Storage


Thunderbolt Solution - RAID

ARC-8050T3 series

(Thunderbolt™ 3 to 12Gb/s SAS RAID Storage)

Highlights


✵ High performance 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 interface

✵ Support simultaneous 4K in/output workflow

✵ Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports for daisy-chaining

✵ Fully support Apple M1 silicon on Macs

✵ Configuration by the Thunderbolt/LAN port/LCD

✵ 1m 40Gb/s active Thunderbolt™ 3 (USB-C) cable included

✵ Advanced configuration for video optimized performance settings

✵ Delivers enterprise-class data protection and security

✵ Controller-level hardware encryption (not available for 4-Bay)

✵ Intelligent power On/Off function for data integrity

✵ SED (self-encrypting drives) function support

✵ Hard drive firmware update all at once


Host Interface

2 x Thunderbolt 3 ports

1 x Display Port

High Performance ROC

Dual Core RAID-on-Chip (ROC) 1.2 GHz

2GB DDR3-1866 ECC Protection

Drive Interface

Up to 6/8/12 x 3.5”/2.5”
12Gb/s SAS or 6Gb/s SATA HDDs/SSDs

(ARC-8050T3-4) Up to 4 x 3.5”/2.5”
6Gb/s SAS/SATA HDDs/SSDs

Thunderbolt™ 3 to 12Gb/s SAS RAID Storage


ARC-8050T3 is the most complete 12Gb/s SAS 4/6(M)/6/8/12-bay Thunderbolt™ 3 desktop SAS/SATA RAID storage with RAID control capabilities solution for both PC and Mac. ARC-8050T3 incorporated on-board RAID-On-Chip and ECC SDRAM memory to deliver true high performance hardware RAID protection against drive failure. This combination helps to provide a high performance storage device perfect for the video editor working with Real time multi-stream HD and 4K workflows.

Thunderbolt™ 3 brings Thunderbolt to USB-C at speeds up to 40 Gbps, creating one compact port that does it all – delivering the fastest, most versatile connection to any dock, display, or data device. ARC-8050T3 is equipped with dual Thunderbolt 3 ports for connecting to any Thunderbolt 3-enabled host and offers an additional Thunderbolt 3 port for daisy-chaining other peripherals. The Thunderbolt daisy-chaining allows connection of up to six devices, so customers can connect ARC-8050T3 for massive amounts of video storage with a single Thunderbolt connection to their host computer.

  Thunderbolt™ 3 to 12Gb/s SAS RAID Storage
ARC-8050T3-8 ARC-8050T3-12
Form Factor Desktop 8-Bay Desktop 12-Bay
Connection Thunderbolt 3 x 2 / Display Port x 1
Disk Port 8 x / 12 x 12Gb/s SAS or 6Gb/s SATA
I/O Processor Dual Core 1.2 GHz SAS ROC
On-Board Cache 2GB DDR3-1866
Expansion Support N/A SFF-8644 (4-lanes)
Cooling Fan 2 x 2700rpm
Power Supply 270W 400W
Physical Dimensions
(H x W x D)
5.7 x 11.8 x 11.4 in
(146 x 302 x 290 mm)
8.1 x 12.2 x 11.4 in
(206 x 310 x 290 mm)
Weight 14.9 lbs / 6.8 Kg 20.8 lbs / 9.5 Kg
RAID Level 0, 1, 10, 3, 5, 6, 30, 50, 60, Single Disk, JBOD
OS Support macOS 10.12 or later & Windows 8/10 or later

Ultrafast Transfer Speed


Unprecedented Performance

ARC-8050T3-6/6M/8/12 RAID storage is built to deliver unprecedented performance, using only carefully, best-in-class components. These include the dual core LSI SAS2308, 12Gb/s SAS ROC, 2GB DDR3-1866 SDRAM with ECC protection and the latest Thunderbolt3-encbled USB-C ports up to 40Gbps, dual 4K UHD external displays.


Powerful Broadcom 12G SAS Engine

ARC-8050T3-6/6M/8/12 series integrate the latest Broadcom 12Gb/s dual core SAS Raid-on-Chip to give you the maximum SAS and SATA bandwidth and protection you need to tackle even the hardest challenging tasks easily.


