Areca ARC-8050T3-6 User manual

ARC-8050T3
(4/6/8/12-bays Thunderbolt 3 RAID Storage)
Installation Guide
Version: 1.1
Issue Date: April, 2017
Thunderbolt™ Prod uct

Copyright and Trademarks
The information regarding products in this manual is subject to change
without prior notice and does not represent a commitment on the part
of the vendor, who assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors
that may appear in this manual. All brands and trademarks are the
properties of their respective owners. This manual contains materials
protected under International Copyright Conventions. All rights
reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without
the written permission of the manufacturer and the author.
FCC Statement
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the lim-
its for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against in-
terference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses,
and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used
in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to
radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interfer-
ence will not occur in a particular installation.
Manufacturer’s Declaration for CE Certication
We conrm ARC-8050T3 series has been tested and found comply with
the requirements set up in the council directive on the approximation
of the low of member state relating to the EMC Directive2004/108/EC.
For the evaluation regarding to the electromagnetic compatibility, the
following standards where applied:
EN 55022: 2006, Class B
EN 61000-3-2: 2006
EN 61000-3-3: 1995+A1: 2001+A2: 2005
EN 55024:1998+A1:2001=A2:2003
IEC61000-4-2: 2001
IEC61000-4-3: 2006
IEC61000-4-4: 2004
IEC61000-4-5: 2005
IEC61000-4-6: 2006
IEC61000-4-8: 2001
IEC61000-4-11: 2004

Contents
1. Before You First Installing ....................................................4
2. Summary of RAID Storage Setup Steps .................................5
•For macOS ......................................................................5
•For Windows....................................................................5
3. RAID Storage View..............................................................7
4. Locations of the Storage Component ................................... 11
4.1 Drive Tray LED Indicators ............................................... 11
4.2 LCD Panel LED Indicators ............................................... 12
5. Setting Up RAID Storage.................................................... 13
5.1 Physically Install RAID Storage and Drives........................ 13
5.2 Mac Users .................................................................... 17
5.2.1 Install the MRAID Software........................................ 17
5.2.2 Congure RAID Volumes ........................................... 21
5.2.3 Format and Partition RAID Volumes ............................ 24
5.2.4 Make A Bootable RAID Volume ................................... 26
5.2.5 Unmounting RAID Volumes ........................................ 27
5.3 Windows Users ............................................................. 28
5.3.1 Install the MRAID Software........................................ 28
5.3.2 Congure RAID Volumes ........................................... 32
5.3.3 Format RAID Volumes ............................................... 35
5.3.4 Unmounting RAID Volumes ........................................ 35
6. Specication .................................................................... 37

INSTALLATION
4
1. Before You First Installing
Thanks for purchasing the ARC-8050T3 as your RAID data storage.
The following manual gives simple step-by-step instructions for
installing and conguring the ARC-8050T3 RAID storage.
Unpack
Unpack and install the hardware in a static-free environment.
ARC-8050T3 RAID storage is packed inside an anti-static bag
between two sponge sheets. Remove it and inspect it for dam-
age. If the ARC-8050T3 RAID storage appears damaged, or if any
items of the contents listed below are missing or damaged, please
contact your dealer or distributor immediately.
Checklist
• 1 x ARC-8050T3 4/6/8/12-bay RAID storage unit
• 1 x Power cord
• 16/24/32/48 x Drive mounting screws (4 per drive tray)
• 1 x Quick start guide
• 1 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) cable
System Requirements
• Computer with Thunderbolt connector
• macOS 10.12 or later
• Windows 8 or later
“For Windows PC: the Thunderbolt certied device driver must be
installed before plugging in the device for it to function properly”

