Raid0 and TRIM Support on Intel 11.5 OROM and Latest v11.5.0.1184 RST Drivers ?

[m.oreilly]

i tried both, no difference (11.5 modded and not). used device manager. for me, 11.0 to 11.2 are very similar re performance.
i doubt intel will rise to the occasion and allow the 2011 socket raid trim. from what i see online, intel are not going to have an IB 'E', instead skipping it for a haswell 'E'.

[B Gates]

@ B.Gates:

Thanks for the reply.
When I posted my questions, I thought, you you have an X79 system like m.oreilly and Callsign_Vega, but now I have realized, that you have a Z77 one - my bad.

Yes I'm running a MSI Z77A-GD65 now sorry for any confusion.

[Fernando]

i tried both, no difference (11.5 modded and not).

That means, that you got these RST v11 drivers installed even without having added the missing HardwareID's?

used device manager.

If you didn't install the RST Console software, how did you enable the important feature "Write Back Caching"?

[m.oreilly]

i first install the 3.2 rst e raid app/driver, then reboot, set write back, re boot, uninstall the rst e app, reboot, replace the driver, reboot twice, and it's set. caching stays in place.

[Fernando]

i first install the 3.2 rst e raid app/driver, then reboot, set write back, re boot, uninstall the rst e app, reboot, replace the driver, reboot twice, and it's set. caching stays in place.

Thanks for the description of the procedure.
Have you ever tried to do our easy "Trim test" by using a Hex editor? If yes, which result did you get?

[m.oreilly]

no, i have not, as i assumed there would be none (raid trim) with the 'e' series orom/6 series chipset.

[Fernando]

no, i have not, as i assumed there would be none (raid trim) with the 'e' series orom/6 series chipset.

Doesn't belong the X79 chipset to the 7-Series?

[Peakr]

Intel responds to x79 trim. The article mentions "Only P67, Z68, Z77, H67, H77, Q67 and Q77 chipsets are currently supported". I'm confused now.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/news/...g-soon-to-x79/

[m.oreilly]

c600 is the chipset family, so a 6 series.

[m.oreilly]

Intel responds to x79 trim. The article mentions "Only P67, Z68, Z77, H67, H77, Q67 and Q77 chipsets are currently supported". I'm confused now.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/news/...g-soon-to-x79/

i know...now all of a sudden 67/68 are sprouting raid trim wings. a bit more from intel:

Amidst the outrage from understandably miffed enthusiasts, we reached out to Intel and asked about their plans for X79 users. Their response should put some of you at ease:

Current RSTe drivers specific to X79 do NOT support TRIM on RAID 0, but an updated RST driver version coming soon will add support for X79 based systems, including the TRIM on RAID 0 feature. Note that on client 7-series chipsets (non X79), RST driver version 11.0 and beyond supports TRIM on RAID 0. -Intel

So it looks like the vociferous enthusiast community hasn’t been forgotten or tossed by the wayside as some have claimed. Rather, development of this critical update is still ongoing.

Intel’s feedback also brings up a good point: the RST development for the X79 chipset is on the RSTe (or Enterprise) branch rather than the standard RST development cycle used for other mass market chipsets. This process with its extra validation steps is likely the main reason why we have not seen an RSTe driver that supports RAID 0 yet.

We’re not sure when the update will be released though –nor would Intel give us a firm date- but it is coming “soon”.

[Fernando]

Intel responds to x79 trim. The article mentions "Only P67, Z68, Z77, H67, H77, Q67 and Q77 chipsets are currently supported". I'm confused now.

This is the related text:

The Rapid Storage Technology (RST) 11.2 driver update was rolled out to the public but the initial positive response was somewhat tempered when enthusiasts realized their X79 systems weren’t supported. Only P67, Z68, Z77, H67, H77, Q67 and Q77 chipsets are currently supported...

.... by the RST driver v11.2.
I don't think, that they meant "supported by the Trim in RAID0 feature".

[Zaxx]

Same discussion here:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...96#post5129596

[DooRules]

Notice it says RST driver update and not RSTe for the trim on x79. Hopefully that will be the last of those e drivers

[bluestang]

Ok, so has anybody confirmed TRIM in RAID0 on a P67 yet then?

I know I tried with OROM 11.5.0.1111 and RST 11.5.2.1001 and is was a fail. Not sure if that OROM was a beta though, and I have yet to update my BIOS with official OROM 11.5.0.1582. I was planning on test the new combo this past weekend, but a sinus infection kicked my a$$ so I'm hoping to get to that in the next few days.

[Fernando]

Notice it says RST driver update and not RSTe for the trim on x79.

Yes, that lets me think, that the "Trim in RAID0" feature may already work with X79 RAID0 systems, if the user replaces the RSTe drivers of the v3 series by an actual release of the v11.5 RST drivers. The RST drivers v11.5.0.1207 have already been customized by me for being used with X79 systems. These "modded" drivers and the complete set containing the "modded" drivers and the RST software can be downloaded from >here<.
It would be fine, if someone with an X79 RAID0 system would test, if Trim works within the RAID by using the RST drivers of the v11.5 series.

[m.oreilly]

hey fernando, i'll try this evening. i was thinking the same thing after reading the blurb from intel...

[m.oreilly]

before:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...oredelete.png/

after:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...terdelete.png/

the modded 11.5 driver and the 'e' series 3.2 orom

[m.oreilly]

not sure if i did it right...

[Fernando]

not sure if i did it right...

Both pictures look rather different, but I am not sure as well, if you have done it the right way.
The easiest method is to use the tool HxD as Hex Editor and to do the following:

1. Open any JPG file with HxD and copy any unique text code fragment you see on the right side (without any blank space within it).
2. Copy the JPG file to the root of drive C:.
3. Run HXD as Administrator and hit "Extras" > "Open drive" > "Drive C:".
4. Let HxD search for the previously copied file fragment and note the offset value (left side) and the sector digits (right side), where you found the file fragment of the JPG file.
5. As colleteral security action let HxD continue the search until you get the message "cannot find ....") (to exclude, that there are more files with the same data on drive C).
6. Open the Explorer and delete the JPG file from drive C: and then empty the Recycle Bin.
7. Run HxD again as Administrator, hit "Search" > "Go to...." and enter the exact offset value you have noted before. Wait until the tool found the place. On the right side you must see the same sector digits you have noted.
8. Scroll a bit down to get the entire sector, where the JPG file was.
9. Now you see either the same Hex codes as before (=TRIM doesn't work) or just 00 00 00 (=TRIM has cleaned the cells).

[m.oreilly]

thanks, ill try this.

[m.oreilly]

how do you make it search? i.e., what info do i enter?

[Fernando]

how do you make it search? i.e., what info do i enter?

Just hit "Search" > "Search..." and enter the text string you have copied (point No 1 of my guide). Let all other settings as they are.

[m.oreilly]

nope, no change...

[Fernando]

nope, no change...

It's a pity, but it was worth a try - thanks for having tested it!

[m.oreilly]

had my fingers crossed. thanks for the help!