Thunderbolt ThunderBox 400 User manual

ThunderBox 400
(Thunderbolt/USB 3.0 to 6Gb/s SATA RAID Storage)
Quick Start Guide
Version: 1.1
Issue Date: January, 2014
Thunderbolt™ Prod uct

Copyright and Trademarks
The information of the 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 limits
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 ThunderBox 400 has been tested and found compliant with
the requirements in the council directive relating to the EMC Directive
2004/108/EC. Regarding to the electromagnetic compatibility, the fol-
lowing standards were 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. Installation.................................................................. 4
1.1 Before installation .............................................................4
1.2 Summary of RAID Storage Setup Steps................................5
• For Mac OS X...................................................................5
• For Windows....................................................................5
1.3 RAID Storage View............................................................7
1.4 Locations of the Storage Component....................................8
1.4.1 Drive Tray/Status LED Indicators ....................................8
1.4.2 LCD Panel LED Indicators ..............................................9
1.4.3 Thunderbolt Port LED Indicators .....................................9
1.5 Setting Up RAID Storage.................................................. 10
1.5.1 Physically Install RAID Storage and Drives ..................... 10
1.5.2 Mac Users ................................................................. 15
1.5.2.1 Install the MRAID Software ..................................... 15
1.5.2.2 Congure RAID Volumes......................................... 19
1.5.2.3 Format RAID Volumes ............................................ 22
1.5.2.4 Make A Bootable RAID Volume ................................ 23
1.5.2.5 Unmounting RAID Volumes ..................................... 24
1.5.3 Windows Users .......................................................... 24
1.5.3.1 Install the MRAID Software ..................................... 24
1.5.3.2 Congure RAID Volumes......................................... 29
1.5.3.3 Format RAID Volumes ............................................ 32
1.5.3.4 Unmounting RAID Volumes ..................................... 32
2. Specication.............................................................. 34
2.1 Overview ....................................................................... 34
2.2 Features ........................................................................ 35

INSTALLATION
4
1. Installation
This section describes how to install the ThunderBox 400 Thunderbolt
RAID storage with host computer and disks.
1.1 Before installation
Thanks for purchasing the ThunderBox 400 as your RAID data stor-
age. The following manual gives simple step-by-step instructions
for installing and conguring the ThunderBox 400 RAID storage.
Unpack
Unpack and install the hardware in a static-free environment.
ThunderBox 400 RAID storage is packed inside an anti-static bag
between two sponge sheets. Remove it and inspect it for damage.
If the ThunderBox 400 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 ThunderBox 400 4-bays RAID storage unit
• 1 x Installation CD – containing driver, relative software, an
electronic version of this manual and other related manual
• 1 x RJ-45 LAN cable
• 1 x Power cord
• 1 x USB 3.0 locking screw cable (USB 2.0 compatible)
• 16 x Drive mounting screws (4 per drive tray)
• 1 x Quick start guide
System Requirements
• Computer with Thunderbolt/USB 3.0 connector
• Mac OS X 10.6.8 or higher
• Windows 7, Windows 8
• Thunderbolt cable

INSTALLATION
5
1.2 Summary of RAID Storage Setup Steps
• For Mac OS X
Step 1. Physically Install the Hardware (Chapter 1.5.1)
1. Install HDDs.
2. Connect power cord.
3. Connect Thunderbolt cable.
Step 2. Install the MRAID Software Package (Chapter 1.5.2.1)
1. Download the install_mraid installer from the website at
“http://www.areca.com.tw/support/s_ thunderbolt/thunder
bolt.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 (Chapter 1.5.2.2)
1. Double-click on the “MRAID” icon on the desktop.
2. Double-click on the “ArcHTTP64”.
3. Locate “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 (Chapter 1.5.2.3)
1. Mac OS X 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 (Chapter 1.5.1)
1. Install HDDs.
2. Connect power cord.
3. Connect Thunderbolt cable.