INSTALLATION
5
2. Summary of RAID Storage Setup Steps
•For macOS
Step 1. Physically Install the Hardware (Page 13)
1. Install HDDs.
2. Connect power cord.
3. Connect Thunderbolt cable.
Step 2. Install the MRAID Software Package (Page 17)
1. Download the install_mraid installer from the website at
“http://www.areca.com.tw/support/s_ thunderbolt/thunder
bolt_mac.htm”.
2. Double-click on the install_mraid zipped le.
3. Double-click on the install_mraid icon on the Finder.
4. Follow the installer on-screen steps to complete the installa-
tion.
Step 3. Congure RAID Volumes (Page 21)
1. Double-click on the “MRAID” icon on the desktop.
2. Double-click on the “ArcHTTP64”.
3. Locate “ARC-8050T3 Web Management” and launch the
McRAID storage manager.
4. Login User Name “admin” and the Password “0000”.
5. Click on the “Quick Create” to congure the volume.
6. Follow the on-screen steps to complete the conguration.
Step 4. Format RAID Volumes (Page 24)
1. macOS recognizes that a new disk is available.
2. Follow the Disk Utility on-screen steps to initialize and parti-
tion your unit.
3. Icons for each new partition show up on your desktop.
4. They are now ready to use.
•For Windows
Step 1. Physically Install the Hardware (Page 13)
1. Install HDDs.
2. Connect power cord.
3. Connect Thunderbolt cable.

INSTALLATION
6
Step 2. Install the MRAID Software Package (Page 17)
1. Download the install_mraid installer from the website at
“http://www.areca.com.tw/support/s_ thunderbolt/thunder
bolt_win.htm”.
2. Double-click on the install_mraid zipped le.
3. Double-click on the “setup.exe” unzip le.
4. Follow the installer on-screen steps to complete the installa-
tion.
Step 3. Congure RAID Volumes (Page 31)
1. Double-click on the “MRAID” icon on the desktop.
2. Double-click on the “ArcHTTP64”.
3. Locate “ARC-8050T3 Web Management” and launch the
McRAID storage manager.
4. Login User Name “admin” and the Password “0000”.
5. Click on the “Quick Create” to congure the volume.
6. Follow the on-screen steps to complete the conguration.
Step 4. Format RAID Volumes (Page 34)
1. Click “Start” ==> right-click “Computer” and select “Man-
age”.
2. Click “Disk Management” in the left pane.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the middle pane. Windows will
display a list of new drives attached to your system with a
label such as “Disk 1” or “Disk 2”, etc.
4. Right-click on the drive you want to partition and then again
to format it.
5. Once it’s formatted, Windows automatically assigns the next
available drive letter to it and then it will appear in Windows
Explorer.
6. They are now ready to use.

INSTALLATION
7
3. RAID Storage View
The following diagram is the ARC-8050T3 4-bay RAID storage front
view and rear view.
Front View Rear View
1. Disk Activity LED
2. Disk Fault / Link LED
3. Power and Global Fault LED
4. Thunderbolt3 (USB-C) Port1
5. Thunderbolt3 (USB-C) Port2
6. Display Port
7. Reset Button
8. LAN Port
9. Power Connector
10. System Fan
11. LCD Panel with Keypad

INSTALLATION
8
Front View Rear View
1. Disk Activity LED
2. Disk Fault / Link LED
3. LCD Panel with Keypad
4. Thunderbolt3 (USB-C) Port1
5. Thunderbolt3 (USB-C) Port2
6. Display Port
7. LAN Port
8. SAS Expansion Port
9. Reset Button
10. System Fan
11. Power Connector
The following diagram is the ARC-8050T3 6-bay RAID storage front
view and rear view.

INSTALLATION
9
Front View Rear View
1. Disk Activity LED
2. Disk Fault / Link LED
3. LCD Panel with Keypad
4. Thunderbolt3 (USB-C) Port1
5. Thunderbolt3 (USB-C) Port2
6. Display Port
7. LAN Port
8. Reset Button
9. System Fan1
10. System Fan2
11. Power Connector
The following diagram is the ARC-8050T3 8-bay RAID storage front
view and rear view.

INSTALLATION
10
Front View Rear View
1. Disk Activity LED
2. Disk Fault / Link LED
3. LCD Panel with Keypad
4. Thunderbolt3 (USB-C) Port1
5. Thunderbolt3 (USB-C) Port2
6. Display Port
7. LAN Port
8. SAS Expansion Port
9. Reset Button
10. System Fan1
11. System Fan2
12. System Fan3
13. Power Supply Fan
14. Power Connector
The following diagram is the ARC-8050T3 12-bay RAID storage
front view and rear view.

