the other volume to be created.
After creating the first volume with an array allocation set to less than 100% in the Configure
Volume step, you will be able to add a second volume to that array.
Note
The configuration is only available if the array allocation for the first volume created is less than
100%, and space is available on that array. The application currently supports an array to include a
maximum of two RAID volumes.

4. Select 'Yes' to add the volume to an existing array.
5. Make any necessary changes in the Advanced section.
7. Review the selected configuration. Click 'Back' or an option in the left pane if you want to
make changes.
8. Click 'Finish' to start the creation process.

Supported RAID volume combinations on a single array:
Combine With
2-disk RAID 1
2-disk RAID 1
3-disk RAID 5
3-disk RAID 5
4-disk RAID 5
4-disk RAID 10
4-disk RAID 5
4-disk RAID 10
4-disk RAID 5
4-disk RAID 10
5-disk RAID 5
6-disk RAID 5
Visit our Online Support for additional information on RAID type combinations for each I/O controller
hub.
Creating additional volumes on a new array
You can choose to create two or more volumes on two different arrays, as long as the volume
requirements are met.
4. Select 'No' in order to add a volume to a new array.
5. Select the required number of disks.
6. Select the disk from which you want to keep data, if desired. You can only keep data from
one disk. If you want to keep data from more than one disk, you must back up all valuable
data prior to creating a volume.
7. Make any necessary changes in the Advanced section.
8. Review the selected configuration. Click 'Back' or an option in the left pane if you want to
make changes.
10. Click 'Finish' to start the creation process.
Note: Systems with an RST OROM older than 9.5, will not recognize 2 volumes on a single array if
the RST Windows Driver version is 9.5 and newer.

25.4 Managing the Storage System
The 'Manage' area combines the logical and physical view of your storage system. The area displays
detailed information about each element that is part of the storage system, such as volumes and
disks; the storage system view shows how the selected element relates to others. Each element has
its own 'Manage' area which is accessible by clicking any element displayed in the storage system
view under 'Status' or 'Manage'.
The 'Manage' area also provides the actions available for the selected element, such as renaming a
volume or changing the volume type.
25.4.1 Managing Arrays

You must be logged on as an administrator to perform the actions listed in this section.
You can manage arrays by clicking a selected array in the storage system view under 'Status' or
'Manage'. This allows you to review the properties and access all actions associated with that array,
such as adding a disk or increasing a volume size.
25.4.1.1 Array Properties

An array is a logical grouping of physical SATA disks. The array properties listed below display to the left of the
storage system view under Manage Array and report values specific to the element selected in the view.
Parameter Value
Name Reports the name of the array. The array name is automatically assigned and
cannot be changed.
Size Reports the total capacity of the array in megabytes (MB).
Available space Reports the unallocated space on the array that can be used.
Disk data cache Reports whether the data cache is enabled for all array disks.
25.4.1.2 Adding a Disk to an Array

You can add one or more SATA disks to an existing array to increase the system storage capacity.
This feature can be useful if you want to change to a volume type that requires additional disks.
This option is only available if:

 A RAID 0 and/or a RAID 5 volume is present,
 One or more SATA disks are connected to the computer and available,
 The available disk matches the internal or external connection type of the existing array disks.
You cannot add an external disk to an array that includes internal disks, and vice versa.
Refer to Connecting a Disk under Managing Disks for more information on installing SATA disks on
your computer.
Warning
Any existing data on the available disk used to increase the array size will be permanently deleted.
Backup all the data you want to preserve prior to executing this action.

This action can also be performed from Manage Volume. Refer to the Adding a Disk to a Volume
section for more information.
1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the array to which you want to
add a disk. The element properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Add disk'.
3. Select the disk you want to use to increase the array capacity.
4. Click 'Add Disk'. Caution: Once the data migration starts, the operation cannot be canceled.
5. Once the migration has completed, restart your computer for changes to take effect. Then
use Windows Disk Management* to increase the partition size on the volumes for which a
disk was added, or add another partition.
Note
console tree select Disk Management
25.4.1.3 Adding a Volume

You can add a volume to an existing RAID array by combining different volume types and their
respective benefits. For example, a configuration with RAID 0 and RAID 1 on two SATA disks
provides better data protection than a single RAID 0 and higher performance than a single RAID 1.
The first RAID volume occupies part of the array, leaving space for the other volume to be created.
After creating the first volume with an array allocation set to less than 100% in the Configure
Volume step, you will be able to add a second volume to that array.
Note
This configuration is only available if the array allocation for the first volume is less than 100%, and
space is available on that array. The application currently supports an array to include a maximum
of two RAID volumes on a single array.
You can also complete this action using the ‘Create’ area.
1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the array to which you want to
add a volume. The array properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Create additional volume'.
3. In the 'Create Additional Volume' dialog, type a new name if you want to change the default
name.
4. Select the volume type, and then click 'OK'. Only the volume types available for the
current configuration will display. Refer to the table below for more information.
5. The page refreshes and the array now displays the additional volume.
Supported RAID volume combinations on a single array:

Combine With
2-disk RAID 1
2-disk RAID 1
3-disk RAID 5

3-disk RAID 5
4-disk RAID 5
4-disk RAID 10
4-disk RAID 5
4-disk RAID 10
4-disk RAID 5
4-disk RAID 10
5-disk RAID 5
6-disk RAID 5
Visit our Online Support for additional information on RAID type combinations for each I/O
controller hub.
25.4.1.4 Increasing Volume Size

You can increase the size of a RAID volume by using the remaining available space on the array. A
minimum of 32 MB must be available for this action to be available. Hovering over the array name in
the storage system view displays the amount of available space in MB.
After creating a volume with an array allocation set to less than 100% in the Configure Volume step,
you will be able to increase the volume size by the amount of available space on that array. If two
volumes are present on a single array and capacity expansion is possible, only the space available at
the end of the second volume will be used to increase the volume size.
 A RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and/or RAID 10 volume is present,

 The array allocation for the volume is less than 100% and space is available on the
existing array.
Warning
Increasing the volume size from Manage Array

1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the array you want to manage.
The array properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Increase size' next to the volume name. If more than one volume is present on a
single array, you will need to increase the size of each volume one at a time.
3. Click 'Yes' to confirm. Caution: Once the data migration starts, the operation cannot be
canceled.

4. Once the migration has completed, restart your computer for changes to take effect. Then
use Windows Disk Management* to increase the partition size on the volumes, or add
another partition.
Increasing the volume size from Manage Volume

1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the volume whose size you want to
increase. The volume properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Increase size'.
3. Click 'Yes' to confirm. Caution: Once the data migration starts, the operation cannot be canceled.
4. Once the migration has completed, restart your computer for changes to take effect. Then use Windows
Disk Management* to increase the partition size on the volumes, or add another partition.
Note
25.4.1.5 Enabling Disk Data Cache

Enabling the disk data cache for all SATA disks on the array allows you to enable cache memory
physically present on the disks and use it to speed up data access. This action is only available from
Manage Array because the data cache must be in the same state across all disks that are part of a
single array.
Under Manage Array, the disk data cache is reported as enabled or disabled for all SATA disks in the
array. Under Manage Disk, the disk data cache is reported as enabled or disabled for a specific disk
that is part of that array. The option to change this setting is only available from Manage Array.
Warning
Enabling the disk data cache increases the cache size and the amount of cached data that could be
lost in the event of a power failure. The risk can be decreased if your computer is connected to an
uninterruptable power supply (UPS).
1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the array you want to manage.
The element properties are now displayed on the left.
2. In the Advanced section, click 'Enable' or 'Disable' depending on the option available.
3. Click 'Yes' to confirm.
4. The page refreshes and now displays the new setting.
25.4.2 Managing Volumes
You can manage existing volumes by clicking a volume in the storage system view under 'Status' or
'Manage'. This allows you to review the volume properties and access all actions associated with that
volume, such as renaming, changing type, and deleting.

25.4.2.1 Volume Properties
A volume is an area of storage on one or more SATA disks used within a RAID array. A volume is
formatted by using a file system and has a drive letter assigned to it. The volume properties listed
below display to the left of the storage system view under 'Manage' and report values specific to the
element selected in the view.
RAID volume status table

Status Description
Normal Indicates that volume data is fully accessible.
Locked Indicates that at least one array disk is locked with a password. The volume is visible
because at least one other array disk is unlocked. Refer to Unlocking Password-
Protected Disks for instructions on unlocking disks.
Degraded Indicates that one array disk is missing or has failed. A RAID 0 volume cannot be in
this state because of the striping configuration.
Failed  RAID 0 volume: indicates that one or more array disks are missing or have
failed.
 RAID 1 volume: indicates that both array disks are missing or have failed.
 RAID 5 or 10 volume: indicates that two or more array disks are missing or
have failed.
Incompatible Indicates that the volume was moved to another system that does not support the
volume type and configuration.
Inaccessible Indicates that data on the accelerated volume cannot be accessed because it is missing,
or that the accelerated volume data is not synchronized with the data on the cache
volume.
Unknown Indicates that an unknown error was detected.
Recovery volume status table

Status Description
Normal Indicates that volume data is fully accessible.
Locked Indicates that at least one array disk is locked with a password. The volume is visible
because at least one other array disk is unlocked. Refer to Unlocking Password-
Protected Disks for instructions on unlocking disks.
Degraded  The recovery disk has failed, or

 The master disk is missing or has failed and the volume is running off the
recovery disk.
Failed Indicates that both array disks have failed.
Incompatible Indicates that the volume was moved to another system that does not support the
volume type and configuration.
Unknown Indicates that an unknown error was detected.
Power-saving mode Indicates that the computer is running on battery power. If the volume is in continuous
update mode, data updates are paused and will resume as soon as the computer is
reconnected to the power supply.
Data update needed Indicates that the recovery disk does not have a redundant copy of the data on the
master disk, and you should request an update.
Running off recovery disk Indicates that the recovery disk is the designated source drive in the volume.

Master disk read-only Indicates that the recovery disk is the designated source drive in the volume, and that
the master disk files are accessed. In this state, data recoveries from the recovery disk
are not available.
Recovery disk read-only Indicates that the recovery disk files are accessed. In this state, data updates are not
available.
Busy volume states table

Status Description
Initializing Indicates that data on a volume is being synchronized. This step is required prior to
verifying or verifying and repairing data on a volume.
Verifying Indicates that the volume is being scanned to detect data inconsistencies.
Verifying and repairing Indicates that the volume is being scanned to detect data inconsistencies, and errors
are being repaired. This state does not apply to a RAID 0 volume because errors
cannot be repaired.
Migrating data Indicates that data is being reorganized on the volume. This state displays when a
system volume is created, the volume size is increased, or the type is changed to
different RAID configuration.
Rebuilding Indicates that data redundancy is being restored across all disks associated with the
volume. A RAID 0 volume cannot be in this state because of the striping
configuration.
Recovering data Indicates that data on the master disk is being overridden by all the data on the
recovery disk. This state only applies to recovery volumes.
Updating data Indicates that the latest master disk changes are being copied to the recovery disk.
This state only applies to recovery volumes.
General parameters table

Parameter Value
Details Provides detailed information if a volume is in a state other than normal.
Type Reports the volume type.
Acceleration mode Reports the acceleration mode for the disk or volume associated with the cache
Size device.
Enhanced: Indicates that the disk or volume is accelerated for optimized data
protection.
Maximized: Indicates that the disk or volume is accelerated for optimized input/output
performance.
None: Indicates that no disk or volume is accelerated.

Busy: Indicates that acceleration is transitioning from maximized to enhanced mode,
or that acceleration is being disabled from maximized mode. In the event that errors
are detected and a risk of data loss is identified, transitions from maximized mode will
start automatically.
Reports the total capacity of the volume in gigabytes (GB) in the storage system view
and in megabytes (MB) in the volume properties under Manage Volume.
Data stripe size Reports the size of each logical contiguous data block used in the volume for RAID 0,
5, and 10 volumes. The strip size is indicated in kilobytes (KB).
Write-back cache Reports whether the write-back cache feature is enabled for the volume.

System volume Reports whether the volume contains system files that are required to start and run the
operating system.
Initialized Reports whether the volume is initialized.
Verification errors found Reports the number of inconsistencies found during the last volume data verification.
Block with media errors Reports the number of blocks with media errors found during the last volume data
verification.
Physical sector size Reports the size of each sector that is physically located on the disk.
Logical sector size Reports the size of data collection blocks.
Details Provides detailed information if a volume is in a state other than normal.
25.4.2.2 Renaming a Volume
You can change the name assigned to a volume present in your storage system at any time. The
name change will take effect immediately.
1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the volume that you want to
rename. The volume properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Rename'.
3. Type a new volume name, and then click 'OK'.
Note
Volume names are limited to 16 English alphanumeric and special characters including spaces, but
cannot include a backslash “\”.
25.4.2.3 Rebuilding a Volume
When a volume is reported as degraded because of a failed or missing disk, the disk must be
replaced or reconnected and the volume be rebuilt in order to maintain fault-tolerance. The option to
rebuild is only available when a compatible disk is connected, available and normal. If a spare disk is
available, the rebuild process will start automatically when a disk fails or is missing. For RAID 0
volumes, the rebuild process will start automatically only when one of its members is reported as at
risk.
Warning
Completing this action will permanently delete existing data on the new disk and make any other
volume on the array inaccessible. We recommend you backup valuable before continuing.
Rebuilding from ‘Status’ (manually)

1. Verify that the volume is reported as degraded in the Manage subsection. If you have
more than one volume listed in this section, you will need to fix the issues reported one
at a time.
2. Click ‘Rebuild to another disk’ next to the volume you want to rebuild.
3. In the Rebuild Volume dialog, select the disk that will replace the failed disk. Only
compatible disks in a normal state will be displayed. Refer to Volume Requirements for
more information.
4. Click ‘OK’ to confirm.

5. The volume starts rebuilding and the page refreshes displaying the progress of the
operation. You can use other applications during this time and you will be notified when
the process has successfully completed.
Rebuilding from ‘Manage’ (manually)

1. Under ‘Status’ or ‘Manage’, in the storage system view, click the volume you want to
rebuild. The element properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click ‘Rebuild to another disk’, and then follow the procedure described above.
25.4.2.4 Recovering Data

Recovering data to the master disk allows you to maintain full data redundancy on the recovery
volume and keep the volume data healthy. This action is only available if a recovery volume is
present and running off the recovery disk.
You may have to recover data if:

 Data on the recovery and master disk is not synchronized and full data redundancy is at
risk.
 Data on the master disk is invalid or inaccessible.
Warning
Completing the action will override existing data on the master disk and update it with the data on
the recovery disk. Backup all valuable data before continuing.
1. Under 'Status', in the Manage subsection, click 'Recover data' or click the recovery
volume in the storage system view, and then click 'Recover data'.
3. The recovery operation starts immediately. You can follow the progress by hovering over
the notification area icon or by reviewing the volume status under 'Status' or 'Manage'.
Note
If master disk is removed while the data recovery is in progress and is then reconnected, the
operation will resume automatically from where it stopped as long as the volume is in on request
update mode. If the volume is in continuous update mode, you will need to restart the operation by
following the procedure described above,
25.4.2.5 Resetting Volume to Normal
This action is only available when a volume is reported as failed, but both array disks are present
and normal, and allows you to access and try recovering healthy volume data.
In most cases, this situation will occur after one or more array disks was reported as failed or at
risk, and then reset to normal.
Completing this action resets the volume state by ignoring previous events and does not repair data.
Any data loss or corruption that may have occurred as a result of prior hardware failure or change of
state remains. We recommend that you back up accessible data and replace failed hardware as soon
as possible to prevent further data loss.

1. Under 'Status', in the Manage subsection, click 'Reset volume to normal'. You can also
perform this action from Manage Volume, which is accessible by clicking the RAID 0
volume in the storage system view.
3. The page refreshes and the volume displays as normal. If the operation failed to return
the volume to a healthy state, visit Intel's online support web site for more options.
25.4.2.6 Changing Volume Type
You can choose to change the type of an existing volume based on your storage system needs. The
following configurations are possible:
Change type from To

2-disk recovery volume 2-disk RAID 1
Note
Only available if the recovery volume is in continuous update mode
2-disk RAID 1 2-disk recovery volume
Note
No other volumes can be present on the system.
The RAID 1 volume must be less than 1.3125 TB
and include 100% of the available space on the
array

2-disk RAID 0 3, 4, 5 or 6-disk RAID 5
4-disk RAID 0 5 or 6-disk RAID 5
Note
Before starting, refer to the system and volume requirements to determine which RAID types are
supported by your computer and make sure the required number of SATA disks are connected. The
Intel® Chipset provides support for the creation of all RAID volume types and for up to six SATA
ports on a mobile platform. Changing volume type does not require re-installation of the operating
system
modify. The volume properties are now displayed on the left.
3. In the 'Change Volume Type' dialog, type a new name if you want to change the default
name.
4. Select the new volume type, and then click 'OK'. Caution: Once the data migration starts,
the operation cannot be canceled.
5. Once the migration has completed, the 'Manage' page refreshes and reports the new
volume type.

Warning
All applications and existing volume data remain intact, but any existing data on the disks added to
enable this operation will be permanently deleted. Backup data before adding these disks.
25.4.2.7 Increasing Volume Size
You can increase the size of a RAID volume by using the remaining available space on the array. A
minimum of 32 MB must be available for this action to be available. Hovering over the array name in
the storage system view displays the amount of available space in MB.
After creating a volume with an array allocation set to less than 100% in the Configure Volume step,
you will be able to increase the volume size by the amount of available space on that array. If two
volumes are present on a single array and capacity expansion is possible, only the space available at
the end of the second volume will be used to increase the volume size.
 A RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and/or RAID 10 volume is present,

 The array allocation for the volume is less than 100% and space is available on the
existing array.
Warning
Increasing the volume size from Manage Array
1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the array you want to
manage. The array properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Increase size' next to the volume name. If more than one volume is present on a
single array, you will need to increase the size of each volume one at a time.
canceled.
4. Once the migration has completed, restart your computer for changes to take effect.
Then use Windows Disk Management* to increase the partition size on the volumes, or
add another partition.
Increasing the volume size from Manage Volume
1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the volume whose size you
want to increase. The volume properties are now displayed on the left.

