AS-4124GS-TNR Marvell RAID1 VD setup

Document Scope

This document will provide a step-by-step guide on how to set up a Marvell RAID1 Virtual Disk (VD) for the AS-4124GS-TNR system.

Prerequisites

The Marvell RAID Controller on the AS-4124GS-TNR requires either 2 or 4 drives to set up a RAID configuration. For example:

2 identical drives can be set up as either RAID 0 (striping) or RAID 1 (mirroring)
4 identical drives in a Raid 10 (striped AND mirrored)
The controller firmware does not allow a single-drive RAID 0 configuration, as it requires 2 drives to function.

SATA Drive Count	Raid 0	Raid 1	Raid 10	2x Raid 0	2x Raid 1
1	No	No	No	No	No
2	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
3	Yes (3 Drives)	Yes (2 Drives) ¹	No	No	No
4	Yes (4 Drives)	Yes (2 Drives) ²	Yes (4 Drives)	Yes (2 Drives)	Yes (2 Drives)

¹ Remaining drive will not be usable in any configuration, as it is a single drive.

² RAID 1 can only be set up with 2 drives. Any remaining drives can be used for another RAID 0 or RAID 1 setup.

Marvell Raid / OS Compatibility List

OS	Version	Kernel Version	Marvell Raid compatibility	Note
Centos	8.3	4.18.0-240.el8.x86_64	Raid 1	Q# 103250-2, UEFI mode

Step 1: Accessing BIOS Settings

To enter the BIOS setup utility, press the <Delete> key while the system is booting up, as shown below.

Step 2: Restore Optimized Defaults

Once in the BIOS setup, navigate to the Save & Exit tab. Select the option Restore Optimized Defaults to ensure the BIOS is in a known good state.

Step 3: Configure NB Settings

Navigate to the Advanced tab, select NB Configuration, and set IOMMU to Enabled.

Save changes.

Step 4: Enter RAID Utility

On the below black screen, press CTRL-M to enter the Marvell BIOS Utility

Step 5: Follow the screens below to configure a RAID

Press Enter on the Marvell controller to bring up the Configuration Wizard selection.

Highlight each drive and press the space bar to select the drive. You should see an asterisk appear next to the drive once it's selected.

Press the right arrow key to highlight the HyperDuo option and press enter to change the configuration mode to the desired RAID level. This guide assumes RAID 1. This will create the virtual drive and you will be prompted to exit once completed.