x99 ws-e uefi raid not boot
Printed From: ASRock.com
Category: Technical Support
Forum Name: Intel Motherboards
Forum Description: Question about ASRock Intel Motherboards
URL: https://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1434
Printed Date: 13 May 2024 at 9:26pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: x99 ws-e uefi raid not boot
Posted By: twisterice
Subject: x99 ws-e uefi raid not boot
Date Posted: 05 Dec 2015 at 6:42pm
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Hello, i'm trying to install my esxi6 boot usb (i'm sure that is good because start from boot) on the raid manage from raid controller on x99 ws-e motherboard. i've 4 ssd samsung evo 850 each 500 gb. I've installed the last bios... but i cannot run the raid config during the boot...i should see to set making ctrl+I but it doesn't works and during the boot return to the bios uefi...what's wrong? in uefi bios i've configured as follow: under Advanced: Storage Configuration - hard disk smart (disabled) - marvell 9172 controller (enabled) - marvell 9172 operation mode (raid mode) - bootable marvell 9172 sata3 (none...because the manual suggest to do not enable for best and fast performance) SATA3 Storage Configuration - Sata controller (enabled)รน - Sata Mode Selection (raid) - Sata Aggressive Link Power Managemen (disabled) Intel Rapid Storage Technology - here i've created the Raid Volume that becomes 1,3 tb (that's correct because the ssd disks are 4) in the Raid Volume Info, i see Bootable (yes), Strip Size 32kb, Raid Level 5, Status (normal) CPU Configuration - Intel Hyper Threading Technology (enabled) - No-Execute Memory Protecion (enabled) - Intel Virtualization Technology (enabled) CPU Chipset Configuration - VT-d (enabled) What do you think about it? thanks, Luca |
Replies:
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 05 Dec 2015 at 7:31pm
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Luca, what SATA3 ports are these drives connected to? |
Posted By: twisterice
Date Posted: 05 Dec 2015 at 7:33pm
| ok seems that finally i've build the raid from motherboard controller..and now it's 1,3 tb...ok but when i boot the esxi 6 installer it show me the storage device for 4 ssd samsung disks with each capacity and not as a whole volume raid created....why it does not read the raid config? |
Posted By: twisterice
Date Posted: 05 Dec 2015 at 7:34pm
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the ssd disk are connect in the right sata connectors....from sata 3_0 to 5 as indicated in the manual |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 05 Dec 2015 at 7:45pm
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Ok. So you have six "drives" you're using for RAID. Still in a RAID5 as you stated in your other thread? |
Posted By: twisterice
Date Posted: 05 Dec 2015 at 7:46pm
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the drives are connected in this way: sata3_0 sata3_1 sata3_3 sata3_4 i've build the raid from motherboard controller..and now it's 1,3 tb...but when i boot the esxi 6 installer it show me the storage device for 4 ssd samsung disks with each capacity and not as a whole volume raid created....why it does not read the raid config? if i boot and make ctrl+I i see the whole raid into one volume for 1,3 tb...so seems to be ok...what's wrong? |
Posted By: twisterice
Date Posted: 05 Dec 2015 at 7:50pm
| yes i've select the RAID5 but if I remember to setting up raid 5, i can do it at least with 3 disks..in this case I have 4 and then rightly becomes one volume for 1.3 TB |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 05 Dec 2015 at 7:56pm
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4 drive RAID5 using 500GB drives should net you 1500GB/1.5TB before formatting. http://www.raid-calculator.com/default.aspx" rel="nofollow - http://www.raid-calculator.com/default.aspx Let's get those four drives onto _0, _1, _2, _3 and retry. So you'll be connecting to the top 3 ports from the bottom up, with the fourth connected to the bottom port on the third "column up. |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 05 Dec 2015 at 8:01pm
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_0 _3 _1 _4 _2 _5 (This the bottom of the SATA Ports) (And, these only ones that support native RAID, discounting the ASMedia's 2 ports) Use 0, 1, 2, 3 |
Posted By: twisterice
Date Posted: 05 Dec 2015 at 8:51pm
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now the disks are :0 _1 _2 _3 but nothing is changed...during the first setup, esxi installer continue to check individual disks and not the whole raid volume....very strange because the raid config si ok...i've tried to run a boot cd with easeus partition magic (just to see how they are config) and i've made a volume formatting in ntfs...just to understand if a new partion can help to check the raid volume....i restart and nothing to do...esxi installer continue to see individual disks partitions of 450gb for each disk |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 05 Dec 2015 at 9:15pm
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Well sheeiit. Looks as though ESXi has dropped software RAID beginning with the 5.5 release. I didn't know that until just now in looking. Time to get out your 9341-4i and begin anew. Keep me posted on your progress or lack thereof while doing this please. |
Posted By: twisterice
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2015 at 6:14pm