2. Click 'Increase size'.
canceled.
Then use Windows Disk Management* to increase the partition size on the volumes, or
add another partition.
Note
25.4.2.8 Adding a Disk to a Volume
You can add one or more SATA disks to an existing array to increase the system storage capacity.
This feature can be useful if you want to change to a volume type that requires additional disks.

 A RAID 0 and/or a RAID 5 volume is present,
 One or more SATA disks are connected to the computer and available,
 The available disk matches the internal or external connection type of the existing array
disks. You cannot add an external disk to an array that includes internal disks, and vice
versa. In specific advanced system configurations, this condition may not apply.
Refer to Connecting a Disk under Managing Disks for more information on installing SATA disks on
your computer.
Warning
Any existing data on the available disk used to increase the array size will be permanently deleted.
Backup all the data you want to preserve before completing this action.
last performed driver update, and then restart the computer to return to a normal state
This action can also be performed from Manage Array. Refer to the Adding a Disk to an Array section
for more information.
1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the volume to which you
want to add a disk. The element properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Add disk'.
3. Select the disk you want to use to increase the array capacity.
4. Click 'Add Disk'. Caution: Once the data migration starts, the operation cannot be
canceled.
Then use Windows Disk Management* to increase the partition size on the volumes for
which a disk was added, or add another partition.
Note

25.4.2.9 Changing Update Mode
A recovery volume gives you the flexibility to choose between updating data on the recovery disk
continuously or on request.
In continuous update mode, the latest master disk changes are copied to the recovery disk
automatically, as long as both disks are connected to the computer. In on request mode, the latest
master disk changes are copied to the recovery disk only when you request a data update.
The current update mode is reported in the volume properties under Manage Volume. By default,
the recovery volume is created in continuous update mode.
Note
This action is only available if a recovery volume is present and in normal state. If the recovery
volume is read-only because the master or recovery disk files are accessed, you will need to hide
the files before the update mode can be changed.
volume properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click ‘Change mode’, and then click 'Yes' to confirm.
3. The page refreshes and the volume properties report the new update mode.
25.4.2.10 Updating Data
You can manually copy the latest master disk changes to the recovery disk at any given time; this
action allows you to synchronize data on the recovery volume, improving data protection and
lowering the risk of losing valuable data in the event of a disk failure. When you request an update,
only changes since the last update are copied.
Note
This action is only available if a recovery volume is present, and in ‘on request’ update mode.
3. The update process can be instantaneous or may take a while depending on the
amount of data being copied. You can follow the progress by hovering over the
notification area icon or by reviewing the volume status under 'Status' or 'Manage'.
Note
You can follow the progress of the update by hovering over the notification area icon or under
‘Status’ or Manage Volume.

25.4.2.11 Accessing Master or Recovery Disk Files
This action is only available if a recovery volume is present, in a normal state, and in on request
update mode.
You can view the recovery or master disk files using Windows Explorer* depending on the
designated source drive of the recovery volume. This feature can be useful when a data recovery
from or to the master disk is necessary.
Accessing recovery disk files

This action is only available if the master disk is the designated source drive and the volume is
running off that disk.
2. Click 'Access recovery disk files'.
3. Windows Explorer opens and displays the files located on the recovery disk.
Accessing master disk files

This action is only available if the recovery disk is the designated source drive and the volume is
2. Click 'Access master disk files'.
3. Windows Explorer opens and displays the files located on the master disk.
Note
When files have been accessed, the disk is displayed as missing from the array, and becomes
available. Also, the volume is set to read-only and data updates are not available in this state.
Hiding disk files will make the volume writable and allow data updates.
You can also access master or recovery disk files from Manage Disk.
25.4.2.12 Hiding Master or Recovery Disk Files
This action is only available if a recovery volume is present and disk files have been accessed.
When you are done viewing master or recovery disk files, you can hide the display of the files from
Windows Explorer*. Once the disk files are hidden, the disk becomes writable, and data updates on
the volume are available.
Hiding recovery disk files

This action is only available if the master disk is the designated source drive and the volume is
2. Click ‘Hide recovery disk files’.
3. The disk files no longer display in Windows Explorer.

Hiding master disk files
This action is only available if the recovery disk is the designated source drive and the volume is
2. Click ‘Hide master disk files’.
Note
You can also hide master or recovery disk files from Manage Disk
25.4.2.13 Deleting a Volume
Use caution: you cannot recover data once a volume is deleted.
When a volume is deleted, you create available space that can be used to create new volumes. Note
that you cannot delete a system volume using this application because the operating system needs
the system files to run correctly. Also, if the volume is a recovery volume and the master or
recovery disk files are accessed, you will need to hide these files before the volume can be deleted.
Warning
When a volume is deleted, all existing data on all disks that are a part of the selected volume is
permanently lost. It is recommended to complete a backup of all valuable data before continuing.
1. Under ‘Status’ or ‘Manage’, in the storage system view, click the volume you want to
delete. The volume properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click ‘Delete volume’.
3. Review the warning message, and click ‘Yes’ to delete the volume.
4. The ‘Status’ page refreshes and displays the resulting available space in the storage
system view. You can now use it to create a new volume.
25.4.2.14 Setting the Data Strip Size
You can assign a data strip size to a volume while creating a new volume or while changing the type
of an existing volume. You cannot change the strip size of an existing volume without changing its
type.
The strip size refers to each logical contiguous data block used in a RAID 0, RAID 5, or RAID 10
volume. This setting is not available for RAID 1 or recovery volumes, due to their redundant
configuration. The default value is the recommended strip size based on the system configuration
and the volume type selected; changing the pre-selection is best suited for advanced users.
The following table describes the usage scenarios for the typical strip sizes.
Usage scenarios for supported strip sizes*

Strip Size Description RAID Types
4 KB Best for Web Servers (fast read transfer rate with slow write RAID 0, 10
transfer rate).

8 KB Best for databases (fast read transfer rate with faster write RAID 0, 10
transfer rate than with 4KB strips).
16 KB Good for sequential transfers. RAID 0, 5, 10
32 KB Best for sequential transfers. RAID 0, 5, 10
64 KB Best general purpose strip size. RAID 0, 5, 10
128 KB Best for audio and video editing. RAID 0, 5

*Disclaimer: The data provided in this table may vary based on the brand, type, size, and speed of
the disks used.
Setting the strip size when creating a volume

1. Under 'Status', click ‘Create’ or ‘Create a custom volume’.
2. Select the volume type, and then click 'Next'.
3. Make the required disk selection, and then select a new data strip size from the drop-
down list in the Advanced section.
4. Complete the volume creation process as described in the Creation Process topic.
Setting the strip size when changing volume type

1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the RAID volume that you
want to modify. The volume properties are now displayed on the left.
3. Make the necessary volume type and disk selections, and then select a new data strip
size.
4. Click ‘OK’ to change the type of the existing volume.
5. The ‘Manage’ page refreshes and reports the new volume configuration.
Available Strip Size Configurations

RAID 0 RAID 5 RAID 10
Default
SATA disks 128 KB 64 KB 64 KB
Solid state disks 16 KB 128 KB 16 KB
Options 4 KB, 8 KB, 16 KB, 32 KB, 64 16 KB, 32 KB, 64 KB, 128 KB. 4 KB, 8 KB, 16 KB, 32 KB,
KB, 128 KB. 64 KB.
25.4.2.15 Enabling Volume Write-back Cache
You can improve the read/write performance of a RAID or recovery volume by enabling the write-
back cache on one or all volumes on an array. When this feature is enabled, data may be
temporarily stored in the cache memory before being written to the physical disks. Multiple I/O
requests may be grouped together to improve performance. By default, the write-back cache is
disabled.
Warning
While this feature highly improves the volume and array performance, it also increases the amount
of cached data that could be lost in the event of a power failure. This risk can be lowered if your
computer is connected to an uninterruptable power supply (UPS)

Enabling the volume write-back cache
1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the volume for which you
want to enable the write-back cache. The volume properties are now displayed on the
left.
2. In the Advanced section, click 'Enable', and then click 'Yes' to confirm.
3. The page refreshes and the write-back cache is now enabled.
Note
If your computer is running on battery and a recovery volume is present, the option to enable the
write-back cache is not available because the recovery disk is offline and data updates are not
available. If this feature was enabled prior to running the battery, write-back cache activity would
be temporarily disabled until you reconnect your computer to the power supply.
Disabling the volume write-back cache

1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the volume for which you
want to disable the write-back cache. The volume properties are now displayed on the
left.
2. In the Advanced section, click 'Disable', and then click 'Yes' to confirm.
3. The page refreshes and the write-back cache is now disabled.
25.4.2.16 Initializing a Volume
Initializing a volume is the process of synchronizing all redundant data on a volume prior to verifying
or verifying and repairing that data. If you attempt to start a verification process for a volume that
has not been initialized, you will be prompted to do so.
Initializing a volume
1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the volume that you want
to initialize. The volume properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Initialize'.
3. Click 'OK' to start the initialization process. Caution: Once the data migration starts, the
operation cannot be canceled.
Initializing a volume when verifying data

1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the volume that you want
to verify. The volume properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Verify'.
3. When prompted to initialize the volume before verifying data, click 'OK' to start the
initialization process. Caution: Once the data migration starts, the operation cannot be
canceled.
4. Once complete, click 'Verify' to start the verification process.
Note
While inititialization is in progress, you can view the status in the notifications area by hovering over
the Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology icon, or in the application under Staus or Manage Volume.
Warning
The initializating process could take a while depending on the number and size of the disks. You can
continue using array disks and other applications during this time. Closing the application, or
powering off and restarting your computer will not disrupt the progress of this operation.

25.4.2.17 Verifying and Repairing Data
You can verify data on an existing volume by identifying and repairing inconsistencies. Running this
operation on a regular basis helps you keep valuable data and the overall storage system healthy.
verify. The volume properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Verify'.
3. Select the check box if you want errors found to be repaired automatically during the
verification process.
4. Click 'OK' to start the verification process.
Note
Data on a volume cannot be verified and repaired unless the volume has been initialized first. If you
attempt to start a verification process for a volume that is not initialized, you will be prompted to
first initialize the volume. Based on its configuration, a RAID 0 volume cannot be repaired because
of the lack of redundancy.
25.4.2.18 Swapping Disks
You can change the order of designation for array disks in a recovery volume by setting the master
disk as the destination drive and the recovery disk as the source drive. This action is best suited for
advanced users.
Note
This action is only available if a recovery volume is present, normal, and in continuous update mode.
Swapping disks can be useful if:

 You selected the wrong disk as the master disk when you created the recovery volume,
 You think one of the disks is failing,
 You replaced the recovery disk with a faster, newer disk, and want to run off that device
once it has been updated.
2. In the Advanced section, click 'Swap master and recovery disks'.
3. Click ‘Yes’ to confirm.
4. Hover over each disk in the storage system view to review their new usage.
25.4.3 Managing Disks


You can manage disks by clicking a selected disk in the storage system view under 'Status' or
'Manage'. This allows you to review the properties and access all actions associated with that disk,
such as unlocking a password-protected disk or marking a disk as spare. Depending on their usage
or status, some actions may not be available.
25.4.3.1 Disk Properties

The disk properties listed below display to the left of the storage system view under 'Manage' and report values
such as usage and status that are specific to the disk selected in the view. Based on the detailed information
provided, you can make changes to the way each disk is configured, or take action on one or more disk to keep
your overall storage system healthy.
Parameter Value
Port Reports the port number to which the disk or device is attached.
Port location Reports whether the port is internal or external.
Usage Array disk: a disk that has been grouped with other disks to form an array
containing RAID volumes.
Master disk: the disk that is the designated source drive in a recovery volume.
Recovery disk: the disk that is the designated destination drive in a recovery
volume.
Spare: the disk has been designated as the destination drive for automatic
volume rebuilds in the event of a failed, missing or at risk array disk. For RAID
0 volumes, automatic rebuilds will only occur when one of its array disks is
reported as at risk.
Available: the disk is physically connected to the computer, healthy, and

available to be used in an array or as a spare disk.
Warning
Assigning an available disk to an array or marking it as a spare will permanently
delete any existing data on that disk.
Unknown: the disk is available but contains metadata that cannot be displayed in
the operating system. Even though the disk is reported as normal, you will need
to clear and reset the disk to make the disk available.
Acceleration mode Reports the acceleration mode for the disk or volume associated with the cache
device.
Enhanced: Indicates that the disk or volume is accelerated for optimized data
protection.
Maximized: Indicates that the disk or volume is accelerated for optimized

input/output performance.
Busy: Indicates that acceleration is transitioning from maximized to enhanced

mode, or that acceleration is being disabled from maximized mode. In the event
that errors are detected and a risk of data loss is identified, transitions from
maximized mode will start automatically.
Status Normal: the disk is present, functioning as expected, and unlocked.

Locked: the disk is password-protected. Note: if a volume includes at least one
locked disk, the volume will display as locked.
At risk: an impending error condition was detected on the disk and it is now at
risk of failure.
Missing: the disk is not present or physically connected to the computer.
Failed: the disk has failed to properly complete read and write operations in a
timely manner, and it has exceeded its recoverable error threshold.
Offline: indicates that an array disk is locked, that the recovery volume is in on
request update mode, or that your computer is running on battery and data
updates to the recovery volume are not available.
Size Reports the total capacity of the disk in megabytes (MB) in the disk properties
and in gigabytes (GB) in the storage system view.
Serial number Reports the manufacturer's serial number for the disk.
Model Reports the model number of the disk.
Firmware Reports the version of the firmware found in the disk.
System disk Reports whether the disk contains system files that are required to start and run
the operating system.
Password protected Reports whether the disk is protected with a password.
Disk data cache Reports whether the data cache is enabled on this disk. This feature is controlled
at the array level.
Native command queuing Reports whether the disk supports this feature.
SATA transfer rate Reports the data transfer rate between the SATA controller and the SATA disk.
The supported rates are:
 SATA 1.5 Gb/s (generation 1)

 SATA 3 Gb/s (generation 2)
The data transfer rate reported is based on the Intel® Chipset and SATA disks
present in your system.
Physical sector size Reports the size of physical sectors on the disk (bytes).
Logical sector size Reports the size of logical sectors on the disk (bytes).
25.4.3.2 Unlocking Password-Protected Disks**
You can unlock a password-protected disk by entering the password which allows you to access data
or use that disk to create a volume. The password is setup through the system BIOS. Locked disks
can be identified with the lock icon appended to them and display a ‘Locked’ status in the disk
properties.
25.4.3.3 Marking a Disk as Spare

This action is only available for non-system disks in a normal state. Also, unless your mobile
computer is equipped with the Intel® 5 Series Chipset or later, which provides support for up to six
SATA ports, you will not be able to mark a disk as a spare. Most mobile computers are limited to one
internal and one external disk, which are used to create the volume.
Marking a disk as a spare allows you to designate an available SATA disk as the default destination
for automatic volume rebuilds in the event of a failed, missing or at risk array disk. However, for
RAID 0 volumes, automatic rebuilds will only occur if one of its members is reported at risk.
1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the disk that you want to mark
as a spare. The volume properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Mark as spare'.
3. Click 'OK'.
Note
RAID 1, 5, 10, and recovery volumes can use one or more spares.
Warning
When marking a disk as a spare, any existing data on that disk is permanently deleted. Back up all
data you want to preserve before starting this action.
If you system is running a version of the RST OROM that does not support disks that are 2TB or
larger, you can reset such a disk to available, but disallow the marking of it as a spare.
25.4.3.4 Resetting a Disk to Available
After a disk was marked as spare, you can choose to make that spare disk available again and use it
differently. Once available, the disk can be used to create a volume or be added to an existing
volume if all other requirements are met.
1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the disk that you want to reset
to available. The volume properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Reset to available'.
3. The page refreshes and the disk usage is now reported as available.
25.4.3.5 Resetting a Disk to Normal
You can reset a SATA disk to normal when the storage system reports one of the following disk
statuses:
At risk
A disk is reported at increased risk of failing in the near future that could be due to a slow degradation
over time. You can choose to ignore this alert at this time by resetting the disk to normal, but it may
re-appear if the disk continues to assert this condition. We recommend that you contact the
manufacturer for more information to prevent potential data loss.
Failed
A SATA disk has failed to properly complete read and write operations in a timely manner, and data
may be lost. We recommend that you replace the failed disk as soon as possible to return the overall
storage system to normal. In this state, data may be lost, but you can try resetting the disk to

normal and attempt a data recovery. If the disk operations continue to fail, the disk will return to a
failed state immediately.
If the failed disk is an array disk, refer to the Troubleshooting section for guidelines on rebuilding a
failed or degraded volume.
1. Under ‘Status’, in the Manage subsection, locate the disk reported as at risk or failed. You can
also perform this action from Manage Disk, which is accessible by clicking the disk in the
storage system view.
2. Click 'Reset disk to normal'. The page refreshes instantly, returning to a normal state.
Note
Completing this action clears the event on the disk and does not delete existing data. However,
ignoring early warning signs of disk failure may result in data loss.
25.4.3.6 Accessing Disk Files
This action is only available if a recovery volume is present, in a normal state, and is on request
update mode.
This feature allows you to view the files on the designated destination drive in a recovery volume
using Windows Explorer*. For example, you may want to review the recovery disk files prior to starting
a data recovery in the event that data on the master disk is inaccessible or corrupted.
When the volume status is normal, the recovery disk is the designated destination drive and files are
accessible. When the volume status is running off the recovery disk, the master disk is the designated
destination drive and files are accessible. You can review the usage of each disk by hovering over the
array disks in the storage system view or by clicking one of the disks to review its properties under
Manage Disk.
1. Under ‘Status’ or ‘Manage’, in the storage system view, click the recovery or the master disk
depending on the volume status. The disk properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click ‘Access files’.
3. Windows Explorer opens and displays the files located on the disk.
Note
When files have been accessed, the disk is displayed as missing from the array, and becomes
available. Also, the volume is set to read-only and data updates are not available in this state.
Hiding disk files will make the volume writable and allow data updates.
Warning
Windows Explorer will not open if the disk does not have any partitions on it.
25.4.3.7 Hiding Disk Files
This action is only available if a recovery volume is present and disk files have been accessed.

