Intel SATA RAID with Ctrl+I: Configuration, Status and Recovery Examples

These archived examples use Intel Rapid Storage Technology enterprise SATA Option ROM 3.6.0.1023. They mix different drives, capacities and RAID levels; configuration, deletion and recovery are separate cases. Confirm the actual platform and controller support before applying them. Deleting, resetting or creating a volume can destroy required data.

1. Enter the RAID configuration utility

During POST, press Ctrl+I when the displayed prompt offers it. The first capture lists two 74.5GB Intel SSDs as Non-RAID Disk. The next main-menu capture is a different case with three 2.7TB HGST drives and no volume defined:

2. View the RAID state

After configuration, the main menu lists the volume’s RAID level, size, status and bootable flag, followed by each physical drive’s status. The annotated example shows Volume0, RAID1(Mirror), 2.5TB, Normal, Bootable Yes; drives 0 and 1 are Member Disk(0), while drive 2 remains Non-RAID Disk. Normal is the recorded controller state, not proof of a verified backup or working OS:

3. Delete a RAID volume

The deletion example returns to two Intel SSDs and a 141.6GB RAID0 volume with 64KB strips. Select 2.Delete RAID Volume and press Enter:

Select the intended volume and press Delete. The help panel warns that deleting resets members to non-RAID and deletes disk data:

The confirmation asks whether to delete Volume0 and warns that all volume data will be lost. Answer Y only after verifying the target and that its data may be discarded. The subsequent capture has no defined RAID volume and both Intel SSDs are Non-RAID Disk:

4. Create RAID volumes

4.1 RAID1

In the three-HGST-drive example, select 1.Create RAID Volume. Use Enter/Tab to reach RAID Level and the arrow keys to select RAID1. The source mentions RAID0, RAID1, RAID5 and RAID10; use only modes supported by the actual controller and drive count:

At Disks, press Enter to open selection, use Space to select the two intended free drives, then Enter to finish. The source marks drive IDs 0 and 1; drive 2 is not selected:

Enter the required capacity. The pictured maximum is 2654.8GB; the utility explains that a smaller capacity can leave room for another volume. The RAID1 strip field is N/A:

At Create Volume, press Enter and review the warning that all data on the selected disks will be lost. Confirm Y only for the verified new-array operation. The final menu shows a 2.5TB Normal RAID1 volume with two members and one Non-RAID Disk:

4.2 RAID0

The source follows the same selection, capacity and confirmation workflow, choosing RAID0(Stripe). Its form shows 128KB strips and 0.0GB before drive selection; this is not an already-created zero-capacity array. RAID0 provides no member-failure redundancy:

4.3 RAID5

The source again uses the same creation workflow, with three intended members. Its form shows RAID5(Parity), 128KB and 5309.6GB; the resulting volume is displayed as 5.1TB Normal with all three HGST drives as members:

5. Source recovery cases and their limits

The source explicitly says recovery is only an attempt and may fail; if it fails, it refers the case to a data-recovery provider. Preserve the real drive identities, failure history and recoverable data before attempting writes. These examples are not a universal repair sequence for every degraded or failed array.

5.1 Degraded volume and rebuilding

The source says a degraded array may rebuild automatically. If it does not, it describes rebooting into Ctrl+I, choosing Reset Disks to Non-RAID, using Space to select the intended rebuild-destination drive and Enter to complete selection. Its photographed reset screen itself warns that resetting removes RAID structures and can lose all data on the selected disk. Do not reset the only valid surviving member or use a generic reset as a safe repair:

The subsequent Degraded Volume Detected dialog offers a 2.7TB destination driveID2 for rebuilding; Enter selects it. The utility says the rebuild completes in the operating system. The next screenshot shows the 5.1TB RAID5 volume in Rebuild state, not a completed rebuild. The source notes that performance can be very slow during rebuilding:

5.2 Failed/offline recovery example

A separate photographed case shows a 1.7TB RAID5 volume with three 931.5GB WDC drives, two marked Error Occurred(0), and the prompt Failed RAID volume detected. Recover volume?(Y/N). The source describes answering Y. This operation is configuration-specific and is not evidence that the underlying drives or data have been repaired:

The following photo shows Degraded and Bootable Yes, with one WDC drive still Error Occurred(0). The source says to reboot and back up accessible data first, then reset the intended dropped-out drive and rebuild under an appropriate service procedure. A Degraded state or bootable flag does not guarantee that the OS can start, the files are intact or recovery is complete. Reassess faults and data preservation before further changes:

References

• https://www.inspur.com/eportal/fileDir/defaultCurSite/resource/cms/2020/08/2020083116281298696.pdf
• https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-au/000137791/how-to-troubleshoot-a-raid-hard-drive-issue-on-a-dell-pc?lang=en
• https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005837/technologies/intel-rapid-storage-technology-intel-rst.html