INSTALLATION
11
4. Locations of the Storage Component
The following components come with LEDs that inform ARC-8050T3
RAID storage managers about the operational status.
4.1 Drive Tray LED Indicators
Figure 1, Activity/Fault LED
The following table describes the RAID storage disk drive tray LED
behavior.
Tray LED Normal Status Problem Indication
1. Activity LED
(Blue)
1. When the activity LED
is lit, there is I/O acti-
vity on that disk drive.
2. When the LED is not
lit; there is no activity
on that disk drive.
N/A
2. Fault/Link LED
(Red/Green)
1. When the fault LED is
lit, there is no disk
present.
2. When the link LED is
lit, there is a disk pre-
sent.
1. When the fault LED is off, the
disk is present and status is
normal.
2. When the fault LED is blinking
(2 times/sec.), the disk drive
has failed and should be hot-
swapped immediately.
3. When the activity LED is lit
and fault LED is fast blinking
(10 times/sec.) there is re-
building activity on that disk
drive.

INSTALLATION
12
4.2 LCD Panel LED Indicators
There are a variety of status conditions that cause the RAID stor-
age panel monitoring LED to light. The front panel LCD comes
with three (3) status-indicating LEDs. The LEDs on the front panel
are dened, from top to bottom, Power, Busy, and Caution, as
shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3.
Figure 2, LCD Panel LED (for 4-bay)
Figure 3, LCD Panel LED (for 6/8/12-bay)
The following table provides a summary of the front panel LED.
Panel LED Normal Status Problem Indication
1. Power LED
(Green)
Solid green, when power on. Unlit, when power on.
2. Busy LED
(Amber)
Blinking amber during host ac-
cesses RAID storage.
Unlit or never icker.
3. Caution LED
(Red)
Unlit indicates that the RAID
storage and all its components
are operating correctly.
Solid indicates that one or
more component failure/Ur-
gent events have occurred.

INSTALLATION
13
5. Setting Up RAID Storage
Setting up your ARC-8050T3 RAID storage involves these main
steps:
• Physically Install the RAID Storage and Drives
• Install the MRAID Software
• Congure RAID Volumes
• Format RAID Volumes
• Unmounting RAID Volumes
Details about these steps are described in the following sections.
5.1 Physically Install RAID Storage and Drives
Please follow the steps below in order they are given to ensure
that your ARC-8050T3 connected on your Thunderbolt computer.
Step 1. Install the Drives in the ARC-8050T3 RAID Storage
Your RAID storage supports up to 4/6/8/12 x 3.5-inch disk drives
or 4/6/8/12 x 2.5-inch SAS or SATA 6.0Gb/s drives, each one
contained in its individual hole on the disk carrier. Each drive is
hot-pluggable, allowing you to remove and insert drives without
shutting down your RAID storage. Installation in this section
describes how to install or remove 3.5 inch drives in your RAID
storage.
1. Gently slide the drive tray out from the ARC-8050T3 RAID
storage.
2. Install the drive into the drive tray and secure the drive to the
drive tray by four of the mounting screws.
Figure 4-1. Installing 2.5-inch
SAS/SATA Drive
Figure 4-2. Installing 3.5-inch
SAS/SATA Drive

INSTALLATION
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Figure 5, Sliding Drive Tray into Enclosure
3. After all drives are in the drive tray, slide all of them back into
the ARC-8050T3 RAID storage and make sure you latch the
drive trays.
Step 2. Connecting RAID Storage to Thunderbolt Ports
Thunderbolt connectors are provided on the back of the ARC-
8050T3 RAID storage for connecting the array to Thunderbolt
host and next Thunderbolt devices. There are two Thunderbolt
connectors on the rear of ARC-8050T3 RAID storage. You can
plug-in two host ports.
1. Direct connection to a Thunderbolt technology capable
computer.
2. Daisy chaining Thunderbolt capable devices and displays.
• Thunderbolt Computer Port Connection
By installing Thunderbolt technology capable computer and
ARC-8050T3 Thunderbolt port using the Thunderbolt cable
which is included in your Thunderbolt capable computer. Then
connect ARC-8050T3 RAID storage and Thunderbolt technology
capable computer port as shown below:

