Using RAID with centOS on DP67BA

I'm considering using the DP67BA mb with a RAID 1 array.  I've had great service from a DP55WG using RAID 1 with Windows 7. The new machine (DP67BA) will be running centOS, not sure which version yet.  The software that will be running on it is written specifically for centOS; the vendor went to centOS because it was the closest thing to an older version of RH.

Am I correct in thinking that the SATA controller can handle RAID 1 without centOS knowing it is writing to/reading a RAID array?  Is there a version of Rapid Storage Technology for RedHat that would work on centOS?

Thanks