True Hardware RAID Controller

At the heart of ARC-8050U3-6 RAID storage is the incredibly powerful dual-core Broadcom SAS3108 ROC, giving effortless performance as desirable. It delivers true hardware RAID function without sharing the CPU computing power on the host system and also eases off CPU loading as compared to software RAID and when rebuilding an array in the event of a drive failure.


Speed Up 2GB DDR3-1866 SDRAM

With a massive 2GB of DDR3-1866 SDRAM, ARC-8050T3-6/6M/8/12 gives you super-smooth multitasking during the period of high overload in 4K environment. ARC-8050T3 can configure how much cache SDRAM dedicated for read, and how much for write. If your server application has significantly more reads than writes or more writes than reads, you might need to change this setting to adjust the read/write cache ratio for improving performance. Big cache is the perfect choice for a 4K application drive, making your professional apps work as fast as possible.

High Bandwidth PCI-E 3.0 Support


Thunderbolt 3 supports up to PCIe Gen3 x 4. To run the PCIe Gen3 slots in Gen3 speed, please must install the ROC which supports PCI Express 3.0. If you install the PCIe2.0 ROC, the PCI Express 3.0 slots will run only at Gen2 speed. ARC-8050T3 6/8/12-bays RAID storages are equipped with a PCIe Gen3 ROC.

  • Higher bit rate - 8.0GT/s

  • Higher bandwidth per lane - 1GB/s

  • Higher efficiency - 98.5% encoding efficiency

Professional Connectivity


The USB-C That Does It All

ARC-8050T3 is equipped with dual Thunderbolt™ 3 ports for connecting to any Thunderbolt 3-enabled host and offers an additional Thunderbolt 3 port for daisy-chaining other peripherals, while also supplying power for quick notebook charging. Thunderbolt 3 supports data transfers at up to 40 Gbps, which is twice the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 2 and 4 times faster than USB 3.1.

Daisy-chain Multiple Devices

Thunderbolt daisy-chaining allows connection of up to six devices, so customers can connect ARC-8050T3 for massive amounts of video storage with a single Thunderbolt connection to their host computer. Additionally, ARC-8050T3 supports a full sized DisplayPort video output connector on its rear, allowing for a quick and easy 4K 60Hz display setup.

Compatible with Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2

The Apple’s Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter (sold separately) lets you connect Areca ARC-8050T3 solutions to any of the Mac with a Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 port and macOS Sierra 10.12 or later. For more detail information and potential restrictions, please see Apple Support.

Controller-Based H/W Encryption Engine


Host independent real-time controller-based hardware encryption does not impact the performance of ARC-8050T3-6/6M/8/12 RAID storage and can implement on any kinds of HDD that is transparent to the user, the OS, and applications. Areca encryption function secures a sensitive, mission-critical volume's data from unauthorized access or modification in the event of drive theft, as well as more routine activities such as the return of defective drives for servicing or the decommission or repurposing of drives. Local key management in the controller is designed to protect data from security breaches with minimal cost and complexity. User can use ARC-8050T3 RAID storage API code to design its own key management utility. ARC-8050T3 RAID storages support 128- and 256-bit encryption keys using AES (a key size of 128, or 256 bits), or password (a variable key size).

SED-Based Encryption


Areca firmware Security Function, together with self-encrypting drives (SEDs), secures a data in the hard disks from unauthorized access or modification resulting from theft, loss or repurposing of drives. Protection is achieved by the SED hard drive that automatically and continuously encrypts the data on the drive without any user interaction.

SAS Expansion Port


The ARC-8050T3-6/6M/12 storage capacity can be expanded instantly by adding additional cost effective ARC-4038 12G SAS Expander units, up to 512 drives with multiple 12G SAS expanders solutions like the 8/12 bay tower 16/24 or high bay rackmount 12G SAS JBODs solutions too! Ultimately allow you to convert your 12G SAS expander storage to be use with any Thunderbolt 3 enabled host.

Effective Management Tool


Areca provides more flexible management tools comparing with others competitors to manage and monitor ARC-8050T3 RAID storage.

• LCD: Easy Configuration & Monitor LCD


Instantly monitor system's status as a glance

ARC-8050T3 LCD is the primary user interface for the RAID storage. All configuration and management of the controller and its properly connected disk arrays can be performed from this interface. The LCD status panel informs you of the ARC-8050T3 RAID storage real-time operating status at a glance so users can easily grasp the status of the system at all times.

