Storage


Thunderbolt Solution - RAID

ARC-8050T2

(Thunderbolt™ 2 to 6Gb/s SAS RAID Storage)

Highlights


✵ High performance 20Gbps Thunderbolt 2 interface

✵ Support simultaneous 4K in/output workflow

✵ Dual Thunderbolt 2 ports for daisy-chaining

✵ Fully support Apple M1 silicon on Macs

✵ Configuration by the Thunderbolt/LAN port/LCD

✵ Thunderbolt cable included

✵ Advanced configuration for video optimized performance settings

✵ Delivers enterprise-class data protection and security

✵ Controller-level hardware encryption

✵ Intelligent power On/Off function for data integrity

✵ Support BBM option for cache protection


Host Interface

2 x Thunderbolt 2 ports

Management Interface

1 x LAN RJ-45 connector

Drive Interface

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

Thunderbolt™ 2 to 6Gb/s SAS RAID Storage


ARC-8050T2 is the most complete 6Gb/s SAS 8-bay Thunderbolt 2 box with RAID control capabilities solution for both PC and Mac. ARC-8050T2 incorporated on-board dual core 800Mhz RAID-On-Chip and with 1GB DDR3-1333 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. It runs efficiently without disruption or major drops in performance to meet the requirements of 4K data workflow. It is so quick it allows for 4K displays at the same time as daisy chaining ARC-8050T2 and doing a simultaneous 4K output and file transfers while maintaining maximum throughput.

ARC-8050T2 supports the hardware RAID 6 engine to allow two HDDs failures without impact the existing data and performance. It allows users to hot swap drive in the event of a drive failure with zero downtime. Its high data availability and protection derives from many advanced RAID features on ARC-8050T2 RAID box design. Intelligent power On/Off function on storage turns power in unison with the host computer power status. It can intelligently power down the unit after the thunderbolt host shuts down everything for data integrity. ARC-8050T2 also supports a battery backup option that protects all data in cache memory in the event of unexpected power outage. Board-level hardware encryption manages any kinds of drives attached to ARC-8050T2 without impacting the performance for higher levels of security.

Thunderbolt 2 is full backward compatibility to the same cables and connectors used with today's Thunderbolt. It pushes speed to 20Gb/s and enables 4K video file transfer and display simultaneously. ARC-8050T2 is equipped with dual Thunderbolt 2 ports for connecting to any Thunderbolt 2-enabled host such as the new Mac Pro, and offers an additional Thunderbolt 2 port for daisy-chaining other peripherals. The Thunderbolt daisy-chaining allows connection of up to six devices, so customers can connect ARC-8050T2 for massive amounts of video storage with a single Thunderbolt connection to their host computer. ARC-8050T2 can meet the demand of users when working with rich, ultra- high resolution media through Thunderbolt 2 interface.

  Thunderbolt™ 2 to 6Gb/s SAS RAID Storage
ARC-8050T2
Form Factor Desktop 8-Bay
Connection Thunderbolt 2 x 2
Disk Port 8 x 6Gb/s SAS/SATA
I/O Processor Dual Core 800 MHz SAS ROC
On-Board Cache 1GB DDR3-1333
Cooling Fan 2 x 2700rpm
Power Supply/In/out 270W / 90-256V AC / +12V/26A, +5V/18A, +3.3V/16A
Physical Dimensions
(H x W x D)
5.7 x 11.8 x 11.4 in
(146 x 302 x 290 mm)
Weight 14.9 lbs / 6.8 Kg
RAID Level 0, 1, 10, 3, 5, 6, 30, 50, 60, Single Disk, JBOD
OS Support Mac OS X 10.8.5 or later & Windows 7/8 or later
BBM Support ARC-6120BAT021

Ultrafast Transfer Speed


Unprecedented Performance

ARC-8050T2 RAID storage is built to deliver unprecedented performance, using only carefully, best-in-class components. These include the dual core LSI SAS2208, 6Gb/s SAS ROC, 1GB DDR3-1333 SDRAM with ECC protection and the latest Thunderbolt 2-encbled ports up to 20Gbps, dual 4K UHD external displays.


Powerful Broadcom 6G SAS Engine

At the heart of ARC-8050T2 is the incredibly powerful dual-core LSI SAS2208 ROC, giving effortless performance as desirable. It delivers 6Gb/s SAS, 6Gb/s SATA, and the security of Areca data protection. Help eliminate storage bottlenecks in with PCI Express 3.0 lanes with SAS transfer rates of up to 6Gb/s and SATA rates up to 6Gb/s.


Unleash Your Creativity Faster Than Ever


Thunderbolt 2 is full backward compatibility to the same cables and connectors used with today's Thunderbolt. It pushes speed to 20Gb/s and enables 4K video file transfer and display simultaneously. ARC-8050T2 is equipped with dual Thunderbolt 2 ports for connecting to any Thunderbolt 2-enabled host such as the new Mac Pro, and offers an additional Thunderbolt 2 port for daisy-chaining other peripherals.


Daisy-chain Multiple Devices

Thunderbolt daisy-chaining allows connection of up to six devices, so customers can connect ARC-8050T2 for massive amounts of video storage with a single Thunderbolt connection to their host computer.

Controller-Based H/W Encryption Engine


Host independent real-time controller-based hardware encryption does not impact the performance of ARC-8050T2 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-8050T2 RAID storage API code to design its own key management utility. ARC-8050T2 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.

Effective Management Tool


Areca provides more flexible management tools comparing with others competitors to manage and monitor ARC-8050T2 RAID storage.

• LCD: Easy Configuration & Monitor LCD


Instantly monitor system's status as a glance

ARC-8050T2 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-8050T2 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-8050T2 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-8050T2 RAID storages have an RJ-45 connector out-of-band management port on the rear. You can monitor and manage an ARC-8050T2 RAID storage using this dedicated management channel to manage the ARC-8050T2 RAID storage without any host connection. It will also not disturb the host access when you monitor or manage the ARC-8050T2. ARC-8050T2 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-8050T2. In-band management uses a proxy agent HTTP management software (ArcHTTP) running on a data host to communicate with an ARC-8050T2.

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-8050T2 RAID storage contains power On/Off controls on the controller. The power On/Off controls can turn ARC-8050T2 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.

Smart Battery for the Integrity of the Cached Data


ARC-8050T2 RAID storages have integrated caches for increasing performance. With corresponding protective mechanisms, the content of these unwritten cached data in the SDRAM would be lost when there is a complete AC power failure or a brief unexpected power outage. For that reason, a battery backup unit (BBU) protects the integrity of the cached data on ARC-8050T2 RAID storages by providing backup power. The battery backup module has built-in functionality to charge the battery pack automatically and to communicate battery status information to the RAID storage.

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 2 at 20Gbps....... more detailed information

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-8050T2 well suited for video/audio applications, without impacting the work environment.

Downloads


File Version Date
ARC-8050T2 Specification 1.0 2014/02/10
ARC-8050T2 User Manual 2.2 2018/12/12
ARC-8050T2 Quick Installation Guide 1.0 2019/06/11
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-8050T2 firmware 1.56 2021/01/13
1. Patch HGST G3 enclosure SES2 firmware update problem
2. Seagate XS960SE70004 firm rev 002, 960GB SSD problem
3. Add progress % for some http operation
4. Fix SEAGATE 84bay JBOD does not report slot string
5. Improve FAIL_DRIVE_IF_MANY_ERROR
6. Thunderbolt, add host sleep request and thunderbolt power response
7. Fix M1 goes to sleep, 8050T1/T2 starts every 1 minute and switches off again