very well  at my expenses, I discovered that the software raid is no longer supported ... even if the controller is on the motherboard ... mmm .... I do not understand however, I am forced to use a card raid and since this cards get very hot, i put over it a mini fan of Noctua to cool the raid card.Although I'm pretty pissed off, I hope that this time will be better |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2015 at 10:01pm
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Your board, most boards, only provide software RAID as it doesn't have a dedicated hardware based RAID controller/chip installed on the motherboard itself. Look at the X99 Extreme11. It has the onboard hardware RAID controller, an LSI SAS3008. On your board the RAID processor is essentially your CPU, as it does the actual grunt work vs a dedicated hardware based RAID controller. I do and do not understand ESXi dropping software RAID support. In support of them dropping it. Our hardware is getting ever more powerful so thus "supporting" the less ideal software RAID is a harm to their product in that there are many posts blaming ESXi itself whereas the blame lays elsewhere. On the other hand, with only now supporting hardware based controllers they have a tighter control on limiting the above bad experiences and in turn EXSi as a product is all the better for doing so. The card you have, the 9341-xi is referred to as an entry level RAID controller. It doesn't have the cache, and/so thus no battery backup is needed. I don't know what you do to need RAID5 but some, most/all, would consider the inclusion of onboard cache and its intended battery backup a must have. Video editing? RAID5 is all about read speed yet with single disk write performance. Yea. Dedicated cards do get hot. That is the reult of the processing they do that is hardware based. Calculating Partity bits etc ..... I suggested originally you use the motherboard as the array would gain maneuverability from board to board. And too i considered and also based my suggestion on the fact that your 9341 doesn't have any cache. Swapping arrays between alike motherboards is relatively pain-free. Swapping arrays between dislike dedicated cards is a no go and everything would need rebuilding and too require that you made regular backups with which to restore back to with. |
Posted By: twisterice
Date Posted: 07 Dec 2015 at 3:41am
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ok, infact i will change with 9240-4i that should be better for that reasons |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 07 Dec 2015 at 10:15am
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The 9240 isn't much different from the 9341 you already(?) have. Both will use the X99's CPU. ie: sotfware RAID Now I'm really confused. It appears, no matter what thee newsgroups and forums I poured thru earlier stated, that the 9341 is in fact supported in ESXi 6.0. I decided to trudge thru the VMWare Compatibility Guide myself toning after reading of that 9240 you just posted of. 9341-4I Compatibility and correct drivers to use: http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/detail.php?deviceCategory=io&productid=35201&vcl=true 9240-xi Compatibility and correct drivers to use: (Note: It appears there is two cards w/differing HWIDs) (-4- or -8i makes no diff as same processor) http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/vcl/result.php?search=lsi+megaraid+9240&searchCategory=all |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 09 Dec 2015 at 10:39am
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Did you get one of those cards working there? I'm curious. |
Posted By: parsec
Date Posted: 09 Dec 2015 at 1:53pm
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I'm wondering what OS twisterice is using, and what version of the IRST driver was being used? I haven't checked into this at all as you have wardog, but I wonder if any of the latest changes Intel has done to accommodate the new types of SSDs in the IRST software is at least one factor in ESXi not working with Intel's RAID implementation. Intel uses the SNIA standard for RAID, or at least they have in the past. My point is another, earlier version of the IRST driver, or if twisterice's board supports the Intel RSTe RAID software (Intel's Enterprise RAID driver version, used originally with the X79 chipset, but not an option for PC X99 boards) might be compatible. Pure guess on my part. IMO, the big snobbery about "fake RAID" or "software RAID" is easy to talk about, but let's see if we can afford the real thing, hardware RAID. Oh wait, just a dedicated processor and software for all the IO? That's nice... how does the hardware RAID processor compare to a good Intel CPU and PCH chip (equivalent of the Southbridge chip of the near-past)? IO on PC boards is so separate from the CPU, that the CPU usage is so low and causes the cores to go into their power saving states. Alas, the memory controller is part of the CPU, so as AHCI and RAID software try to read IO commands from system memory, they wait for a core to wake up, which causes IO latency. That is one reason why "hardware RAID" exists. Meanwhile, the hardware RAID processor is always fully on, using power, and dissipating heat. Good RAID cards cost more than an entire PC. Their performance is usually biased for one type of IO at the expense of other types. In the end, we are comparing apples and oranges. The balance and flexibility of a PC, vs a dedicated IO engine. ------------- http://valid.x86.fr/48rujh" rel="nofollow"> 
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