When you are done viewing master or recovery disk files, you can hide the display of the files from
Windows Explorer*. Once the disk files are hidden, the disk becomes writable, and data updates on
the volume are available.
1. Under ‘Status’ or ‘Manage’, in the storage system view, click the disk whose files are
accessed. The disk properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Hide files'.
Note
You can also hide master or recovery disk files from Manage Volume.
25.4.3.8 Connecting a Disk
Installing new hardware is one of the steps you may have to take to keep you storage system
healthy or to extend the life of a computer that is running out of storage space.
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology provides hot plug support, which is a feature that allows SATA
disks to be removed or inserted while the computer is turned on and the operating system is
running. As an example, hot plugging may be used to replace a failed external disk.
Our application provides support for SATA 1.5 Gb/s (generation 1), SATA 3 Gb/s (generation 2), and
6 Gb/s (generation 3) data transfer rates. The rate support depends on the Intel® Chipset and SATA
disks present in your system. Visit our Online Support for additional information on chipset features
and benefits.
Follow these procedures to replace or connect a disk in case you need to power off your computer:
Replacing a disk
1. Power off your computer.
2. Replace the disk that reports a problem.
3. Turn your computer back on. If the replaced disk was part of an array, you will need to follow
the procedure provided in the Troubleshooting section based on the volume state and type.
Note
To install an external disk, plug it into you computer and connect the power cord.
To remove and install an internal disk, you should be comfortable opening your computer case and
connecting cables. Follow the manufacturer’s installation guide to complete this procedure. If you
are replacing the system disk, you will have to re-install the operating system after you connect
the disk because the system disk contains the files required to start and run your computer.
Installing a new disk (to increase storage space)

1. Power off your computer.
2. Connect the new disk.
3. Turn your computer back on. During the system startup, the application's option ROM should
automatically detect the new disk if it is installed correctly. Once you open the application,
verify under 'Status', in the storage system view, that the new disk displays. You can then
access management options by clicking that disk.

25.4.4 Managing Ports
A port is a connection point on your computer where you can physically connect a device, such as a
SATA disk or ATAPI device. A port transfers I/O data between the device and the computer.
If a port is reported as empty in the storage system view, you can use that port to connect a new
device in order to increase the storage system capacity. Currently, the maximum number of internal
ports that can be used to connect devices is six.
The port properties listed below display to the left of the storage system view under 'Manage' and
report values specific to the element selected in the view.
Parameter Value
25.4.5 Managing ATAPI Devices
An ATAPI device is a mass storage device with a parallel interface such as a CD-ROM, DVD/Blu-ray
disc, tape drive, or solid-state disk. The ATAPI properties listed below display to the left of the storage
system view under 'Manage' and report values specific to the selected element.
Parameter Value
Serial number Reports the manufacturer's serial number for the device.
Model Reports the model number of the device.
Firmware Reports the version of the firmware found in the device.
SATA transfer rate Reports the transfer mode between the SATA controller and the ATAPI device. The
typical values for this parameter are:

The data transfer rate reported is based on the Intel® Chipset and SATA disks present in
your system.
25.4.6 Managing Solid-State Hybrid Drives (SSHD)

To increase performance, some hard drive manufactures are now including non-volatile memory to
be used as a data cache on hard drives. These drives are called Solid-State Hybrid Drives. Hybrid
Hinting is a feature by which the RST driver will send information to a SSHD, notifying the drive
which data would be best to store in the data cache. There are no extra steps to manage SSHD’s.

RST enables Hybrid Hinting when the following minimum requirements are met:
 SSHD must have a minimum of 8GB of non-volatile cache.
 SSHD must have a maximum of 1TB of non-volatile cache.
 SSHD is attached to a supported SKU for Intel® Smart Response Technology for Hybrid
Drive Acceleration. (See section 21.1.2 for SKU support)
25.5 Accelerating the Storage System

You can configure an internal solid state disk to be used as a non-volatile intelligent caching for a
system or non-system disk or volume that’s present on your system. Moving frequently accessed
data over to the cache allows you to improve overall system performance, increase read/write
access times, and reduce start up times without adding more system memory.
This feature also increases the power efficiency of a mobile computer by retaining stored data and
reading data from the cache instead of the SATA disk itself.
Accelerate is only available if the requirements listed in this section under Cache Device Properties
are met.
25.5.1 Cache Device Properties
The Performance tab-> enable acceleration page in the UI are only available if the following
requirements are met:
 See Section 20 for requirements

 Operating system: all supported OS for this release ( see section 2.1.5).
 CPU: Core or Premium
 BIOS: RAID-Ready system and Accelerate feature bit is set.
 An internal SATA solid state disk is present with a minimum capacity of 16 GB.
 A hard disk or volume (array members must all be hard disks) is eligible for
acceleration.
 No recovery volume is present.
Limitations
 The maximum cache size is 64 GB.
 Only one disk or volume at a time can be accelerated per system.
 If two volumes are present on a single array (they share the same array of disks),
neither volume can be accelerated.
 Once a volume is accelerated, a second volume cannot be added to the same array.
 Once a solid state disk is configured to be used as a cache device, the option to create a
recovery volume is no longer available. Recovery volumes do not support system
configurations with multiple volumes.
Solid State Disk Properties

Parameter Value
Port Reports the port number to which the solid state disk is attached.
Port location Reports that the solid state disk is internal.
Status Reports the state of health of the internal solid state disk present in the system.

Normal: Indicates that the solid state disk is present, functioning as expected, and
unlocked.
Failed: Indicates that the solid state disk has failed to properly complete read and write
operations in a timely manner, and it has exceeded its recoverable error threshold.
At risk:
Busy: Indicates that acceleration is transitioning from maximized to enhanced mode, or
that cache data is being deleted in order to disable acceleration. In some cases, these
transitions will start automatically in the event that errors are detected and a risk of data
loss is identified.
Type Reports that the device is a solid state disk.
Usage Reports that the solid state disk is configured to be used as a cache device.
Size Reports that the solid state disk is configured to be used as a cache device.
Serial number Reports the manufacturer's serial number for the internal solid state disk.
Model Reports the model number of the solid state disk.
Firmware Reports the version of the firmware found in the solid state disk.
Password protected Reports whether the solid state disk is password-protected.
Disk data cache Reports that the data cache is enabled on the solid state disk. When a solid state disk is
configured as a cache device, this setting can only be changed at the operating system
level.
Native command queuing Reports whether the solid state disk supports this feature.
SATA transfer rate Reports the data transfer rate between the SATA controller and the SATA solid state disk.
The supported rates are:
The data transfer rate reported is based on the Intel® Chipset and SATA disks present in
your system.
Physical sector size Reports the size of physical sectors on the solid state disk (bytes).
Logical sector size Reports the size of logical sectors on the solid state disk (bytes).
Accelerated device Indicates the location of the disk or the name of the volume that is currently accelerated by
the cache device.
Acceleration mode Reports the acceleration mode for the disk or volume associated with the cache device
.
Enhanced: Indicates that the disk or volume is accelerated for optimized data protection.
performance.
Cache and Simple Data Volume Properties

Parameter Value
Name Reports the name of the volume.

Status Normal: For simple data volumes, indicates that volume data is fully accessible. For cache
volumes, indicates that cache data is fully accessible, and that caching activity with the
associated disk or volume is occurring under healthy conditions.
Failing: Indicates that a SMART event was detected on the solid state disk that is used as a
cache device.
Failed: Indicates that the cache volume has exceeded its recoverable error threshold, and
that read and write operations are no longer occurring.
Type Indicates that the single-disk RAID 0 volume is a cache volume.
Data stripe size Indicates that the single-disk RAID 0 volume is a cache volume.
Allocated cache size Reports the volume capacity used for cache memory.
Write-back cache Reports whether the write-back cache feature is enabled for the volume.
Physical sector size Reports the size of each sector that is physically located on the disk.
Logical sector size Reports the size of data collection blocks.
Accelerated Disk or Volume Properties

Parameter Value
Acceleration mode Reports the acceleration mode for the disk or volume associated with the cache device.
Enhanced: Indicates that the disk or volume is accelerated for optimized data protection.
performance.
Busy: Indicates that acceleration is transitioning from maximized to enhanced mode, or

that acceleration is being disabled from maximized mode. In the event that errors are
detected and a risk of data loss is identified, transitions from maximized mode will start
automatically.
25.5.2 Enabling Acceleration
You can enable acceleration in order to improve the performance for a SATA hard disk or a RAID
volume that includes only SATA hard disks. This operation caches its contents using a non-volatile
memory device (a solid state disk) that is attached to an AHCI port.
Enabling acceleration allows you to:

 Use a solid state disk as a cache device: The maximum cache size is 64 GB.
 Accelerate one system or non-system disk or volume present in the system by
associating it with the cache volume, and subsequently caching its content.
 Configure acceleration in enhanced (optimized for data protection) or maximized mode
(optimized for input/output performance). See below for more information on the
acceleration modes.
 If the solid state disk used as a cache device is larger than 64 GB and has a minimum of
4 GB of additional space, a second single-disk RAID 0 volume will be automatically
created which can be used for simple data storage.
Enabling Acceleration
Follow these steps to enable acceleration:
1. From the Performance Page, Click ‘Intel Smart Response Technology’ from the left side
panel. Click Enable acceleration.

2. Select the solid state disk you want to use as a cache device.
3. Select the portion of the solid state disk you want to use to store non-volatile cache
memory. Any remaining space on the solid state disk may be used for data storage
using the simple data single-disk RAID 0 volume that is automatically created.
4. Select the disk or volume you want to accelerate. We highly recommend that you
accelerate the system volume or system disk for maximum performance.
5. Select the acceleration mode you want to use, and then click ‘OK’. By default, enhanced
mode is selected.
6. The page refreshes and reports the new acceleration configuration in the Acceleration
View.
Acceleration modes
Non-volatile cache memory can be enabled in either of the following modes:
 Enhanced mode (default): Acceleration optimized for data protection.

This mode uses the write-through cache method to write data to the cache memory
and the disk simultaneously. In the event that the accelerated disk or volume
becomes inaccessible, fails, or is disconnected, there is no risk of data loss because
data on the disk is always synchronized with the data in the cache memory. For data
safety reasons, this mode is the default acceleration setting.
 Maximized mode: Acceleration optimized for input/output performance.

This mode uses the write-back cache method where data is written to the disk at
intervals. In the event that the accelerated disk or volume becomes inaccessible,
fails, or is disconnected, there is a high risk of data loss. In most cases, data on the
disk wasn’t synchronized with the data in the cache memory when the event
occurred, or new data was written to the disk after the event occurred and it can no
longer be synchronized with the cache memory.
25.5.3 Disabling Acceleration
You can disable acceleration on a disk or volume if you want to:

 Enable acceleration on a different disk or volume,
 Return the solid state disk to pass-through,

 Physically move an accelerated disk or volume to another computer.
Completing this action makes any cached data associated with the accelerated disk or volume
immediately inaccessible. If the current acceleration mode is maximized, disabling acceleration may
take a while to complete, depending on the cache and the solid state disk size. You can use other
applications during this time.
1. Click ‘Accelerate’, and then click ‘Disable acceleration’.

2. In the dialog, click ‘Yes’ to confirm.
3. The page refreshes and reports the acceleration as disabled.
In the event that you are unable to open or access Intel® Rapid Storage Technology due to an
application error or operating system issue, you will need to disable acceleration using the option
ROM user interface.
1. Restart your computer.

2. Press Ctrl-I to access the main menu of the option ROM user interface.
3. Select ‘Acceleration Options’ from the main menu.
4. Select the accelerated disk or volume.
5. If acceleration is in maximized mode, type 's' to synchronize data from the flash memory to
the accelerated disk or volume. Otherwise, go to step 7.
6. Press ‘Y’ to confirm.
7. Type 'r’ to remove acceleration.
8. Press ‘Y’ to confirm.
25.5.4 Changing Acceleration Mode
This action is only available if a disk or volume is currently accelerated. A disk or volume can be
accelerated in either of the following modes:

This mode uses the write-through cache method to write data to the cache memory and
the disk simultaneously. In the event that the accelerated disk or volume becomes
inaccessible, fails, or is disconnected, there is no risk of data loss because data on the
disk is always synchronized with the data in the cache memory. For data safety reasons,
this mode is the default acceleration setting.

This mode uses the write-back cache method where data is written to the disk at
intervals. In the event that the accelerated disk or volume becomes inaccessible, fails,
or is disconnected, there is a high risk of data loss. In most cases, data on the disk
wasn’t synchronized with the data in the cache memory when the event occurred, or
new data was written to the disk after the event occurred and it can no longer be
synchronized with the cache memory.
By default, acceleration is enabled in enhanced mode due to the lower risk of data loss, but you can
change acceleration mode at any time as long as the cache volume and accelerated device are in a
normal state and caching activity is occurring.
Follow these steps to change the acceleration mode:

1. Click ‘Accelerate’, and then click 'Change mode'.
2. Click 'Yes' to confirm the mode change to either enhanced or maximized, depending on the
current acceleration mode.

3. The page refreshes and the new acceleration mode displays under the Acceleration
Configuration subsection and the Acceleration View.
Warning
When a device is accelerated in Maximized mode, performance is highly improved but cached
data is at higher risk of being lost in the event of a power failure or under other atypical
conditions.
Acceleration in a busy state
The acceleration mode will display as busy under the following conditions (by user interaction or
automatic transition):
· When changing acceleration mode from maximized to enhanced.
· When disabling acceleration while in maximized mode.
The transition time varies based on the cache and disk sizes. Disk and volume actions will not be
available until the acceleration transition has completed, except for renaming and deleting volumes.
25.5.5 Accelerating a Disk or Volume
Once a solid state disk is configured to be used as a cache device, you can choose to accelerate any
disk or volume in a normal state that is located on your storage system. We recommend that you
accelerate the system disk or volume in order to get the full benefits of the non-volatile cache
memory configuration.
Follow these steps to accelerate a disk or volume:

1. Click ‘Accelerate’, and then click ‘Select device’.
2. In the ‘Accelerate Disk or Volume’ dialog, select the device you want to accelerate.
3. Select the acceleration mode you want to use, and then click ‘OK’. By default, enhanced
mode is selected.
4. The page refreshes and reports the newly accelerated device in the Acceleration
Configuration subsection. The Acceleration View also indicates the accelerated device with
the acceleration icon appended to it.
Non-volatile cache memory can be enabled in either of the following modes:

This mode uses the write-through cache method to write data to the cache memory and
the disk simultaneously. In the event that the accelerated disk or volume becomes
inaccessible, fails, or is disconnected, there is no risk of data loss because data on the
disk is always synchronized with the data in the cache memory. For data safety reasons,
this mode is the default acceleration setting.
This mode uses the write-back cache method where data is written to the disk at intervals.
In the event that the accelerated disk or volume becomes inaccessible, fails, or is
disconnected, there is a high risk of data loss. In most cases, data on the disk wasn’t
synchronized with the data in the cache memory when the event occurred, or new data
was written to the disk after the event occurred and it can no longer be synchronized with
the cache memory.

25.5.6 Resetting a Cache Device to Available
This action is only available if a solid state disk is configured as a cache device and there is no
accelerated disk or volume present (no association with the cache device). In this situation, you
have two options:
 Reset the solid state disk to available and use that device for other purposes.
 Accelerate a disk or volume that is eligible and available for acceleration. Refer to Cache
Device Properties for a detailed list of eligibility requirements.
Warning
In the event that a single-disk RAID 0 data volume was created along with a cache volume,
resetting the solid state disk to available will delete both volumes. Data on the RAID 0 data
volume will be permanently erased. Backup all valuable data before beginning this action.
1. Click ‘Accelerate’.
3. In the dialog, select the check box to confirm that you understand that data on the data
volume will be permanently deleted.
5. The 'Accelerate' page refreshes. Under 'Status', the storage system view displays the solid
state disk usage as available. The device can now be used for any purpose.
25.5.7 Disassociating the Cache Memory
This action is only available if an issue is reported on the accelerated disk or volume that is
associated with the cache device and it is missing. In this state, the acceleration mode is typically
reported as unavailable and caching activity is no longer occurring.
If you are unable to resolve the reported issue on the accelerated disk or volume (e.g., degraded or
failed volume due to a missing array disk), the only option will be to remove the association
between the cache device and the disk or volume.
Once the association between the cache and the accelerated disk or volume is removed, all cache
metadata and data is deleted from the cache device. You can then reset the solid state disk to
available or accelerate a different disk or volume, as long as the cache device is healthy.
Follow these steps to disassociate the cache memory and the accelerated device:
2. Click ‘Disassociate’.
3. In the 'Disassociate' dialog, click 'Yes' to confirm.
4. The page refreshes and the Acceleration View reports the new configuration. Options to
reset the solid state disk to available or to select a new device to accelerate (as long as an
eligible disk or volume is available) are now available.
Note
You can also perform this action using the option ROM user interface.