• LAN Port: Out of Band Management (Without Disturb Host Access)


Lets you set up and manage RAID storage through Out-of-band web browser manager and ArcSAP utility

ARC-8050T3 RAID storage also offers an alternative out-of band method d for McRAID storage manager. User can access the built-in configuration without needing the ArcHTTP proxy server on the host system. ARC-8050T3-series RAID storages have an RJ-45 connector out-of-band management port on the rear. You can monitor and manage an ARC-8050T3-series RAID storage using this dedicated management channel to manage the ARC-8050T3-series RAID storage without any host connection. It will also not disturb the host access when you monitor or manage the ARC-8050T3. ARC-8050T3 has the advantage of the Gigabit Ethernet connectivity option which might be a life-saver if the Thunderbolt port fails, or if you don’t have access to an Apple-supported device.

• Thunderbolt Bus


Lets you set up and manage RAID storage through In-band web browser manager and ArcSAP utility

You can configure in-band management for communication to travel over the Thunderbolt data path between a data host and ARC-8050T3. In-band management uses a proxy agent HTTP management software (ArcHTTP) running on a data host to communicate with an ARC-8050T3.

Web Browser-Based Management


McRAID storage manager is firmware-based utility, which is accessible via the web browser installed on your operating system. The web browser-based McRAID storage manager is a HTML-based application, which utilizes the browser (Safari, IE and Mozilla etc) installed on your monitor station. It can be accessed through the in-band Thunderbolt bus and out of band Ethernet port. The in-band-Thunderbolt bus method can launch the web browser-based McRAID storage manager via ArcHTTP proxy server.

User-Friendly Graphical-Based Management


Areca Single Admin Portal (ArcSAP) quick manager is an alternative graphical-based device management program specifically designed for use in managing and configuring RAID unit implemented using any of Areca RAID controllers. ArcSAP quick manager can scan for multiple RAID units in the local and remote systems and provide an effective mechanism to configure your RAID units.

RAID Storage Power On/Off Controls


ARC-8050T3 RAID storage contains power On/Off controls on the controller. The power On/Off controls can turn ARC-8050T3 power in unison with the host computer power status for data integrity. It is advised that you use a proper power down procedure when you would like to power down your Mac and thunderbolt storage. If you attempt to power it down by pressing and holding the power button you run the risk of losing unsaved data and increase the chance of damaging hardware, more specifically the hard drive. Following improper power down, power up and restart sequence of a thunderbolt RAID storage and attached hosts will affect the normal functionality.

Benchmark


Actual data rates may vary depending on operating environment, RAID mode, RAID configuration, disk model and disk performance. The best performance is installed the SSDs and connect the device to a computer that supports Thunderbolt 3 at 40Gbps...... more detailed information

Integrated 4-Pin XLR Power Connector


On the backside of ARC-8050T3-6M is a standard 4-pin male XLR connector for supplying +11.5~17.5V DC power to the unit. You can use either the AC Adapter or Battery source that can operate anywhere and everywhere, while also supplying power for quick notebook charging. The battery backup solution is for working out in the field when power outlets aren't available. The most common convention for DC power on ARC-8050T3-6M XLR 4-pin connectors is:

Whisper-Quiet Operation


The intelligent cooling continuously adapts to environmental conditions by automatically controlling the speed of cooling fans. As a result, the fan reduces noise to a minimum, almost imperceptible level. Whisper-Quiet Low Sound Levels operation, make the ARC-8050T3 well suited for video/audio applications, without impacting the work environment.

Downloads


File Version Date
ARC-8050T3-4/6/6M/8/12 Specification 1.0 2017/12/11
ARC-8050T3-4/6/6M/8/12 User Manual 2.3 2022/06/17
ARC-8050T3-4/6/6M/8/12 Quick Installation Guide 2.0 2020/09/14
CLI Utility User Manual 5.2 download icon 2022/01/04
LCD Manual 1.3 2015/10/20
ArcSAP User Manual 4.2 2020/11/03
File Version Date
ARC-8050T3-4 (4-bays) firmware 1.69 download icon 2023/12/15
1. Add UEFI Shell virtual disk for UEFI BIOS to enter controller setup
2. Seagate SAS/SATA MACH.2 support
3. ARC1214(8050T3U-4 version)in MAC M1 panic after sleep
4. Fix seagate SAS mach.2 hdd error handling problem
ARC-8050T3-6/6M/8/12/12R/24R (6/8/12/24-bays) firmware 1.70 download icon 2024/08/05