INSTALLATION
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• Daisy Chain Topologies
A single Thunderbolt technology daisy chain can have seven
devices, including the computer. Connect the cable to one of
the interface ports on the back of your ARC-8050T3 RAID stor-
age and to your Thunderbolt capable computer. The additional
port may be used to daisy chain compatible computer periph-
erals, such as hard drives, monitors, and much more. A single
Thunderbolt port supports hubs as well as a daisy chain of up to
seven Thunderbolt devices on, including the Thunderbolt capa-
ble computer.
Figure 6, Connecting to Thunderbolt computer
Figure 7, Thunderbolt Computer Daisy Chain

INSTALLATION
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Step 3. Connecting Monitor Port (Optional)
You can connect LAN port to the manager clinet system, if you
want to congure and manage the RAID storage from the clinet
system through out-of-band manager.
• LAN Port Connection
User can remote manage the RAID enclosure without adding
any user specic software (platform independent) via standard
web browsers directly connected to the 10/100Mbit RJ45 LAN
port. Connect LAN port of the ARC-8050T3 using the Ethernet
cable and then to a LAN port or LAN switch.
Step 4. Connecting RAID Storage Power
To power the RAID storage:
1. Using the included power cord, connect this power cord to a
grounded electronical outlet and to the ARC-8050T3 RAID stor-
age.
2. ARC-8050T3 RAID storage will automatically turn on when host
computer power on status is received from the thunderbolt
cable. It takes about 30 seconds to fully start up the RAID stor-
age.
Figure 8, Connecting the Power to Enclosure

INSTALLATION
17
Note:
You can press and hold the “Reset” button for 3 seconds to
force the RAID storage AC power on or off.
When you are nished installing the ARC-8050T3 RAID storage,
you can set up the RAID volume using McRAID storage manager
or LCD to set up RAID volumes.
5.2 Mac Users
5.2.1 Install the MRAID Software
This section describes detailed instructions for installing the
Areca Mac driver & utility for the ARC-8050T3 on your Apple
Thunderbolt capable machine. You must have administrative
level permissions to install macOS driver & utility. This can be
done in just a few steps!
1. Download the install_mraid installer from the website at
"http://www.areca.com.tw/support/s_ thunderbolt/thunder-
bolt.htm", the le name begins with “install_mraid” followed
by the version control.
2. Double-click on the zipped le that comes from the website to
add the installer on the Finder.
3. Launch the installer by double-clicking the install_mraid on
the Finder. The MRAID Installer opens. Click on the "Next"
button to begin the installation.
4. The MRAID Installer opens. Click on the "Next" button to
begin the installation.
3. ARC-8050T3 RAID storage automatically turns off when the
computer to which it is attached sleeps or is disconnected.

INSTALLATION
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5. On the Choose Install Set screen, click on an icon to install
special components and click on the "Next" button to
continue.
•Driver is required for the operating system to be able to inter-
act with the ARC-8050T3 RAID storage.
•ArcHTTP has to be installed for GUI RAID console (MRAID
storage manager) to run. It also runs as a service or daemon
in the background that allows capturing of events for mail and
SNMP traps notication. Refer to the Chapter 3 ArcHTTP
Conguration on ARC-8050T3 user manual, for details about
the mail and SNMP traps conguration.

INSTALLATION
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•CLI (Command Line Interface) provides the functionality
available in MRAID storage manager through a Command Line
Interface. You can set up and manage RAID storage inline. CLI
performs many tasks at the command line. You can download
CLI manual from Areca website.
6. On the Choose Alias Folder screen, click on an icon to choose
where you like to create aliases and click on the "Next"
button to continue.
7. On the Pre-Installation Summary screen, review your installa-
tion setting and click on the "Install" button to continue. If
you want to change any of your installation setting, click on
the "Previous" button.

INSTALLATION
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8. A program bar appears that measures the progress of the
driver installation.
9. When this screen shows, you have completed the driver
installation and click on the "Next" button to continue.