25.6 Preferences
System preferences allow you to decide whether you want the notification area icon to display. In
addition, you can select the types of notifications you want to receive, such as storage system
warnings or errors, and be notified of any reported problems while the application is closed.
Both administrators and standard users can change the notification area settings using the
application or directly from the notification area. Settings changes are applied on a per user basis,
and do not affect other users’ settings.
Showing system notifications
By default, System preferences are set to show the notification area icon. If you previously chose to
hide the notification area icon, follow these steps to display the icon again:
1. Under ‘Preferences’, select ‘Show the notification area icon’.
2. Click ‘Apply Changes’. Verify that the icon is now displayed in the notification area.
Hiding system notifications
Once you hide the notification area icon, the service no longer reports storage system information,
warnings, or errors through the notification area. You will need to use the application to monitor the
health of the storage system. Follow these steps to hide the notification area icon:
1. Under ‘Preferences’, deselect 'Show the notification area icon'.
2. In the ‘Hide Notification Area Icon’ dialog, click ‘Yes’ to confirm.
3. Verify that the icon is no longer displayed in the notification area.
Selecting system notifications

1. Under ‘Preferences’, make sure that ‘Show the notification area icon’ is selected.
2. Select the types of notifications you want to receive.
Note
Storage system information provides details on any changes of state other than warnings or errors,
such as new disks being detected or locked.
Storage system warnings report the cause for the overall warning state of the storage system,
such as a degraded RAID volume due to a missing disk.
Storage subsystem errors report the cause for the overall error state of the storage system, such
as a failed volume due to a failed disk.

26 Opal Drive Support
Support for Opal drives was added beginning with Intel® Rapid Storage Technology version 13.0.
26.1 Opal ATA Commands Supported

The Intel® RST driver will support the following Opal ATA commands on systems in either AHCI or
RAID mode (only on pass-thru drives):
- ATA_PASS_THRU_DIRECT IOCTL commands of ATA TRUSTED RECEIVE and ATA TRUSTED
SEND.
26.2 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology UI Support

The Intel® RST UI will display information about the Opal disks attached to the SATA controller when
the Opal disk is partially or fully Opal locked.
26.3 Opal SCSI Commands Supported

The Intel® RST driver supports translation of the following SCSI Commands on systems in AHCI or
RAID mode (only pass-thru disks):
- SCSI_PASS_THROUGH_DIRECT IOCTL commands of SECURITY_PROTOCOL_IN and
SECURITY_PROTOCOL_OUT to ATA TRUSTED RECEIVE and ATA TRUSTED SEND.
26.4 Opal UEFI Protocol Supported

The Intel® RST UEFI driver supports the following UEFI Protocol for OPAL Support for systems in
RAID mode with the RST UEFI Driver installed:
- EFI_STORAGE_SECURITY_PROTOCOL
26.5 Intel® RST PCIe NVMe Support for Opal

Intel® RST PCIe NVMe Support for Opal requires security communication protocols. The following
NVMe Security commands are required for Opal support:
– SECURITY SEND
– SECURITY RECEIVE
RST will allow the Security Send and Security Receive commands to be sent only when using the
following protocols:
– RST UEFI
– EFI_STORAGE_SECURITY_COMMAND_PROTOCOL: EFI_STORAGE_
SECURITY_COMMAND_PROTOCOL is loaded ONLY if a device
supports TCG and Block IO protocol is loaded successfully
– RST OS Driver
– SCSI SECURITY PROTOCOL: Intel® RST driver supports translating
commands to NVMe Security Send and NVMe Security Receive
commands on TCG supported Opal PCIe NVMe SSDs.

26.6 NVMe Device Requirements for Intel® RST Opal
Support
Intel® RST will recognize Opal supported NVMe Devices that report support for the Security Send
and Security Receive commands.
Intel® RST uses the register from Admin Command Set Attributes & Optional Controller Capabilities
(bytes 257:256). RST requires that bit 0 of this register must be set to a value of 0x01 to indicate
Opal support. If the bit is not set, RST will not recognize the device as supporting Opal.

27 eDrive Support
Support for eDrives is new for Intel® Rapid Storage Technology version 13.2. eDrive provides
transport of Trusted Computing Group (TCG) protocol over 1667.
Intel® RST added support for TCG communication in version 13.0 (see section 24).
27.1 What is an eDrive?

A disk that returns the following value in its IDENTIFY DEVICE DATA ATA response:
Bit 0 of Word 48 =1(Trusted Computing Group Support): Opal SSC Specification.

Bit 7 of Word 69 =1(IEEE 1667 Support): ACS-3 Specification Rev. 5
27.2 SCSI Standard Inquiry Command Response

When a disk is identified as an eDrive, the Intel® RST driver will report IEEE 1667 support in a SCSI
Standard Inquiry command response.
27.3 Configurations Supported

eDrive support is similar to Opal Support and will be supported in RAID or AHCI modes on a pass-
thru (non-RAID member) drive attached to the SATA controller.
Further details and specifications for eDrives can be found at the IEEE 1667 Workgroup
web page: http://www.ieee1667.com

28 Using the BCFS to Differentiate
Platform SKUs
Beginning with the Intel® RST 10.x Release and the Intel® 5 Series Express Chipset (codename
Ibex Peak), the BIOS Control Feature Set (BCFS) has been enabled to give OEMs the opportunity to
customize the Intel® RST features offered on any particular Intel® 5 Series Express Chipset
model/SKU and later. OEMs no longer need special Intel® RST OROM images from Intel in order to
enable/disable certain desired features for a platform SKU. OEMs can now enable/disable the
desired features per platform SKU directly in their BIOS code. By clearing or setting the
corresponding bits of the ‘Intel RST Feature Capabilities’ register in the Intel chipset’s SATA
controller MMIO space, OEMs now have greater flexibility in determining what Intel® RST features
will be supported per platform model/SKU.
The following sections explain the use of each of the bits in the BCFS, also known as the Software
Feature Mask bits.
Note: This document does not cover details on how to setup a system BIOS. For that level of
information please contact your platform’s BIOS vendor or your Intel field representative to put you
in contact with the appropriate Intel BIOS support personnel.
28.1 Configuring the Platform’s RAID Related Features

When the BIOS has set the SATA Controller’s mode to RAID, the following bits of the ‘Intel RST
Feature Capabilities’ register in the Intel chipset’s SATA controller MMIO space will determine what
RAID levels will be supported on the platform SKU:
Note: Clearing all RAID level related bits to ‘0’ (that includes the Intel® RRT bit) is an unsupported
configuration. The Intel® RST OROM will ignore the BIOS settings and enable all RAID levels
(Intel® RRT inclusive).
28.1.1 Configuring the Standard Supported RAID Levels

There are four (4) bits that control the 4 standard RAID levels supported by Intel® Rapid Storage
Technology:
Bits Type Reset/ Description

Default
3 RWO 1h RAID 5 Enable (R5E): If set to ‘1’, then RAID5 is

enabled
2 RWO 1h R10 Enable (R10E): If set to ‘1’, then RAID10 is

enabled
1 RWO 1h RAID 1 Enable (R1E): If set to ‘1’, then RAID1 is

enabled
0 RWO 1h R 0 Enable (R0): If set to ‘1’, then RAID0 is

enabled

28.1.1.1 Example Configuration
To configure a platform SKU that offers only RAID levels 0 and 10, the bits must be configured as
follows:
Bit 0 == 1 (default)
Bit 1 == 0
Bit 3 == 0
28.1.2 Configuring Intel® RRT Related RAID Features

There are two (2) bits that control two capabilities/features related to the Intel® RRT feature:

Default
8 RWO 0h Intel® RRT Only on ESATA (ROES): If set to ‘1’,

then only Intel® RRT volumes can span internal and
eSATA drives. If cleared to ‘0’, then any RAID
volume can span internal and eSATA drives.
4 RWO 1h Intel® RRT Enable (RSTE): If set to ‘1’, then Intel

Rapid Recovery Technology is enabled.

To configure a platform SKU that offers Intel® RRT, only RAID level 5, and allows both Intel® RRT
and RAID5 Volumes to span disks on both internal and external (eSATA) ports, the bits must be
configured as follows (Note: an Intel® RRT volume cannot coexist with another RAID level volume
at the same time on the platform):
Bit 0 == 0
Bit 1 == 0
Bit 2 == 0
28.1.3 Configuring the Behavior of the OROM UI and Banner

There are three (3) bits that control the behavior of the Intel® RST OROM UI and the Banner Splash
Screen that are displayed during POST at system boot-up. Use the following bit configurations to

determine whether or not the splash screen will be displayed during post and if so, how long the
delay will be before the system continues the boot process:

Default
11:10 RWO 0h OROM UI Normal Delay (OUD): Values of these

two bits specify the delay of the OROM UI Splash
Screen in a normal status.
00 – 2 secs (default and previous value)
01 – 4 secs
10 – 6 secs
11 – 8 secs
Note: If bit 5 == 0, then these values are

disregarded
Comment: Allow OEM to lengthen normal timeout

of OROM splash screen so user has more time to hit
CTRL+I on keyboard.
5 RWO 1h Intel RST OROM UI (RSTOROMUI): If set to ‘1’

then the OROM UI is shown. Otherwise, no OROM
banner or information will be displayed if all disks
and RAID volumes are Normal.

To configure a platform SKU that enables the OROM Banner Splash Screen to be displayed for 6
seconds, the bits must be configured as follows:
Bit ‘10’ == 0 (default)
Bit ‘11’ = = 1
28.1.4 Configuring Intel® RST UI Capabilities

There is one capability within the Intel® RST UI that is controlled by the BCFS bits. To
enable/disable the ability for the Intel® RST UI to unlock password protected disks, use the
following bit configurations:

Default
6 RWO 0h HDD Unlock (HDDLK): If set to ‘1’, then HDD

password unlock is enabled in the OS.
The default settings for these two features are:
Bit 6 == 0
When this bit is cleared the Intel® RST UI does not display any option to use this feature.

To configure a platform SKU to not allow unlocking passwords from the Intel® RST UI and to allow
the UI to activate the disk/port LEDs, the bits must be configured as follows:
28.1.5 Configuring the Platform to Support Intel® SRT

The BCFS bit is only one of the platform parameters (see section 17.1.1 for all requirements) that
determines whether Intel® Smart Response Technology can be enabled on a platform, however,
unless this bit is set there will be no support for this feature on the platform.

Default
9 RWO 0h Intel® Smart Response Technology Enable

Request (SEREQ): If set to ‘1’, then Smart
Response Technology is enabled. If cleared to ‘0’,
Smart Response Technology is disabled.
Bit 9 == 1
This enables the Intel® Smart Response Technology feature on the platform SKU.
28.1.6 BIOS Control Feature Set
Bits Type Reset Description
15:14 RO 0h Reserved.
13:12 RWO 0h Reserved
11:10 RWO 0h OROM UI Normal Delay (OUD): Values of these bits specify the
delay of the OROM UI Splash Screen in a normal status.
00 – 2 secs (default and previous value)

01 – 4 secs
10 – 6 secs
11 – 8 secs
If bit 5 == 0, then these values are disregarded
Comment: Allow OEM to lengthen normal timeout of OROM

splash screen so user has more time to hit CTRL+I on
keyboard.
9 RWO 0h Intel® Smart Response Technology Request Enable (SEREQ):

If set to ‘1’, then Smart Response Technology is enabled. If cleared
to ‘0’, Smart Response Technology is disabled.
8 RWO 0h Intel® RRT Only on ESATA (ROES): If set to ‘1’, then only Intel®
RRT volumes can span internal and eSATA drives. If cleared to ‘0’,
then any RAID volume can span internal and eSATA drives.
7 RWO 0h Reserved
6 RWO 0h Reserved
5 RWO 1h Intel® RST OROM UI (RSTOROMUI): If set to ‘1’ then the OROM
UI is shown. Otherwise, no OROM banner or information will be
displayed if all disks and RAID volumes are Normal.
4 RWO 1h Intel® RRT Enable (RSTE): If set to ‘1’, then Intel Rapid Recovery
Technology is enabled
3 RWO 1h RAID 5 Enable (R5E): If set to ‘1’, then RAID5 is enabled

29 Testing, Certification Notes
29.1 Correcting Microsoft* Windows 7 (Win7) WHQL

test failure
For Internal SATA ports with interlock switches, the RST driver will set Removable=TRUE in the
IRP_MN_QUERY_CAPABILITIES handler. This causes Win7 to show the internal device in its own
"container" which is used to describe devices that are external to the system. For example, a CD-
ROM on an interlocked switch in a Win7 system, under 'Devices and Printers',
You can see that the CD-ROM on the interlocked SATA port shows up separately in the top-level
'Devices' view. This can result in a platform WHQL test failure.
There is a whitepaper describing use of Removable device capability bits on Win7 by bus drivers:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/Device/DeviceExperience/ContainerIDs.mspx.
In order to correct this issue to pass the platform WHQL test, RST recommends the OEM to take the
following action:
In the system BIOS, define an _EJ0 ACPI method on the interlocked port. _EJ0 will signal to the
ACPI driver to set Removable for the RST driver and still mark the device as internal to the
system such that it does not show in its own container. The implementation is to use a registry
key for each port to tell RST whether to set Removable bit or not. If _EJ0 ACPI method is
defined in the system BIOS by the manufacturers, they can tell RST not to set the Removable
bit. For example:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parameters\Port1]
"EJ0IsDefined"=dword:1
If 1, _EJ0 will set Removable bit instead of RST. If 0, no _EJ0 defined so RST will set
Removable bit. The default value is 0.

30 Glossary
Term Definition
ATA Advanced Technology Attachment
BIOS Basic Input/Output System
BOM Bill Of Materials
CD Compact Disc
Term used to define a collection of integrated components required to make a PC

Chipset
function.
Hard drives Physical hard drives attached to a RAID controller
DEVSLP Serial ATA Device Sleep
DOS Disk Operating System
GB Giga-byte
HDD Hard Drive
I/O Input/Output
ICH I/O Controller Hub
ICH9 Intel® 82801IR/DO SATA RAID Controller
IDE Integrated Drive Electronics
Information file (.inf) used by Microsoft operating systems that support the Plug & Play
INF feature. When installing a driver, this file provides the OS needed information about
driver filenames, driver components, and supported hardware.
Intel® Option ROM Standard Plug and Play option ROM that provides a pre-operating system user
(OROM) interface for the Intel RAID implementation.
MB Mega-byte
Term used to describe the movement of data from one configuration or usage model
Migration
to another.
OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer
A code module built into the System BIOS that provides extended support for a
particular piece of hardware. For this product, the Option ROM provides boot support
Option ROM
for RAID 0/1/5/10 volumes, and provides a user interface for configuring and
managing RAID 0/1/5/10 volumes.
OS Operating System
PATA Parallel ATA
PCH Platform Controller Hub is the new term for Intel chipsets
PCI Peripheral Components Interconnect
PFW Package for the Web
PIO Programmed Input Output
PnP Plug and Play

Term Definition
Term used to describe the point at which a SATA drive is physically connected to the
Port 0..3 SATA Controller. Port n is the nth of the four available ports in ICH9 systems, where
n=0..3
RAID Redundant Array of Independent Disks
A RAID level where data is striped across multiple physical hard drives
RAID 0
(aka striping)
A RAID level where data is mirrored between hard drives to provide data redundancy
RAID 1
(aka mirroring)
A RAID level where data and parity are stripped across the hard drives to provide
RAID 5 good read/write performance and data redundancy. The parity is stripped in a rotating
sequence (aka Stripping and rotating parity).
A RAID level where information is striped across a two disk array for system
RAID 10 performance. Each of the drives in the array has a mirror for fault tolerance. (aka
Stripping and mirroring)
A block of capacity allocated from a RAID Array and arranged into a RAID topology.
RAID volume
Operating Systems typically interpret a RAID volume as a physical hard drive.
RAM Random Access Memory. Usually refers to the system’s main memory
ROM Read Only Memory
RST Intel® Rapid Storage Technology
RTD3 Runtime D3
SATA Serial ATA
SCSI Small Computer System Interface
SP# Service Pack (number)
Strip Grouping of data on a single physical hard drive within a RAID volume
SRT Intel® Smart Response Technology
SSD Solid State Drive
SSHD Solid-State Hybrid Drive
The sum of all strips in a horizontal axis across physical hard drives within a RAID
Stripe
volume
UI User Interface
Glossary
ABCDEFHILMNOPRSUVW
· A
. Accelerated disk or volume

