Setting Up RAID 1 Mirror Array Using Intel VMD Technology

Applicable Model: H4‑12ᵗʰ Gen Series Mini PCs Target Audience: System Integration Engineers, IT Operation and Maintenance Personnel, Technology Enthusiasts Document Version: V1.0

I. Technical Background and Core Concepts

1.1 What is Intel VMD?

Intel Volume Management Device (VMD) is a hardware‑level storage management technology integrated inside Intel CPUs. It is designed for centralized management of NVMe SSDs and RAID configuration, featuring three key advantages:

Feature	Description
Simplified Management	After installing one single VMD driver in the operating system, all NVMe SSDs under the VMD controller can be recognized and managed, eliminating the hassle of installing separate drivers for each drive.
Performance Optimization	NVMe SSDs exchange data directly with the CPU via VMD, bypassing traditional chipset logic or dedicated RAID adapters. This substantially lowers access latency, improves I/O throughput and reduces CPU software overhead.
Enhanced Reliability	VMD isolates and handles disk errors from the operating system, effectively preventing system blue‑screens or crashes caused by drive failures. It is especially suitable for 7×24‑hour continuously‑running scenarios such as industrial control and edge computing.

1.2 Quick Comparison of RAID Levels

Select the appropriate RAID level according to your requirements before configuration. Below is a comparison between the commonly‑used RAID 0 and RAID 1:

Comparison Item	RAID 0 (Striping)	RAID 1 (Mirroring)
Core Mechanism	Data is split and written alternately across two SSDs for parallel read‑write operations.	Full data duplication on two SSDs for real‑time mirroring.
Read‑Write Performance	Sequential read‑write speed is nearly twice that of a single drive.	Slight improvement in read speed; write speed is comparable to a single drive.
Usable Capacity	Total capacity equals the sum of both drives (100 % utilization).	Total capacity equals capacity of one single drive (50 % utilization; e.g. 2 × 1 TB yields 1 TB usable space).
Data Security	No redundancy. Failure of either drive causes complete data loss.	100 % redundancy. If one drive fails, the other retains a full copy of data, and the system continues operation seamlessly.
Recommended Scenarios	High‑speed cache, temporary data, performance‑oriented non‑critical workloads.	OS boot drives, databases, critical‑file storage and other scenarios requiring high‑level data safety.

This guide demonstrates configuration with RAID 1 as an example. Setup procedures for other RAID modes (e.g. RAID 0) are identical; only the RAID‑level selection differs.

II. Prerequisites for RAID Configuration

Verify all conditions below are satisfied before proceeding: ✅ An H4‑12ᵗʰ Gen Mini PC supporting Intel VMD (VMD configuration options must be present in BIOS). ✅ Two NVMe‑protocol M.2 SSDs. Drives of identical brand, model and capacity are strongly recommended for optimal compatibility and performance.

⚠️ Important: Creating a RAID array erases all existing data on both SSDs. Back‑up all critical data before operation.

III. Detailed Operating Procedures

Step 1: Enable Intel VMD in BIOS

1.1 Power on the host. When the boot logo appears, repeatedly press the Delete (Del) key on your keyboard to enter the BIOS Setup interface.

1.3 Press the F4 key. In the pop‑up Save‑and‑Exit dialogue, select Yes or OK to confirm saving changes. The system will reboot automatically.

Step 2: Create a RAID Volume inside BIOS

2.1 After reboot, press the Del key again to enter BIOS Setup.

2.2 Go to the Advanced tab and open the sub‑menu Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology.

2.3 Inside the Intel RST interface, select Create RAID Volume.

2.4 Complete the creation wizard:

• RAID Level: Select per requirements; RAID 1 is chosen for this example.
• Select Disks: Use the keyboard Spacebar to tick both NVMe SSDs intended for the array.
• Leave other parameters such as stripe size and volume name at default values.
• Finally select Create Volume and confirm volume creation.

