How to manage 2 Marvell RAID PCIe cards during boot?

maxima · 28 Jan 2017

I installed Marvell RAID PCIe SATA card and could manage to enter Marvell configuration utility using Ctrl + M.

I installed 2nd card and I can see it in Windows using Marvell software and I created RAID successfully..

But I want to rid of this software (it installs loads of things I don't need (Apache, PHP, a website etc)

I tried Ctrl + M again and it only shows Card 0.

How do I manage second card in Marvell Configuration Utility during boot?

Caledon Ken · 29 Jan 2017

Sorry and it is likely just me.

When you say you installed a Marvell Raid PCIe Sata card is this just the Marvell RAID card and then you attach your storage to this or is there SSD storage built into card.

When I search this term I get two cards but each has ports for drives to be connected too.

I then read your comment that you installed a second card which has me thinking this is actual storage.

If you could help me understand are these actual storage devices or cards to add ports and functionality.

maxima · 29 Jan 2017

I have 2 pcie sata cards with 2 x 2 hdd connected (2 each). The cards are sata controllers. Not a storage..

Caledon Ken · 29 Jan 2017

Thanks. Are you sure that the BIOS detects even one, not to challenge you. The CRTL M, as I understand it, for your board is for the Marvell built in controller.

When you see the BIOS messages as you boot can you confirm they are the drives on your cards?

maxima · 29 Jan 2017

Ctrl M is for any marvell. When I ctrl m I can see one card only.

But inside windows I can see both cards using marvell software. And I can use both raids. They are perfectly functional.

What i want is to rid of windows marvell soft and use ctrl m marvel configuration utility during boot only.

That's the point of this post

Thanks

Caledon Ken · 30 Jan 2017

I wonder if this is a BIOS detection issue. CRTL M should be showing you all three controllers as I'm very sure there is one on your board. Not sure if you've customized your BIOS much, if so this idea maybe a non starter.

My thought would be to remove the CMOS battery, wait 20 secs, install and enter BIOS, load defaults, then customize. On mine I have it set to show what it detects as part of the boot, screen flashes, shows drives, then Intel controller.

It may even need the built in one enabled so it can see all. (This is a guess.)

Changing BIOS settings on working system is obviously your call.

I went looking for technical docs on their bios process but that was a bust.

maxima · 30 Jan 2017

No mate, nothing like that. First of all the mb has no Marvell on it. The primary on-board controller is Intel and the secondary is Asmedia (as in ass-media, because it cant handle neither CD ROM nor RAIDs - totally useless).

Second - if I disable the Marvell cards in BIOS anyhow, they wont work. Yet they do work marvelously both of them

I just cannot see them both in the utility.

Caledon Ken · 30 Jan 2017

Wow. I mixed you up with someone else. I thought we had the same motherboard strain, Asus P8P67, mine being deluxe rev 3.1. It has the marvell on board. My board also won't boot from CD unless I connect via USB.

Sounds like there is a limitation is software. Are these right from Marvell or are they from a computer vendor, like say Vantec or MSI. The reason I ask as they might be the next logical place to ask, especially about unpublished limitations.

I went to Marvell.com and could click on Support but then they start up with having an Non Disclosure Agreement with them. I did find some technical documentation on a chip but it was 2009 vintage.

clam1952 · 30 Jan 2017

Could be the bios can only cope with one add-on controller as using the same resources? I'm guessing here that only the one cards drives are showing during the Post? and ctrl M is only ever going to access the one card.
May have done better with a 4 port Card.