A disk or RAID volume that has its non-volatile cache enabled in either maximized or enhanced
mode.
. Access master or recovery disk files:
Action to view the files located on the master or recovery disk of a recovery volume using Windows
Explorer*. Selecting this option sets the volume in read-only and volume updates are not allowed.
This action is only available when the recovery volume is in on request update mode or running off
the recovery disk.
. Activate port LED:
Action to locate the port connected to a disk present on the system by activating the Light Emitting
Diode (LED) light.
. AHCI:
An interface specification that allows software to communicate with SATA devices such as host bus
adapters, and enables advanced SATA features such as Native Command Queuing, native hot
plugging, and power management. Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI).
. Array:
An abstraction layer or collection of two or more disks used to manage RAID volumes existing on a
same collection of disks. RAID arrays are not visible to the operating system.
. At risk:
Status indicative that a disk or device has experienced a SMART event, and that an impending error
condition was detected and the disk or device is now at risk of failure.
. ATAPI device:
A mass storage device with a parallel interface such as CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, Blu-ray Disc,
and tape drives. Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI).
· B
. Blocks with media errors:
Number of inconsistencies found during the data verification of a RAID volume. This feature only
applies to the verification process or the verification and repair process.
Bus Protocol Group:
A bus protocol group represents a set of bus protocols with similar performance characteristic. Bus
Protocol Groups are listed here in ascending order of speed:1
1- SATA
2- PCIe
· C
. Cache
A resource allocation on a storage component used for temporary data operations. Cache can be
allocated in components such as RAM or non-volatile memory.
. Cache device
The selected solid state disk used for cache storage in an SRT configuration.
. Cache volume
The portion of the cache device (a solid state disk) that holds the non-volatile cache data in an SRT
configuration. That portion is configured into a single-disk RAID-0 volume.
. Change volume type:
Action to change the volume from one RAID configuration to another, and move data from one RAID
volume to another. A RAID 1 volume can also be converted to a recovery volume, and vice versa.
. Continuous update mode:
Update mode assigned to a recovery volume, where data on the master disk is copied to the recovery
disk automatically, as long as both disks are connected to the system.
· D
. Data stripe size:
Size of a grouping of data on a single physical disk within a RAID volume. Reported in kilobytes (KB).
. Data volume
The portion of extra space on the cache device (a solid state disk) that can be used for data storage.
That portion is configured into a single-disk RAID-0 volume.
. Degraded:
Volume status indicative that one member has failed or is missing. This status only applies to
recovery, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 volumes.
. Disassociating a cache
The action of removing the association between the non-volatile cache and the accelerated disk or
volume.
. Disk data cache:

A cache memory within a hard drive that temporarily stores frequently used data sectors for faster
access. As a result, overall hard drive performance is improved.
. Disk:
A hard or floppy disk. Also known as hard drive or hard disk drive.
· E
. E-mail notification:
Alert mechanism that allows the user to receive storage system information, warning, and error
notifications by e-mail via SMTP. By default, this feature is disabled and requires configuration
settings such as the SMTP host and e-mail addresses to be set up.
. Enhanced Mode
An acceleration mode that uses write-through, non-volatile cache to improve performance. The mode
also is known as “separation safe” because all host-write requests are written to the accelerated disk
or volume and possibly to the non-volatile cache.
· F
. Failed:
Volume and disk status indicative that one or more array members are missing or have failed.
. Firmware:
Permanent instructions and data programmed directly into the read-only memory (ROM) for
controlling the operation of the computer. Firmware usually requires updates to fix defects or add
features to the hardware.
· H
. Hide master or recovery disk files:
Action to close the display of files located on a master or recovery disk in a recovery volume after
viewing them in Windows Explorer*. This option is only available when ‘Access recovery disk files’ or
’Access master disk files’ was previously selected. Once disk files are hidden, volume updates can
resume.
. Hot plug:
Action to remove or insert a SATA disk when the system is powered on.
· I
. Increase volume size:
Action to expand the data storage capacity of a volume by utilizing the available array space on a
RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, or RAID 10 volume.
. Initialize:
Process of synchronizing all redundant data on a volume prior to creating a volume, verifying and
repairing data, or changing volume type. Initialization is still required for non-redundant volumes
such as RAID 0 to ensure that data is readable before starting the verification process.
. Intel® Rapid Recover Technology:
Official name for Intel’s technology that allows the user to copy data from a master disk (source) to a
recovery disk (destination) either continuously or on request.
. Intel® Rapid Storage Technology:
Official name for Intel's Windows-based software to provide support for high-performance, fault-
tolerant, and capacity SATA RAID arrays on select supported chipsets. Intel Rapid Storage
Technology also provides support for Intel® Rapid Recover Technology, AHCI Native Command
Queuing, and matrix RAID for two RAID volumes on a single array.
· L
. Locked:
Volume and disk status indicative that the data is protected with a password and cannot be accessed
until disks are unlocked.
· M
. Mark as spare:
Action to designate an available and compatible SATA disk as the default destination for automatic
rebuilds in the event that an array member fails or is missing.
. Master disk:
The disk that is the designated source drive in a recovery volume.
. Maximized Mode
An acceleration mode that uses write-back, non-volatile cache to improve performance better than the
enhanced Mode. This mode is optimized for input/output performance and power savings.
Memory Group

A memory group represents a set of backend storage media types with similar performance
characteristics. Memory Groups are listed here in ascending order of speed:
1- Spindle Device (HDD)
2- NAND Spindle Hybrid Device (SSHD)
3- PCH SATA NAND Device (SSD)
4- PCIe NAND Device (SSD)
. Migrating:
Volume status indicative that data is being moved/transferred across selected storage devices due to a
change request in the storage system configuration, such as changing volume type, creating a volume
preserving existing data, increasing the volume capacity, or changing data stripe size.
· N
. Native Command Queuing:
Command protocol in SATA that allows multiple commands to be outstanding within a disk at the
same time. The commands are dynamically reordered to increase disk performance.
. Normal:
Volume, disk, and device status indicative that they are in a healthy state, functioning as expected,
disks are properly connected, and data is fully accessible.
· O
. Offline:
Disk status indicative that an array disk is locked (the volume status displays as locked), that the
recovery volume is in on request update mode, or that your computer is running on battery and data
updates to the recovery volume are not available.
. On request update mode:
Update mode assigned to a recovery volume, where data on the master disk is copied to the recovery
disk when the user requests it. Only changes since the last update process are saved to the recovery
disk.
. Option ROM:
Firmware that is called by the system BIOS in order to communicate and provide support for a
hardware device. For this product, the option ROM provides boot support for RAID volumes as well
as a user interface for configuring and managing RAID volumes. Also known as OROM.
· P
. PCIe Storage Device:
A storage device that connects to the PCIe bus. PCIe devices can contain either an
AHCI or NVMe communication controller.
Port:
An internal or external data connection of a computer (e.g., SATA controller) to which a peripheral
device (e.g., SATA disk) can be attached.
· R
. RAID 0:
A RAID type or configuration where data is striped across multiple physical disks. Data is split into
manageable blocks called strips across array members. Striping does not create data redundancy but
improves read/write performance.
. RAID 1:
A RAID type or configuration where data is mirrored across a second physical disk in the array.
Mirroring is a key feature that ensures real-time data redundancy and increased fault tolerance. There
is no striping.
. RAID 10:
A RAID type or configuration that uses four disks to create a combination of RAID type 0 and 1. The
data is striped across a two-disk array forming a RAID 0 component. Each of the disks in the RAID 0
array is mirrored by a disk in the RAID 1 array.
. RAID 5:
A RAID type or configuration where data and parity are striped into manageable blocks called strips
across three or more physical disks. This type is a preferred configuration as it combines efficiency,
fault-tolerance, and data performance.
. RAID:
Redundant Array of Independent/Inexpensive Disks is a technology used for computer data storage
schemes that divide and/or replicate data among multiple disks. RAID can be designed to provide
increased data reliability or increased I/O (input/output) performance, or both. A number of standard
schemes have evolved which are referred to as levels or types. Intel® Rapid Storage Technology

software supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 configurations (refer to each RAID type
definition for more information).
. Read-only:
Recovery volume status indicative that the recovery or master disk files are accessed, allowing files on
the disk to be read or copied, but not changed or saved.
. Rebuild:
The process of restoring a recovery, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 volume in the event that a volume
disk has failed or is missing. If a spare disk is present and compatible, the application will
automatically use it as a replacement for the failed disk. An automatic rebuild process will also occur
if a RAID 1 member is removed and then reconnected, in order to re-establish the mirroring. This
process does not apply to RAID 0 volumes.
. Recover data:
The action of retrieving data in the event that a recovery volume has failed due to a missing or failed
master disk. Data from the recovery disk is copied to a new or healthy master disk, restoring data
redundancy. Selecting this option will overwrite all master disk data with data on the recovery disk.
. Recovery disk:
The disk that is the designated destination drive in a recovery volume.
. Recovery volume:
A two-disk redundant volume that includes a master disk (source) and a recovery disk (destination)
and uses Intel® Rapid Recover Technology. This configuration provides flexibility of volume data
updates and maximum data redundancy.
Remapped:
Remapping hardware in the chipset allows a PCIe STORAGE DEVICE to appear to the OS as if it were
an extra port on the Chipset's internal AHCI controller rather than a separate controller on the PCIe
bus
. Repair:
The process of fixing verification errors and blocks with media errors found during the verification
process. This feature is only available for volumes with a normal or at risk status. A RAID 0 cannot be
repaired due to its non-redundant configuration.
. Reset disk to normal:
Action to return a failed or at risk disk to a normal state. We recommend that you contact the
manufacturer for more information to prevent potential data loss.
. Reset to available:
Action to return a disk previously marked as a spare to an available state.
. Reset volume to normal:
Action to return a failed volume where both array disks are present and normal to a normal state. This
feature allows you to access and attempt a recovery of healthy volume data.
· S
. SATA disk:
A disk with an interface that transmits data using a serial protocol in order to communicate with the
SATA controller.
. SATA transfer rate:
Rate at which the SATA controller and SATA disk communicate with each other. Transfer rates are
important when large contiguous blocks of data are being used, such as video and image files.
Reported in gigabits/seconds (Gb/s).
. SATA:
A successor to ATA and PATA, SATA is a computer bus technology primarily designed for transfer of
data between storage devices such as hard drives or optical devices, and a computer. Benefits of this
technology are: usage of high-speed serial cables, air cooling to work more efficiently, faster transfers,
the ability to remove devices while operating (hot plugging), enables more reliable operation with
tighter data integrity checks. Also known as Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or Serial ATA.
. Single-disk RAID 0
A RAID-0 volume that has one (1) disk as its array disk. This is the volume type used to create the
non-volatile cache region on a solid state disk being used for caching. This volume type creates an OS-
visible volume that enables access to extra space on the solid state disk that is not being used for
caching.
. Size:
Reports the total capacity of a physical device such as a SATA disk, a volume, or an array.
. Storage system:

One or more physical disks or devices that act as a unit for data storage.
. System disk:
A disk that contains system files required to start and run the operating system. By default, the
Windows operating system files are in the WINDOWS folder, and the supporting files are in the
WINDOWS\System32 folder.
. System volume:
A volume that refers to the disk(s) volume that contains the hardware-specific files that are needed to
start Windows, such as Ntldr, Boot.ini, and Ntdetect.com, as well as the Windows operating system
files and supporting files. The system volume can be the same volume as the boot volume.
· U
. Unknown:
Disk status indicative that its usage could not be determined, due to a possible incompatibility
between this software version and the disk configuration, or a virus. Also a volume status indicative
that the volume is in an unexpected state due to a configuration error. Data on the volume can no
longer be accessed.
. Update mode:
Type of update assigned to a recovery volume. The update mode can be set to continuous, where
master disk changes are automatically saved to the recovery disk, or set to on request, where updates
of the recovery disk can be requested immediately.
· V
. Verify:
Action of scanning data to detect any types of data damage, disk read errors, and volume data
inconsistencies. As an option, errors found can be corrected on redundant RAID volumes. This
feature is only available for volumes with a normal or at risk status.
. Volume size:
Amount of data that can be stored on a volume; reported in bytes (B) or %.
. Volume type:
Configuration of a volume which determines how data is stored and managed to improve read/write
performance, increase fault tolerance and/or storage capacity.
. Volume write-back cache:
A cache memory used to enhance the read/write performance of a RAID volume by grouping multiple
I/O requests into fewer requests and by writing from the cache to the volume at defined intervals.
. Volume:
A fixed amount of space across a RAID array that is structured to emulate a single physical hard drive
and appears as such to the operating system. Volumes have drive letters assigned to them and some
volumes can span multiple hard disks.
· W
. Windows Disk Management*:
Microsoft Windows* system utility for managing the disks and partitions or volumes that they
contain. Disk Management allows the initialization of new disks, volume creation, and formatting.
Most disk-related tasks can be performed using this system utility without shutting down or restarting
the computer; most configuration changes take effect immediately.
. Write-back cache allocation:
Size of the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) that is allocated for write-back caching on all
volumes present on the system. The cache size is set to 16 megabytes (MB) by default.

31 Troubleshooting
This section explains how to resolve the most common problems that may occur while using the
application. If you have any questions regarding installing, using or maintaining this product, you can
also visit Intel's online support site which provides you with self-help resources and electronic problem
submission.
31.1 Failed Volumes

RAID 0
A RAID 0 volume is reported as failed when one of its members is disconnected or has failed. In both cases, the
volume and its data are no longer accessible.
Cause Solution
Missing array disk Follow this procedure to recover data:
1. Power off your computer and reconnect the missing disk.

2. Turn on your computer. During the system startup, the volume status will
display as 'Normal' in the Intel Rapid Storage Technology option ROM user
interface.
3. Once the operating system is running, open Intel Rapid Storage Technology
from the Start menu or click the Intel Rapid Storage Technology notification
area icon.
4. Under 'Status', verify that the volume and disks status display as 'Normal'.
You can also review this information under 'Manage'.
Failed array disk In most cases, the volume cannot be recovered and any data on the volume is lost.
However, before deleting the volume, you can try resetting the disks to normal, and
then attempt a data recovery. If the read/write data access consistently fails, the disk
will likely return to a failed state immediately. Refer to Troubleshooting Disk Events for
instructions on resetting a disk to normal.
This procedure deletes the failed volume:
1. Power off your computer and replace the failed SATA disk with a new one
that is of equal or greater capacity.
display as 'Failed' in the Intel Rapid Storage Technology option ROM user
interface.
4. Select Delete RAID Volume from the main menu.
5. From the Delete Volume menu, select the failed RAID volume, using the up
and down arrow keys.
6. Press the 'Delete' key to delete the volume, then 'Y' to confirm.
7. Create a new RAID 0 volume using the new disk. If the failed disk was part
of the system volume, you will also need to reinstall the operating system.
RAID 5
A RAID 5 volume is reported as failed when two or more of its members have failed.
Cause Solution
Two or more array disks In most cases, the volume cannot be recovered and any data on the volume is lost.
failed However, before deleting the volume, you can try resetting the disks to normal, and
then attempt a data recovery. If the read/write data access consistently fails, the
disk will likely return to a failed state immediately. Refer to Troubleshooting Disk
Events for instructions on resetting a disk to normal.

1. Power off your computer and replace the failed SATA disks with new ones that
are of equal or greater capacity.
interface.
5. From the Delete Volume menu, select the failed RAID volume, using the up and
down arrow keys.
7. Create a new RAID 5 volume using the new disks. If the failed disk was part of
the system volume, you will also need to reinstall the operating system.
RAID 10
A RAID 10 volume is reported as failed when two adjacent members are disconnected or have failed, or when
three or four of its members are disconnected or have failed.
Cause Solution
Two adjacent array disks 1. Power off your computer and reconnect the missing disks.
missing 2. The rebuild operation will start automatically. You can follow the progress by
hovering over the notification area icon or by reviewing the volume status under
'Status' or 'Manage'.
Three or four array disks In most cases, the volume cannot be recovered and any data on the volume is lost.
missing This procedure deletes the failed volume:
1. Power off your computer and reconnect the missing disks.

interface.
5. From the Delete Volume menu, select the failed RAID volume, using the up
and down arrow keys.
7. Create a new RAID 10 volume using the new disks.
8. You will then need to reinstall the operating system on the new volume.
Two or more array disks In most cases, the volume cannot be recovered and any data on the volume is lost.
failed However, before deleting the volume, you can try resetting the disks to normal, and
then attempt a data recovery. If the read/write data access consistently fails, the
disk will likely return to a failed state immediately. Refer to Troubleshooting Disk
Events for instructions on resetting a disk to normal.
1. Power off your computer and replace the failed SATA disks with new ones that
are of equal or greater capacity.
interface.
5. From the Delete Volume menu, select the failed RAID volume, using the up and
down arrow keys.
7. Create a new RAID 10 volume using the new disks.
8. You will then need to reinstall the operating system on the new volume.
31.2 Degraded Volumes

Recovery Volume

A recovery volume is reported as degraded when the recovery disk has failed or when the master disk is
disconnected or has failed. Data mirroring and redundancy are lost because the system can only use the
functional member.
Cause Solution
Recovery disk failed We recommend that you rebuild the degraded volume to a new disk to return the
volume and overall storage system status to normal. However, you can try resetting
the disk to normal, but if the read/write data access consistently fails, the disk will
likely return to a failed state immediately. Refer to Troubleshooting Disk Events for
instructions on resetting a disk to normal.
If a SATA disk is compatible, available and normal, follow this procedure to rebuild
the volume:
1. Under 'Status', click 'Rebuild to another disk'.

2. Select the disk you want to use to rebuild the volume, and then click 'Rebuild'.
3. The rebuild operation starts immediately. You can follow the progress by
hovering over the notification area icon or by reviewing the volume status
under 'Status' or 'Manage'.
4. Once the operation successfully completed, the recovery disk and volume
status will display as 'Normal'.
5. Once completed, the volume returns to the last update mode to which it was
set before the issue was reported.
Note
If there is no available disk present, you will need to power off your computer and
connect a new SATA disk that is equal or greater capacity than the failed disk. Once
your computer is back up and running you can follow the rebuild procedure
described above.
Master disk missing If you can reconnect the missing master disk, follow this procedure to recover data:

2. Turn on your computer and the system will automatically boot from the
recovery disk.
3. Under 'Status', in the Manage subsection, click 'Recover data' or click the
recovery volume in the storage system view, and then click 'Recover data'.
5. The recovery operation starts immediately and cannot be canceled. You can
follow the progress by hovering over the notification area icon or by reviewing
the volume status under 'Status' or 'Manage'.
If you cannot reconnect the missing disk and a SATA disk is available and normal,
follow this procedure to rebuild the volume:

4. Once the operation successfully completed, the master disk and volume status
will display as 'Normal'.
Note

If you cannot reconnect the missing disk or rebuild to an available disk, you will
need to power off the computer and connect a new SATA disk. Once rebuilt, the
recovery volume will be limited to its original size even if the new disk is larger than
the original master disk. Once your computer is back up and running you can follow
the rebuild procedure described above.
Master disk failed We recommend that you rebuild the degraded volume to a new disk to return the
the disk to normal, but if the read/write data access consistently fails, the disk will
likely return to a failed state immediately.
To reset the failed master disk and the volume to normal, follow this procedure:
1. Under 'Status', click 'Reset disk to normal'. Note that the volume is now
running off the recovery disk, and that the master disk is reported as offline.
2. Under 'Status', in the Manage subsection, click 'Recover data' or click the
recovery volume in the storage system view, and then click 'Recover data'.
Warning
Starting this action will override existing data on the master disk and update it
with the data on the recovery disk. Backup all valuable data before continuing.