2.5 Upon successful creation, the newly‑generated RAID volume together with its status will be displayed on the main Intel RST screen.

Step 3: Download and Prepare VMD Drivers (for Windows)

3.1 Since VMD implements a hardware‑abstraction layer, stock Windows installation media does not include its driver. Manual driver injection is required during OS installation; otherwise the installer cannot detect the RAID volume.

Download the driver package Visit Intel Official Download Center and obtain the Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) Driver Installation Software (for 12th‑ to 15th‑generation Intel platforms): Download link: 🔗 //www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/849936/intel-rapid-storage-technology-driver-installation-software-with-intel-optane-memory-12th-to-15th-gen-platforms.html

3.2 Extract raw driver files Save the downloaded SetupRST.exe to the root directory of drive D (or any accessible location). Launch PowerShell or Command Prompt with administrator privileges and execute these commands:

D:
.\SetupRST.exe -extractdrivers RST_Driver

After execution, an RST_Driver folder will be generated in the current directory.

3.3 Locate VMD driver files The file path for the VMD‑controller driver is: RST_Driver\production\Windows10‑x64\Drivers\VMD The file iaStorVD.inf inside this folder is the required driver file.

Copy the entire VMD folder (or at minimum iaStorVD.inf and its associated files) onto a FAT32‑formatted USB flash drive for driver loading during Windows installation.

⚠️ Notes: The above‑mentioned drivers support Windows 10 / Windows 11 only. No official VMD drivers are available for Linux distributions. If you intend to use RAID under Linux, software RAID (e.g. mdadm) or non‑VMD mode is recommended.

Step 4: Load VMD Driver during Windows Installation

4.1 Boot the host from an official Windows 10/11 installation USB drive to enter the installer. When you reach the Where do you want to install Windows? (disk‑partitioning) step, no disks will show up because the VMD RAID volume remains unrecognized.

Click the Load Driver button at the bottom‑left corner of the window.

In the pop‑up dialogue, click Browse. Navigate to your prepared USB drive and open the directory RST_Driver\production\Windows10‑x64\Drivers\VMD. Select this folder and confirm.

• The system will scan and list available controller drivers. Select Intel RST VMD Controller (or similarly‑named entry) and click Install to finish driver loading.

  Once the driver loads successfully, the RAID disk will appear normally. You may:

• Click New to create partitions if the disk is unpartitioned;
• Select a target partition and click Next, then follow the standard workflow to complete Windows installation.

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IV. FAQ & Maintenance Tips

How to verify proper RAID operation?

Install the Intel Optane Memory and Storage Management application (or Intel RST Console) under Windows. You can inspect RAID‑volume health status, synchronization progress and other information.

What to do in case of hard‑disk failure?

RAID 1 tolerates single‑drive failure. After replacing the faulty drive with a new one, go to the Intel RST menu in BIOS, select the corresponding RAID volume and trigger the Rebuild operation. The system will automatically mirror data from the intact drive onto the replacement disk.

Can VMD be enabled after the operating system is already installed?

Technically feasible, yet relatively complex: enable VMD in BIOS then install matching drivers inside the OS. It is strongly recommended to finish RAID setup prior to a fresh OS installation.

Can I migrate a RAID volume to another host?

Because VMD is tightly coupled with the CPU, RAID volumes generally cannot be directly migrated to non‑Intel platforms or CPUs of different generations. Back‑up your data before hardware replacement.

V. Summary

With Intel VMD technology, you can build a high‑performance, safety‑oriented RAID 1 mirror array on H4‑12ᵗʰ Gen Mini PCs via streamlined procedures. This document elaborates the full workflow including BIOS configuration, driver preparation and OS installation for smooth deployment. Choose RAID 1 for maximum data protection, or RAID 0 for higher performance where data loss risk is acceptable. In either scenario, VMD delivers hardware‑accelerated efficient storage management.