4. The recovery operation starts immediately and cannot be canceled. You can
follow the progress by hovering over the notification area icon or by reviewing
the volume status under 'Status' or 'Manage'.
the volume:

Note
connect a new SATA disk. Once rebuilt, the recovery volume will be limited to its
original size even if the new disk is larger than the original master disk. Once your
computer is back up and running you can follow the rebuild procedure described
above.
RAID 1
A RAID 1 volume is reported as degraded when one of its members is disconnected or has failed. Data
mirroring and redundancy are lost because the system can only use the functional member.
RAID 5
A RAID 5 volume is reported as degraded when one of its members is disconnected or has failed. When two or
more array disks are disconnected or have failed, the volume is reported as failed.
RAID 10

A RAID 10 volume is reported as degraded when one of its members is disconnected or has failed, or when
two non-adjacent members are disconnected or have failed. When two or more array disks are disconnected or
have failed, the volume is reported as failed.
Cause Solution
Missing array disk If you can reconnect the missing disk, follow this procedure to rebuild the volume:

2. Turn on your computer and the rebuild operation will start automatically.
If you cannot reconnect the missing disk and a SATA disk is available and normal,
follow this procedure to rebuild the volume:
1. If a SATA disk is compatible, available and normal, follow this procedure to

rebuild the volume:
4. Once the operation successfully completed, the array disk and volume status
Note
described above.
Failed array disk We recommend that you rebuild the degraded volume to a new disk to return the
the disk to normal, which will prompt the volume to start rebuilding automatically.
But if the read/write data access consistently fails, the disk will likely return to a
failed state immediately and you will need to rebuild the volume to another disk.
the volume:
4. Once the operation successfully completed, the array disk and volume status
Note
described above.
31.3 Other Volume States

Locked
Cause Solution

At least one (but not all) In this state, the overall storage system health is still reported as normal, but we
disk included in the recommend that you unlock the disks to make the volume data fully accessible.
volume is locked with a Follow this procedure to unlock a disk:
password.
1. Under ‘Status’ or ‘Manage’, in the storage system view, click the disk you want
to unlock. The disk properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click ‘Unlock’.
3. Enter the password, and then click 'Unlock'.
Repeat this procedure for all locked disks included in the volume in order to unlock
the volume.
Note
If all the disks included in a volume are locked, the volume is no longer displayed
Incompatible
Cause Solution
Indicates that the volume In this situation, volume data is accessible to the operating system and can be
was moved to another backed up, but the volume cannot operate because your system does not support
system that does not its RAID configuration.
support the volume type
and configuration. Here are your options:
1. Reconnect the volume to the computer where the volume was originally
created, and continue using it.
2. Delete the volume, and then create a new volume with a RAID configuration
that is supported by the current system. Follow the procedure described
above to delete the volume.
Warning
When a volume is deleted, all existing data on the member disks of the selected
volume is permanently erased. It’s recommended that you backup all valuable data
prior to beginning this action.
Unknown
Cause Solution
The volume is in an The application is unable to detect the exact nature of the problem. Try restarting
unexpected state due to a your computer. If the error persists, back up all valuable data and delete the
configuration error. volume using the option ROM user interface. Refer to the user’s manual accessible
from the Online Support area for details on using the option ROM.
Power-saving mode (Recovery volumes only)

Cause Solution
Your computer is running Data mirroring and redundancy are lost, and your data is at risk in the event of a
on battery and the volume disk failure. Reconnect your computer to the power supply, and the operation that
is in continuous update was in progress prior to running on battery will resume automatically.
mode. Data updates to
the recovery disk or a
data recovery operation Note
are not occurring. If a data recovery was in progress, the overall storage subsystem health is reported
as degraded because the operation could not be completed.
Data update needed (Recovery volumes only)

Cause Solution
The data on the recovery Data mirroring and redundancy are lost, and your data is at risk in the event of a
disk is not synchronized disk failure. Follow this procedure to update data on the recovery disk:
with the data on the
master disk. 1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the recovery
volume. The volume properties are now displayed on the left.

3. Select the check box if you don’t want this confirmation message to display
each time you request an update. Click ‘Yes’ to confirm.
4. The update process can be instantaneous or may take a while depending on
the amount of data being copied. You can follow the progress by hovering over
the notification area icon or by reviewing the volume status under 'Status' or
'Manage'.
Running off recovery disk (Recovery volumes only)

Cause Solution
Your computer was Data mirroring and redundancy are lost, and your data is at risk in the event of a
booted from the recovery disk failure. A data recovery from the recovery disk to the master disk is required to
disk using the option maintain full redundancy.
ROM, and the volume is Warning
operating from that disk. Completing this action will overwrite all master disk data with the data on the
With this reverse recovery disk. Backup all valuable data prior to starting this action.
configuration, the
recovery disk is the 1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the recovery
designated source drive volume. The volume properties are now displayed on the left.
and data updates to the
2. Click 'Recover data', then 'OK' to confirm.
master disk are not 3. Once complete, we recommend that you restart your computer from the
available.
master disk using the option ROM user interface to return to a normal state.
Recovery disk read-only (Recovery volumes only)

Cause Solution
The recovery disk files In this state, any data written to the master disk is not copied to the recovery disk
have been accessed and because it is read-only. Data mirroring and redundancy may be lost and we
display in Windows recommend that you hide the recovery files to resume data updates. Follow this
Explorer*. procedure to hide recovery disk files from Manage Disk or from Manage Volume:
1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the recovery
volume or the recovery disk. The element properties are now displayed on the
left.
2. Click 'Hide Files' from Manage Disk or 'Hide recovery disk files' from Manage
Volume.
3. The Windows Explorer window closes.
You can resume data updates by clicking ‘Update data’ under Manage Volume. To
copy the latest changes to the recovery disk automatically, change the update
mode to continuous from the same area.
Master disk read-only (Recovery volumes only)

Cause Solution
Your computer was Data mirroring and redundancy are lost, and your data is at risk in the event of a
booted from the recovery disk failure. We recommend that you hide the master disk files when finished with
disk using the option your review, and proceed with a data recovery to the master disk in order to
ROM, and the volume is maintain full redundancy. Follow this procedure to hide master disk files from
operating from that disk. Manage Disk:
The master disk files have
been accessed and are 1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view, click the recovery
displayed in Windows volume or the master disk. The element properties are now displayed on the
Explorer*. left.
2. Click 'Hide Files' from Manage Disk or 'Hide master disk files' from Manage
Volume.
3. The Windows Explorer window closes and the volume is displayed as running
off recovery disk.
Refer to the 'Running off recovery disk' procedure above to recover data to the
master disk.
Missing volume
Cause Solution

A driver upgrade or The driver cannot recognize the volume or read its data if a driver upgrade or
downgrade was downgrade was performed during a volume migration. Volume migrations occur
performed while a data after one of the following operations was initiated:
migration was in progress.
 Creation of a system volume or data volume while preserving data.
 Volume type change combined with disk addition to the new RAID
configuration.
 Volume size increase.
 Disk addition to an existing array.
Troubleshooting a data volume

1. If the data migration involved a data volume, you will need to reverse the
driver upgrade or downgrade operation and return to the original driver
version. This will restore driver and volume compatibility.
2. Once the operation has completed, restart your computer.
3. Open the application and make sure that the volume displays again in the
storage system view. Data migration operation should resume immediately.
Troubleshooting a system disk

If the data migration involved a system disk or volume, it is highly likely that you
will not be able to start your system because the driver cannot read the system
files. The following options may allow you to load the operating system again:
 Restore a known good configuration.

 Boot from a flash drive that supports NTFS partitioning and includes the
storage driver files.
 Bring the corrupt disk to another system, and then replace the storage driver
files from a compatible driver version. Return the disk to the original system
and try booting.
Troubleshooting a system volume

If the data migration involved a system disk or volume, it is highly likely that you
will not be able to start your system because the driver cannot read the system
files. The following options may allow you to load the operating system again:
 Restore a known good configuration.
 Bring all corrupted array disks to another system, and then replace the storage
driver files from a compatible driver version. Return the disks to the original
system and try booting.
31.4 Disk Events

State Cause Solution

Locked An internal or external disk In this state, the overall storage system health is reported as
is protected and locked with normal, but to make the data fully accessible, you will need
a password. to follow this procedure to unlock the disk:
1. Under ‘Status’ or ‘Manage’, in the storage system view,

click the disk you want to unlock. The disk properties are
now displayed on the left.
2. Click ‘Unlock’.
3. Enter the password, and then click 'Unlock'.
At risk An impending error condition The application is detecting early warning signs of failure
was detected on an internal with a SATA disk that result from a slow degradation over
or external disk and is now time. When a disk is reported at risk, you can reset that disk
at risk of failure. to normal, but we recommend that you contact the
manufacturer for more information to prevent potential data
loss. Follow this procedure to reset the disk to normal:
1. Under ‘Status’, in the Manage subsection, locate the disk

reported as at risk. You can also perform this action
from Manage Disk, which is accessible by clicking the
disk in the storage system view.
2. Click 'Reset disk to normal'. The page refreshes
instantly, returning to a normal state.
Note: Completing this action clears the event on the disk

and does not delete existing data. However, ignoring early
warning signs of disk failure may result in data loss.
If the disk reported at risk is included in a RAID volume and
a compatible spare disk is available, the rebuild process will
start automatically. Once complete, the disk reported at risk
becomes available and you can reset it to normal to return to
a healthy state.
An unexpected error was In this state, it is likely that some or all of the disk data is
detected on a disk that has inaccessible. After backing up any accessible data, you will
RAID configuration data need to clear the metadata and reset the disk to return to a
(metadata) on it. normal state.
Warning: Completing this action will permanently delete

existing metadata. Back up any accessible data before
continuing.

reported as at risk. You can also perform this action
from Manage Disk, which is accessible by clicking the
disk in the storage system view.
2. Click 'Clear and reset disk', and then click 'Yes' to
confirm.
3. Once complete, the page refreshes with the disk
returning to a normal state.
Missing An array disk is not present Ensure that the disk is securely connected to the SATA port
or physically connected to and that the SATA cable is functioning properly. If the disk is
the computer. lost or cannot be reconnected, you will need to connect a
new SATA disk, and then rebuild the volume to that new
disk. Refer to Degraded or Failed Volumes in this section for
instructions on how to rebuild a volume.
The recovery or master disk Hide the recovery or master disk files to return the disk
files have been accessed and status to offline and resume data updates in on request
display in Windows mode.
Explorer*.

1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view,
click the recovery volume or the recovery disk. The
element properties are now displayed on the left.
2. Click 'Hide Files' from Manage Disk or 'Hide recovery
disk files' from Manage Volume.
3. The Windows Explorer window closes.
Failed An internal or external disk Back up your data and we recommend that you replace the
has failed to properly disk as soon as possible. If the failed disk is an array disk,
complete read and write the volume will be reported as degraded or failed depending
operations in a timely on its configuration. Refer to Degraded or Failed Volumes in
manner, and it has exceeded this section for instructions on resolving the problem.
its recoverable error In a failed state, disk data may be lost, but you can try
threshold. resetting the disk to normal, and then attempt a data
recovery. Follow this procedure to reset the failed disk to
normal:

reported as failed. You can also perform this action from
Manage Disk, which is accessible by clicking the disk in
the storage system view.
2. Click 'Reset disk to normal'. The page refreshes
instantly, returning to a normal state.
Note
If the failed array disk is part of a redundant volume, the
volume will start rebuilding automatically as soon as the disk
is reset to normal.
Offline An internal or external array We recommend that you unlock the disk to make the volume
disk is locked and data on data fully accessible. If more than one array disk is locked,
that disk cannot be read. unlock all those disks to unlock the volume.
The recovery volume is in on Change the volume update mode to continuous.

request update mode.
1. Under 'Status' or 'Manage', in the storage system view,
click the recovery volume. The volume properties are
now displayed on the left.
2. Click ‘Change mode’, and then click 'Yes' to confirm.
3. The page refreshes and the volume properties report the
new update mode.
Your computer is running on Reconnect your computer to the power supply in order to
battery and data updates to return the recovery disk to a normal state.
the recovery disk are not
available as long as that disk
is offline.
31.5 Caching Issues

Cache volume is missing
Regardless of what the acceleration mode currently is, cache and volume data is most likely lost. Devices that
are part of the acceleration configuration display in the following states:

 Solid state disk: Inaccessible
 Cache volume: No longer displays
 Data volume (if applicable): No longer displays
 Accelerated volume (if applicable): No longer displays
 Accelerated disk (if applicable): Offline
 Array disks: Offline
Cause
The solid state disk was removed or the disk is present but cannot be detected.
Solution
The application provides the option to clear the metadata on the array disks or previously accelerated disk and
reset these disks to a normal state.
1. Under Status, in the Manage subsection, click ‘Clear and reset’ next to each array disk reported as
offline. You can also perform this action under ‘Manage’ by clicking any offline disk reported in the
storage system view.
2. Click ‘Yes’ to confirm.
3. The array disk now displays as an available disk in a normal state and can be used to create a new
volume
Cache volume is failing

Cause
An impending error condition (e.g., SMART events) was detected on the solid state disk that is used as a cache
device. As a result, both the disk and cache volume are at risk of failure.
Solution
Early warning signs of failure with the solid state disk are detected that result from a slow degradation over
time. When a disk used as a cache device is reported at risk, you can reset that disk to normal or replace the
solid state disk after resetting it to available.
Regardless of which option you choose, we recommend that you contact the manufacturer for more
information to prevent potential data loss.
Current acceleration mode: Enhanced

Follow this procedure to reset the disk to normal:
1. Under ‘Status’, in the Manage subsection, locate the disk reported as at risk. You can also perform
this action from Manage Disk, which is accessible by clicking the failing disk in the storage system
view.
3. The cache volume should also return to a normal state and caching activity should resume.
Completing this action clears the event on the disk and does not delete existing data. However, ignoring early
warning signs of disk failure may result in data loss.
Follow this procedure to replace the failing solid state disk:
1. Click ‘Accelerate’, and then click ‘Disable acceleration’.

2. In the dialog, click ‘Yes’ to confirm.
3. The page refreshes and reports the acceleration as disabled.
5. In the dialog, select the check box to confirm that you understand that data on the cache and data
volumes will be deleted.
7. The page refreshes and the storage system displays the solid state disk usage as available.
8. Power off your computer and replace the failing solid state disk with a healthy one.
9. Power on your computer. You can enable acceleration again in order to resume caching activity.

Note
If the last acceleration mode was maximized, that application will automatically transition acceleration to
enhanced mode in order to avoid data loss. While transitioning, the mode will display as busy and no
acceleration actions will be available until the process is complete.
Current acceleration mode: Maximized
1. If a compatible spare is detected, the volume rebuild operation will start automatically. Once the
process is complete, the cache volume will display in a normal state and caching activity will resume.
2. If no compatible spare is detected, the acceleration mode will automatically transition to enhanced in
order to avoid data loss. You can then follow the procedures described above to return the solid
state disk and cache volume to normal.
Cache volume has failed

Cause
The solid-state disk that is used as a cache device has failed to properly complete read and write operations in
a timely manner and it has exceeded its recoverable error threshold. In this state, both cache and data
volumes are reported as failed and acceleration is automatically disabled.
Solution
Back up any recoverable data and replace the solid- state disk as soon as possible. In a failed state, disk data
may be lost, but you can try recovering it by resetting the disk to normal.
1. In the Manage subsection, under ‘Status’, locate the disk reported as failed. Alternately, perform this
action from Manage Disk, accessible by clicking the disk in the storage system view.
If the disk operations continue to fail, the disk will return to a failed state immediately and should be replaced.
Follow this procedure:
3. In the dialog, select the check box to confirm that you understand that data on the cache and data
volumes will be deleted.
5. The page refreshes and the storage system displays the solid state disk usage as available.
6. Power off your computer and replace the failed solid state disk with an operational one.
7. Power on your computer. To resume the caching activity, enable acceleration again.
If acceleration was in maximized mode prior to being automatically disabled, the disk or volume previously
associated with the cache will be reported as failed if the data cleaning was unsuccessful.
If data cleaning was successful, once the mode transition is complete, the accelerated disk or volume
previously associated with the cache will be reported as normal.
Accelerated disk or volume is missing

Cause
The accelerated disk or volume cannot be detected (e.g., the device was moved to another system) and is
reported as inaccessible. Caching activity is no longer occurring.
Solution
If the disk or volume can be reconnected:
1.Power off your computer and reconnect the missing disk or volume.
2.Restart your computer.
3.Once the operating system is running, open the application.

4.Under 'Status', in the Accelerate subsection, verify the accelerated device is properly reported as well as the
acceleration mode. Caching activity should resume immediately.
If the disk or volume cannot be reconnected, follow this procedure to disassociate the cache and the missing
device:
1.Click ‘Accelerate’.
2.Click ‘Disassociate’.
3.Click ‘Yes’ to confirm.
4. The page refreshes and you can now select another disk or volume to accelerate.
Accelerated disk or volume is reporting an issue

Cause
 Accelerated disk is reported as being at risk or failed.
 Accelerated volume is reported as degraded or failed.
Solution
Refer to Troubleshooting Disk Events, Failed Volumes, or Degraded Volumes for detailed procedure on fixing
the issue.
If you cannot fix the issue reported on the accelerated disk or volume, follow this procedure to disassociate the
cache and the missing device:
1.Click ‘Accelerate’.
2.Click ‘Disassociate’.
3.Click ‘Yes’ to confirm.
4. The page refreshes and you can now select another disk or volume to accelerate.
31.6 Software Errors

Message Cause Solution
An unknown error occurred This error may be related to: Restart your computer or try
while running this application. Missing
If components reinstalling the application.
the problem persists, please Corrupted application
Application unable to connect to the service

restart your computer or try Application fails to start.
reinstalling the application.
Intel® Rapid Storage The application is launched and is If the connection succeeds, the
Technology is trying to connect attempting to connect to the service in application opens and is fully
to the service. order to run. functional; if the connection fails, the
error message described above is
displayed. Try starting the service
manually using Microsoft Windows*
Services, or follow the recommended
solution listed above to resolve the
problem.
The Intel® Rapid Storage Your computer was started in safe mode Once you are done troubleshooting
Technology service cannot be and the operating system is running with application or driver problems in safe
started in safe mode. a limited set of files and drivers. Intel mode, you will need to exit safe
Rapid Storage Technology cannot start or mode, restart your computer, and
run in safe mode. then let the operating system start
normally.
The Intel Rapid Storage Technology
service can now be started and open
the application.
Multiple users cannot run the One or more users are attempting to Make sure only one instance of the
application at the same time. open the application while an instance of application is running at a time.
the application is already running.
An error occurred due to The Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Wait a few moments, then try
insufficient resources, and the driver does not have sufficient resources performing the action again.
operation could not be to execute the request. Another
completed. Please try again operation may be in progress and needs
later. to complete before being able to handle
a new request.
An unknown error occurred An unexpected error occurred during the Verify that your hardware is properly
during the volume creation operation, and the application cannot connected and try recreating the
process. Please try recreating identify its origin. The volume could not volume.
the volume. be created.
An error occurred while an An unexpected error occurred during an Restart the operation. If the error
operation was in progress. The operation, such as a data migration or a persists, try restarting your
operation could not be rebuild, and the application cannot computer and then the operation.
completed. identify its origin.
An error occurred and the The cache memory allocation was likely Follow these steps to accelerate a
selected disk or volume could increased to use full solid state disk disk or volume:
not be accelerated. Please capacity (up to 64 GB) while enabling
restart your computer, and then acceleration.  Restart your computer to
try the operation again. complete the process of
allocating the requested cache
size.
 Launch the application.
 Try enabling acceleration again
by clicking 'Enable acceleration'.

32 Appendix A: RST SATA Port
Bitmap Implementation
32.1 Legacy OROM
RST overloaded offset 0x08 of the PNP header, with a bitmap of which ports make up the PNP
header.
E.g., a RAID5 volume whose member disks located on SATA ports 0,2,3 would have a value of
0x0D (0000_1101b) and a pass-thru disk on port 4 would have a value of 0x10 (0001_0000b).
Offset Size Value Description
00h 1 ‘$’ Signature byte 1
01h 1 ‘P’ Signature byte 2
02h 1 ‘N’ Signature byte 3
03h 1 ‘P’ Signature byte 4
04h 1 01h Structure revision
05h 1 Varies Length (in 16 byte blocks)
06h 2 Varies Offset of next header (0000h if none)
08h 1 00h Reserved
09h 1 Varies Checksum
0Ah 4 Varies Device identifier
0Eh 2 Varies Offset to manufacturer string (optional)
10h 2 Varies Offset to product name string (optional)
12h 3 Varies Device type code

15h 1 Varies Device indicators
16h 2 Varies Boot Connection Vector (BCV)
18h 2 Varies Disconnect Vector (DV)
1Ah 2 Varies Bootstrap Entry Vector (BEV)
1Ch 2 0000h Reserved
1Eh 2 Varies Static resource information vector
32.2 UEFI Driver

The RST UEFI driver, in an effort to provide similar functionality as in the legacy OROM, has
implemented the Port Number value in the Device Path as a bitmap representing the physical disk
connections that the Logical Disk represents. The LSB (least significant bit) represents port 0 and

increases linearly. E.g. a single pass through disk on SATA port 3 (assuming the SATA ports are
enumerated 0 – X) is represented by 0000_1000b (or 0x08).
EFI_DEVICE_PATH_PROTOCOL
For each logical disk that is exposed by the SATA RAID UEFI Driver, an
EFI_DEVICE_PATH_PROTOCOL shall be created.
The Device Path Protocol for each logical disk shall be appended to the PCI SATA Controller Device
Path.
The fields of the EFI_DEVICE_PATH_PROTOCOL shall be filled out differently depending on whether
the device is an ODD or an HDD.
EFI_DEVICE_PATH_PROTOCOL ATAPI (ODD) HDD/Volume – Logical Device

Field
Type 3 (Messaging Device 3 (Messaging Device Path)

Path)
Sub-Type 18 (SATA) 18 (SATA)
Length 10 10
HBA Port Number Port ID bitmap (bit #n Port ID bitmap (bit #n set if logical
set if device is on port device contains device ID #n)
#n) Lowest Significant Bit (LSB)
represents port 0.
Port Multiplier Port Number 0x8000 (directly 0x8000 (directly connected)

connected)
Logical Unit Number 0 0 for passthrough devices,

myVolRaidDevNum for RAID
volumes, which is the nth volume
created on the array.

33 Appendix B: Common Storage
Management Interface
Support (CSMI)
Intel® RST driver does not support application development that require interface access to the
driver via API method. However RST does support applications developed to interface to the driver
via the industry standard specification of the Common Storage Management Interface. We support
a subset of the total command set. The below table has a list of the commands that are supported
by Intel® RST. For more detail information on the specification you can access the
http://www.t11.org/ website. The document number for the specification is 04-468v0.
Supported CSMI commands:
BASE IOCTLs:
CC_CSMI_SAS_GET_DRIVER_INFO
CC_CSMI_SAS_GET_CNTLR_CONFIG
CC_CSMI_SAS_GET_CNTLR_STATUS
RAID IOCTLs:
CC_CSMI_SAS_GET_RAID_INFO
CC_CSMI_SAS_GET_RAID_CONFIG
The following CSMI IOCTLs are supported for both SATA and PCIe AHCI devices:
CC_CSMI_SAS_GET_PHY_INFO
CC_CSMI_SAS_GET_SATA_SIGNATURE
CC_CSMI_SAS_STP_PASSTHRU

34 Appendix C: Drive and Volume
Encryption Support
34.1 ATA Security Commands and HDD Password
Support
RST supports HDD passwords via the ATA Security command set, as long as the host BIOS also
supports the ATA security command set. RST volumes, including SRT volumes, may be locked with
HDD passwords via the ATA Security command set. In the pre-boot environment, it is required that
the BIOS obtain the HDD password before the RST components are loaded.
34.2 Self-Encrypting Drives (SED)

Self-encrypting drives are supported by RST under three scenarios:
1. When SED’s are treated as standard drives.
2. When SED’s are enabled using HDD passwords, via the ATA Security command set,
following the restrictions outlined in the previous section above.
3. When SED’s are Opal or eDrive enabled, using 3rd party software, and following
configuration and support outlined in Sections Opal Drive Support and eDrive Support.
34.3 Solid State Hybrid Drives (SSHD’s) with

Encryption
SSHD’s with encryption are supported by RST only if those drives can be treated as standard
SSHD’s.
34.4 RAID Volume and Drive Partition Encryption

RST supports encryption of volumes (including SRT), disks, and individual partitions by software
encryption tools with the following restrictions:
1. Partition tables must remain unencrypted.
2. Approximately 6MB of non-partitioned space must be reserved, and remain

unencrypted, at the end of the disk. This is the same as any configuration performing a
create volume from an existing disk.
It is suggested that drives be encrypted before enabling SRT. This is to ensure that the SRT cache
is populated with encrypted data.

35 Appendix D: Remapping
Guidelines for RST PCIe
Storage Devices
35.1 Remapping Reference Documentation
Doc # Title Notes

549921 Skylake Platform Controller Hub (PCH), H See Chapter 24
and LP BIOS Specification
http://www.intel.com/cd/edesign/library/as
mo-na/eng/549921.htm
546884 Skylake H Platform Design Guide Based on See Chapters 13, 14, 15, and 34
Skylake H Processor --
543016 Skylake U and Y Platform Design Guide See Chapters 11, 12, 13, and 36
Based on Skylake U and Y Processors --
http://www.intel.com/cd/edesign/library/
asmo-na/eng/543016.htm
551377 Skylake-H Client Platform SPI Please download latest version ME firmware package
Programming Guide for latest version
See Chapter 10.1

550696 Skylake-LP Client Platform SPI Please download latest version ME firmware package
Programming Guide - for latest version
See Chapter 10.1
549921 Skylake Platform Controller Hub (PCH), H See Chapter 24
and LP BIOS Specification --
546717 Skylake H Platform Controller Hub (SKL Tables 1-5, 25-3

PCH) External Design Specification Volume Chapter 3
1 of 2
546955 Skylake Platform Controller Hub (SKL PCH-

H) External Design Specification (EDS) -
Volume 2 of 2
545659 Skylake Platform Controller Hub (SKL PCH) Tables 1-3, 25-3
External Design Specification Volume 1 of Chapter 3
2-
545845 Skylake Platform Controller Hub (PCH-LP)

External Design Specification (EDS) -

Volume 2 of 2
35.2 Remapping HW and BIOS Requirements

1) Platform must have the appropriate HW to support remapping. Those PCH SKUs
that support remapping:
Skylake: PCH-LP: Premium-U, Premium-Y
PCH-H: QM170, HM170, H170, Q170, Z170, C236, CM236
2) Also the system UEFI BIOS must have the appropritate coding to support the
remapping configuration desired (legacy BIOS not supported)
Reference: Doc #549921: Skylake Platform Controller Hub (PCH), H and LP BIOS Specification
35.3 Remapping Configuration Rules

Table 33-1 PCH-H HSIO Detail (Lanes 15 -26)
Table 1 PCIe Controller #3 :| (Cycle Router #1) PCIe Controller #4 | (Cycle Router #2) PCIe Controller #5 | (Cycle Router #3)
SKU 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
HM170 PCIe PCIe N/A N/A N/A N/A
QM170 PCIe PCIe N/A N/A N/A N/A

H170 PCIe PCIe SATA SATA PCIe PCIe

Q170 PCIe PCIe PCIe PCIe
Z170 PCIe PCIe PCIe PCIe
C236 / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe / PCIe /
PCIe PCIe
CM236 SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA SATA
x4 x4 x4
x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2
Intel RST PCIe Storage Device #1 Intel RST PCIe Storage Device #2 Intel RST PCIe Storage Device #3
<------------------------------------------------------------------------H170**, Q170, Z170, C236------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
<---------------------------------------------------HM170, QM170-------------------------------------------------->
** H170 Supports Only a Maximum of 2 Remapped PCIe Devices (Controllers) of the 3 Available
Table 33-2 PCH-LP HSIO Detail (Lanes 9 -16)

PCH-LP HSIO Detail (HSIO Lanes 9 -16) (PCIe #5 -#12)
PCIe Controller #2 PCIe Controller #3
SKU HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Prem-U PCIe PCIe PCIe / SATA PCIe / SATA PCIe PCIE PCIe / SATA PCIe / SATA
Prem-Y PCIe PCIe PCIe / SATA PCIe / SATA PCIe PCIE N/A N/A
Intel RST PCIe Storage Device #1 Intel RST PCIe Storage Device #2
<------------------------------------------------------------U-------------------------------------------------------------->
<---------------------------------------------Y---------------------------------------------->
Remapping Rules
NOTE: When remapping is enabled, the HSIO lanes that are associated with the Cycle Router that is
enabled for remapping are dedicated to be used only for Intel RST PCIe Storage (PCIE
NVME/AHCI or SATA devices controlled by RST). Those four lanes associated with the
remapped Cycle Router cannot be used for any other purpose.
 For a HSIO lane to be available for RST PCIe Storage remapping it must have the 'PCIe'
label for that SKU in Table 33-1 and 33-2 in this section (e.g., lanes 23 and 24 cannot be
remapped for RST on H170 SKU as they are labled ‘SATA’ only). The ‘SATA’ label indicates
that the lane can only be mapped as SATA 3.0. The Lanes labeled ‘PCIE/SATA” are flexible
and can be mapped as PCIe, SATA, or remapped as RST PCIe Storage.
-Reference: Document #546717: "Skylake H Platform Controller Hub (SKL PCH) External
Design Specification Volume 1 of 2" : Table 1-5
-Reference: Document #545659: "Skylake Platform Controller Hub (SKL PCH) External

 Only 1 Intel® RST PCIe Storage Device (x2 or x4) can be remapped per PCH PCIe
controller; every 4 HSIO lanes is considered a PCIe controller (e.g. , lanes 23 - 26 are
considered a controller on PCH-H; they are PCIe Controller #5 on PCH-H)
-Reference: Document #546717: "Skylake H Platform Controller Hub (SKL PCH) External
-Reference: Document #545659: "Skylake Platform Controller Hub (SKL PCH) External
o Controller #3 on H170 SKU can support a x4Root 9, or a x2Root 9, or a x2Root 11

o Controller #4 on H170 SKU can support a x4Root 13, or a x2Root 13, or a x2Root 15
o Controller #5 on H170 SKU can support a single x2Root 19 device using HSIO lanes 25
and 26 (lanes 23 and 24 cannot be remapped to the controller; they are SATA only)
Note: Intel RST does not support x1 PCIe lane configurations
 Once a HSIO lane has been remapped for Intel RST PCIe Storage, if any SATA port is
assigned to that lane, then that SATA port is no longer available for use
o (E.g. if a x4 has been remapped on PCH-H lanes 19 and 22, then SATA 2 and 3 of
the PCH are no longer availableto be used)
o
SPT-H
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe #09
PCIe #10
PCIe #11
PCIe #12
PCIe #13
PCIe #14
PCIe #15
PCIe #16
PCIe #17
PCIe #18
PCIe #19
PCIe #20
SPT-LP Premium-U SPT-LP Premium-Y

HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14
PCIe #5
PCIe #6
PCIe #7
PCIe #8
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
PCIe #5
PCIe #6
PCIe #7
PCIe #8
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
PCIe #11
PCIe #12
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
SATA 6 'C236' ONLY
SATA 7 'C236' ONLY

SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 1 'Alternate'
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
SATA 0
SATA 1
x4 x4 x4
x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2
Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage x4 x4 x4
Device #1 Device #2 Device #3 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2
<----------------------------H170**, Q170, Z170, C236------------------------------> Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage
Intel RST P CIe
Sto rage
<----------------------HM170, QM170------------------> Device #1 Device #2 Device #1 Device # 2
35.4 PCH-H Remapping Configurations

Supported RST devices based on remapped PCIe devices
SPT-H
Total PCIe Max # of SATA Total RST
Devices Devices Devices
0 6 6
1 6 7
2 4 6
3 0 3
KEY
PCIe = Remapped PCIe Port
SATA = Availabe SATA Port
SATA6/7 = SATA 6/7 of CM/C236 SKU are not available in remapping mode
SATA 5 = SATA 5 is unavailable for use when a x2 PCIe is configured on HSIO lanes 25 and 26
PI = Port Index : RST storage port number enumeration {e.g. PI 7 = port 0-7-0-0
SATA 2 = PI 2 = port 0-2-0-0}

35.4.1 Configurations With 1 x2 PCIe Port Remapped
1 x2 PCIe Device Config H01-1x20x4 Config H02-1x20x4 Config H03-1x20x4
SPT-H : HM170, QM170, H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : HM170, QM170, H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : HM170, QM170, H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x2 : PI 7
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
SATA Port6 N/A for Remapping
PCIe x2 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x2 :

PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5
PI 7
PI 6
x2 x2 x2
Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage
Device #1 Device #2 Device #3 Device #1 Device #2 Device #3 Device #1 Device #2 Device #3
Devi ce #1 : 1 rema pped PCIe Devi ce on PCIe Port 9 Devi ce #1 : 1 rema pped PCIe Devi ce on PCIe Port 11 Devi ce #1 : 1 rema pped PCIe Devi ce on PCIe Port 13
Devi ce #2 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #2 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #2 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5*
Devi ce #6** : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #6** : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #6** : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5*
Devi ce #7** : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #7** : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #7** : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5*
*N/A for HM170, QM170 *N/A for HM170, QM170 *N/A for HM170, QM170
**Devices #6 and #7 are N/A for HM170, QM170 **Devices #6 and #7 are N/A for HM170, QM170 **Devices #6 and #7 are N/A for HM170, QM170
Config H04-1x20x4 Config H05-1x20x4 Config H06-1x20x4

SPT-H : HM170, QM170, H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
PI 6
PI 5
PI 5
x2 x2 x2
Devi ce #2 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #2 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 Devi ce #2 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4*
Devi ce #6** : N/A Devi ce #6**: N/A Devi ce #6** : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4*
Devi ce #7** : N/A Devi ce #7**: N/A Devi ce #7** : N/A
**Devices #6 and #7 are N/A for HM170, QM170 **Devices #6 and #7 are N/A for HM170, QM170 **Devices #6 and #7 are N/A for HM170, QM170
Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170 Note1: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for HM170 and QM170
Note2: SATA5 is N/A in this configuration

35.4.2 Configurations With 2 x2 PCIe Ports Remapped
2 x2 PCIe Devices Config H07-2x20x4 Config H08-2x20x4 Config H09-2x20x4
SPT-H : HM170, QM170, H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : HM170, QM170, H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x2 : PI 7
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :

PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5
PCIe #12
SATA 4
SATA 5
PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
PI 6
PI 6
PI 7
PI 5
PI 7
x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2
Devi ce #3 : SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA 4* or SATA 5* Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3
Devi ce #4 : SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3
*N/A for HM170, QM170 *N/A for HM170, QM170 Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170

SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :

PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
PI 7
PI 5
PI 6
PI 5
PI 6
PI 5
x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2
Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA4* Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3
Devi ce #6 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* Devi ce #6 : N/A Devi ce #6 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3
Note1: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for HM170 and QM170 Note1: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for HM170 and QM170
Note2: SATA5 is N/A in this configuration Note2: SATA5 is N/A in this configuration

HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :

SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
SATA 3
PI 7
PI 6
PI 7
PI 6
PI 7
x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 PI 5
x2
Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3
*N/A for HM170, QM170 * N/A for HM170, QM170 Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170

SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x2 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
PI 7
PI 5
PI 6
PI 5
PI 6
PI 5
x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2
Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4*
Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4*
Devi ce #5 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* Devi ce #5 : N/A Devi ce #5 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4*
Devi ce #6 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* Devi ce #6 : N/A Devi ce #6 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4*
* N/A for HM170, QM170 Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170 * N/A for HM170, QM170
Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for HM170 and QM170 Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for HM170 and QM170
Note2: SATA5 is N/A in this configuration Note2: SATA5 is N/A in this configuration

3 x2 PCIe Devices (C/CM236, Z170, Q170 Only) Config H19-3x20x4 Config H20-3x20x4 Config H21-3x20x4
SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :

PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
PCIe #12
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7 6 5 PI 7 6 5 PI 7 6 5
Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170 Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170 Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170

SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe #12
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7 6 5 PI 7 6 5 PI 7 6 5
Config H25-3x20x4 Config H26-3x20x4

SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x2 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7 6 5 PI 7 6 5
Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage
Device #1 Device #2 Device #3 Device #1 Device #2 Device #3
Devi ce #1 : 1 rema pped PCIe Devi ce on PCIe Port 11 Devi ce #1 : 1 rema pped PCIe Devi ce on PCIe Port 11
Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170 Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170
35.4.4 Configurations With 1, 2, and 3 x4 PCIe Ports Remapped

1 x4 PCIe Device Config H27-0x21x4 Config H28-0x21x4 Config H29-0x21x4
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x4 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x4 :
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x4 :
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
x4 x4 x4
PI PI PI
Devi ce #6** : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #6** : Not Ava i l a bl e Devi ce #6** : Not Ava i l a bl e
Devi ce #7** : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #7** : Not Ava i l a bl e Devi ce #7** : Not Ava i l a bl e
*N/A for HM170, QM170 *N/A for HM170, QM170 **Devices #6 and #7 are N/A for HM170, QM170
**Devices #6 and #7 are N/A for HM170, QM170 **Devices #6 and #7 are N/A for HM170, QM170 Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170
Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for HM170 and QM170 Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for HM170 and QM170

2 x4 PCIe Devices Config H30-0x22x4 Config H31-0x22x4 Config H32-0x22x4
SPT-H : HM170, QM170, H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x4 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x4 :
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x4 :
SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
PI 7
PI 6
PI 7
PI 5
PI 6
PI 5
x4 x4 x4 x4 x4 x4
PI PI PI
Devi ce #3 : SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1
Devi ce #4 : SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1
Devi ce #5 : Not Ava i l a bl e Devi ce #5 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 Devi ce #5 : Not Ava i l a bl e
Devi ce #6 : Not Ava i l a bl e Devi ce #6 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 or SATA 3 Devi ce #6 : Not Ava i l a bl e
*N/A for HM170, QM170 Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170 Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170
Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for HM170 and QM170
3 x4 PCIe Device Config H33-0x23x4

SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x4 :
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
x4 x4 x4
PI 7 6 5
Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage
Device #1 Device #2 Device #3
Devi ce #1 : 1 rema pped PCIe Devi ce on PCIe Port 09
Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170

35.4.5 Configurations With (1 x2 + 1 x4) PCIe Ports Remapped
1 x2 + 1 x4 PCIe Devics Config H34-1x21x4 Config H35-1x21x4 Config H36-1x21x4
SPT-H : HM170, QM170, H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : HM170, QM170, H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : HM170, QM170, H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :

SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 2
SATA 3
PI 7
PI 6
PI 7
PI 6
PI 7
PI 5
x4 x4 x4
x2 x2 x2
Devi ce #3 : SATA 2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3

SPT-H : HM170, QM170, H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x4 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :

SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
PCIe #12
SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 4
SATA 5
PI 7
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 7
PI 6
x4 x4 x4
x2 x2 x2
Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* Devi ce #3 : SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA4* or SATA5*
Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* Devi ce #4 : SATA4* or SATA5* Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA4* or SATA5*
Devi ce #5 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* Devi ce #5 : Not Ava i l a bl e Devi ce #5 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA4* or SATA5*
Devi ce #6 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3 or SATA4* Devi ce #6 : Not Ava i l a bl e Devi ce #6 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA4* or SATA5*

SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x4 :
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
PI 6
PI 5
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 5
x4 x4 x4
x2 x2 x2
Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA4* Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3
Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA4* Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3
Devi ce #5 : Not Ava i l a bl e Devi ce #5 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA4* Devi ce #5 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3
Devi ce #6 : Not Ava i l a bl e Devi ce #6 : Not Ava i l a bl e Devi ce #6 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3
Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170 *N/A for HM170, QM170 Note: This PCIe+SATA config is N/A for H170, HM170 and QM170

SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : H170, Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x2 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x4 :
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #12
PI 7
PI 5
PI 6
PI 5
PI 6
PI 5
x4 x4 x4
x2 x2 x2
Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3 Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3 Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1
Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3 Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3 Devi ce #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1
Devi ce #5 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3 Devi ce #5 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3 Devi ce #5 : Not Ava i l a bl e
Devi ce #6 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3 Devi ce #6 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA2 or SATA 3 Devi ce #6 : Not Ava i l a bl e

SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236 SPT-H : Q170, Z170, and CM/C236
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :

SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
x4 x4 x4
x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2

HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x4 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
PCIe #12
PCIe #12
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 7
PI 5
PI 7
PI 7
PI 5
x4 x4 x4
x2 x2 7 x2 7 x2

HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
PCIe #12
SATA 2
SATA 3
PI 7
PI 7
PI 5
PI 7
PI 7
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
x4 x4 x4
7 x2 7 x2 7 x2

HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe #12
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 0
SATA 1
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
x4 x4 x4
7 x2 7 x2 7 x2

35.4.7 Configurations With (1 x2 + 2 x4) PCIE Ports Remapped
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x4 :
SATA 4
SATA 5 N/A
PCIe #12
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
x4 x4 x4 x4 x4 x4
x2 x2 x2

HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x4 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
SATA 3
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 5
x4 x4 x4 x4 x4 x4
7 x2 x2
35.5 PCH-LP Premium-U Remapping Configurations

SPT-LP Premium-U
Total PCIe Max # of SATA Total RST Devices
0 3 3
1 3 4
2 2 4
KEY
SATA 2 = PI 2 = port 0-2-0-0}

1 x2 PCIe Device Config U01-1x20x4 Config U02-1x20x4
SPT-LP Premium-U SPT-LP Premium-U
HSIO 9
PCIe x2 Port #5 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 Port #7
SATA 1 'Alternate'
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
SATA 2
PCIe #5
PCIe #6
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
SATA 2
x2 x2
Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage
Device #1 Device #2 Device #1 Device #2
Device #1 : 1 remapped PCIe Device on PCIe Port 5 Device #1 : 1 remapped PCIe Device on PCIe Port 7
Device #2 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 Device #2 : SATA 1 or SATA 2
Device #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 Device #4 : Not Available
Config U03-1x20x4 Config U04-1x20x4

HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
PCIe x2 Port #9
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 Port #11

PCIe #5
PCIe #6
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
PCIe #5
PCIe #6
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
x2 x2
Device #4 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 or SATA 2 Device #4 : Not Available

2 x2 PCIe Devices Config U05-2x20x4 Config U06-2x20x4
HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
PCIe x2 Port #5
PCIe x2 Port #9
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 Port #5
PCIe x2 Port #11

SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 2
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
x2 x2 x2 x2

HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
PCIe x2 Port #7
PCIe x2 Port #9
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 Port #7
PCIe #5
PCIe #6
SATA 2
PCIe #5
PCIe #6
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
PCIe #11
x2 x2 x2 x2
Device #3 : SATA 1 or SATA 2 Device #3 : Not Available
Device #4 : SATA 1 or SATA 2

35.5.3 Configurations With 1 and 2 x4 PCIe Ports Remapped
1 x4 PCIe Device Config U09-0x21x4 Config U10-0x21x4
HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
PCIe x4 Port #5
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x4 Port #9
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
SATA 2
PCIe #5
PCIe #6
SATA 0
SATA 1
x4 x4
Device #2 : SATA 1 or SATA 2 Device #2 : SATA 0 or SATA 1
Device #3 : SATA 1 or SATA 2 Device #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1
Device #4 : Not Available Device #4 : Not Available
2 x4 PCIe Devices Config U11-0x22x4

SPT-LP Premium-U
HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
PCIe x4 Port #5
PCIe x4 Port #9
x4 x4
Intel RST PCIe Storage Intel RST PCIe Storage

Device #1 Device #2
Device #1 : 1 remapped PCIe Device on PCIe Port 5
Device #2 : 1 remapped PCIe Device on PCIe Port 9
Device #3 : Not Available
Device #4 : Not Available

1 x2 + 1 x4 PCIe Devices Config U12-1x21x4 Config U13-1x21x4
HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
PCIe x4 Port #5
PCIe x2 Port #9
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x4 Port #5
PCIe x2 Port #11

SATA 2
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
x4 x4
x2 x2

HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
PCIe x2 Port #5
PCIe x4 Port #9
PCIe x2 Port #7
PCIe x4 Port #9
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #5
PCIe #6
x4 x4
x2 x2
35.6 PCH-LP Premium-Y Remapping Configurations

SPT-Y
Total PCIe Max # of SATA Total RST Devices
0 2 2
1 2 3
2 2 4

KEY
SATA 2 = PI 2 = port 0-2-0-0}
1 x2 PCIe Device Config Y01-1x20x4 Config Y02-1x20x4

SPT-LP Premium-Y SPT-LP Premium-Y
HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
PCIe #5
PCIe #6
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
PI 6
PI 6
x2 x2
Intel RST P CIe Intel RST P CIe
Intel RST PCIe Storage Sto rage
Device #1 Device # 2 Device #1 Device # 2
Devi ce #2 : SATA 0 or SATA 1 Devi ce #2 : Not Ava i l a bl e
Config Y03-1x20x4
SPT-LP Premium-Y
HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14
PCIe #5
PCIe #6
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe x2 :
PI 5
x2
Intel RST P CIe
Device #1 Device # 2
Devi ce #2 : SATA 0 or SATA 1
Devi ce #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1

2 x2 PCIe Devices Config Y04-2x20x4 Config Y05-2x20x4

HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
SATA 0
SATA 1
PCIe #5
PCIe #6
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x2 :
PI 6
PI 6
PI 5
PI 5
x2 x2 x2 x2
35.6.3 Configurations With x4 PCIe Ports Remapped
1 x4 PCIe Device Config Y06-0x21x4 1 x4 + 1 x2 PCIe Devices Config Y07-1x21x4

HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14 HSIO 9 10 11 12 13 14
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x4 :
PCIe #9
PCIe #10
PCIe x2 :
PI 6
PI 6
PI 5
x4 x4
x2
Device #2 : Not Available Device #2 : 1 remapped PCIe Device on PCIe Port 9

35.7 Examples of Configurations to Meet Design
Specifications
35.7.1 Example #1: SPT-H HM170 SKU With 1x2 + 1x4 + 1 SATA
Customer Design Requirement (Example of SKU Dependency):
Customer wishes to design an HM170 with the following specs for Intel RST support:
- 1 x2 PCIe Storage Device
- 1 x4 PCIe Storage Device
- 1 SATA 3.0 Storage Device
Intel RST support limitations for HM170 platform

- 4 SATA 3.0 storage devices
- 2 Intel RST PCIe storage devices
- Only HSIO lanes 15 - 22 are available for remapping on the HM170 SKU
- 6 total (SATA 3.0 + RST PCIe) storage devices combined
There are four possible configurations for 1 x4 + 1 x2 Intel® RST PCIe Storage Devices on the SPT-H HM170 SKU
1 x4 + 1 x2 PCIe Devices Config H34-1x21x4 Config H35-1x21x4

SPT-H : HM170 SPT-H : HM170
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :
SATA 0 'Alternate'
SATA 1 'Alternate'
PCIe x2 :

SATA 2
SATA 3
SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 4
SATA 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 7
x4 x2 x4 x2 PI 6
Devi ce #1 : 1 rema pped PCIe Devi ce on PCIe Port 09 Device #1 : 1 remapped x4 PCIe Device on PCIe Port 9
Devi ce #2 : 1 rema pped PCIe Devi ce on PCIe Port 13 Device #2 : 1 remapped x2 PCIe Device on PCIe Port 15
Devi ce #3 : SATA 2 or SATA 3 Device #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1
Device #4 : Available, not required Device #4 : Available, not required
Devi ce #5 : Not Ava i l a bl e Device #5 : Not Available
Devi ce #6 : Not Ava i l a bl e Device #6 : Not Available
Config H38-1x21x4 Config H39-1x21x4

SPT-H : HM170 SPT-H : HM170
HSIO 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
PCIe x2 :
PCIe Port #11
PCIe Port #12
PCIe x4 :
PCIe x2 :
PCIe x4 :

SATA 4
SATA 5
SATA 0
SATA 1
SATA 4
SATA 5
PI 7
PI 6
PI 7
PI 6
x2 x4 x2 x4
Device #1 : 1 remapped x2 PCIe Device on PCIe Port 09 Device #1 : 1 remapped x2 PCIe Device on PCIe Port 11
Device #2 : 1 remapped x4 PCIe Device on PCIe Port 13 Device #2 : 1 remapped x4 PCIe Device on PCIe Port 13
Device #3 : Not Available Device #3 : SATA 0 or SATA 1
Device #4 : Not Available Device #4 : Available, not required
1) Config H38-1x21x4 does not meet the requirement on HM170 SKU since there are no SATA ports
available in this PCIe + SATA configuration
2) Conclusion: The SKL SPT-H HM170 SKU with RST remapped PCIe Storage has three possible
configurations (Configs #'s H34-1x21x4, H35-1x21x4, and H39-1x21x4) that will meet this
customer design requirement.

35.7.2 Example #2
End

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Intel® Rapid Storage Technology

For the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Release Versions 15.2

2 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology ........................................................................ 12

4 New in Release Version 15.x .............................................................................. 36

13 RAID Volume Data Verification and Repair Feature ............................................... 78

16 Determining the Version of the RAID Driver ......................................................... 88

26 Opal Drive Support ......................................................................................... 195

27 eDrive Support .............................................................................................. 197

Revision Description Intel® Rapid Storage Revision Date

Intel® RST 15.x Release

0.81  Initial draft 15.2 April 2016

- RST 13.0 Validation Use case document

- RST Pre 13.0 Validation Use case document

2.1.1 Product Release Numbering Scheme

2.1.2 RAID Levels

*RAID 10 is currently NOT supported on RST PCIe Storage

2.1.3 Typical Usage Model for RAID Levels

RAID 1 This provides end-users with data redundancy by mirroring data

RAID 5 This provides end-users with good performance and data

RAID 10 This provides end-users with the benefits of RAID 0 (performance)

New platforms/chipsets for 15.2 (in blue)

*Denotes the Platform Does Not Support RAID

Kabylake Platform / PCH: Sunrise Point (SPT): SPT-LP

2.1.5 Supported Operating Systems for This Release

N Y Microsoft Windows 7*1

N Y Microsoft Windows 7 x64 Edition*

N Y Microsoft Windows 8.1*1

N Y Microsoft Windows 8.1 x64 Edition*

Y Y Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 x64 Edition*

Y Y Microsoft Windows 10* 1

Y Y Microsoft Windows 10 x64 Edition*

Y Y Microsoft Windows 10 Threshold2* 1

Y Y Microsoft Windows 10 Threshold2 x64 Edition*

Y Y Microsoft Windows 10 Redstone1*

2.1.6 Supported MSFT* Performance Debug Tools

3.1 Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Software

3.3 Intel pre-OS RAID Configuration Utilities

3.3.1 RCfgSata Utility for MS-DOS* and UEFI

 Rcfgsata.efi = UEFI application (UEFI shell required)

rcfgsata.efi (or rcfgsata.exe) [/?] [/Y] [/Q] [/C:vol_name] [/SS:strip_size] [/L:raid_level]

/? Displays Help Screen. Other options ignored.

/Q Quiet mode / No output. Should not be used with status commands.

/SS Specify strip size in KB. Only valid with /C.

/S Specify volume size in GB or percentage if a '%' is appended. Percentage must be

/D Delete Volume with specified name.

/I Display All Drive/Volume/Array Information. /P can be specified.

/P Pause display between sections. Only valid with /I or /ST.

/SP Marks the selected drive(s) as spare(s). Use with /DS

/ST Display Volume/RAID/Disk Status.

/V Display version information

/EM Enable only master disk for recovery volume

/ACCEL Specify the volume to accelerate and acceleration mode

vol_name1 - volume to accelerate

cache_vol - the volume to use as cache

mode - "enh" for enhanced, "max" - maximized

/RA Removes the Disk/Volume Acceleration.

USAGE: rstcli.exe (or rstcli64.exe)

-A <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>, --add <<host>-<bus>-<target>-<lun>>

--cache-size <MIN or MAX>

--loadCache C:\Windows\. --recurse