INSTALLATION
6
Step 2. Install the MRAID Software Package (Chapter 1.5.3.1)
1. Download the install_mraid installer from the website at
“http://www.areca.com.tw/support/s_ thunderbolt/thunder
bolt.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 (Chapter 1.5.3.2)
1. Double-click on the “MRAID” icon on the desktop.
2. Double-click on the “ArcHTTP64”.
3. Locate “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 (Chapter 1.5.3.3)
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
dis-play 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
1.3 RAID Storage View
The following diagram is the 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. Thunderbolt Port1
5. Thunderbolt Port2
6. Thunderbolt Port1 Link LED
7. Thunderbolt Port2 Link LED
8. System Fan
9. Reset Button
10. Power Connector
11. USB 3.0 Connector
12. LAN Port
(For McRAID Web Manager)
13. LCD Panel with Keypad

INSTALLATION
8
1.4 Locations of the Storage Component
The following components come with LEDs that inform ThunderBox
400 RAID storage managers about the operational status.
1.4.1 Drive Tray/Status LED Indicators
Figure 1-1, Drive Tray/Status LED
Drive Tray/
Status LED Normal Status Problem Indication
1. Activity LED
(Blue)
1. When the activity LED
is lit, there is I/O
activity 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
present.
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 rebuilding
activity on that disk drive.
3. Power/
Global Fault
(Green/Red)
Solid green, when the
power on.
Lit global fault LED indicates com-
ponent failure or Urgent events
have occurred.

INSTALLATION
9
1.4.3 Thunderbolt Port LED Indicators
Figure 1-3, Thunderbolt Ports LED
1.4.2 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 left to right, Power, Busy, and Caution, as
shown in Figure 1-2.
Figure 1-2, LCD Panel LED
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
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The following table describes the ThunderBox 400 SATA RAID stor-
age Thunderbolt port link LED behavior.
1.5 Setting Up RAID Storage
Setting up your ThunderBox 400 RAID 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.
1.5.1 Physically Install RAID Storage and Drives
Please follow the steps below in order they are given to ensure
that your ThunderBox 400 connected on your Thunderbolt com-
puter.
Step 1. Install the Drives in the ThunderBox 400 RAID
Your RAID storage supports up to 4 x 3.5-inch disk drives or 4 x
2.5-inch 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.
Thunderbolt
Ports Link LED Status
Green light 1. Lit indicates RAID storage is powered and maintained
the daisy chain with other Thunderbolt devices.
2. Blinking (5 times/sec) that indicates RAID storage is
in sleep mode.
3. Blinking (1 time/sec) that indicates RAID storage is
powered down and maintained the daisy chain with
other Thunderbolt devices.
Amber light There is a proper DisplayPort connection on that Thunder-
bolt port.
Red light There is a proper DisplayPort to DVI connection on that
Thunderbolt port.

INSTALLATION
11
1. Gently slide the drive tray out from the ThunderBox 400 RAID .
2. Install the drive into the drive tray and secure the drive to the
drive tray by four of the mounting screws.
3. After all drives are in the drive tray, slide them back into
the ThunderBox 400 RAID storage and make sure you latch
the drive trays.
Figure 1-5, Sliding Drive Tray into Enclosure
Step 2. Connecting RAID Storage to Host Ports
Your ThunderBox 400 connects directly to your computer using the
following connectivity ports. Your ThunderBox 400 RAID features
two cutting-edge interfaces, Thunderbolt and SuperSpeed USB
(USB 3.0). We recommend that you use the fastest connection
available on your computer. You can use both interfaces connected
to the host, but you can only use one connection assigned by
ThunderBox 400 at a time. Interface that is connected 1st has
precedent.
Figure 1-4-1,
Installing 2.5-inch SATA Drive
Figure 1-4-2,
Installing 3.5-inch SATA Drive

INSTALLATION
12
THUNDERBOLT
Thunderbolt connectors are provided on the back of the
ThunderBox 400 RAID storage for connecting the array to
Thunderbolt host and next Thunderbolt devices. There are two
Thunderbolt connectors on the rear of ThunderBox 400 RAID
storage. You can plug-in two host ports.
1. Direct connection to a Thunderbolt capable computer.
2. Daisy chaining Thunderbolt capable devices and displays.
• Thunderbolt Computer Port Connection
By installing Thunderbolt technology capable computer and
ThunderBox 400 Thunderbolt port using the Thunderbolt
cable, which is included in your Thunderbolt capable computer.
Then connect ThunderBox 400 RAID storage and Thunderbolt
technology capable computer port as shown below:
Figure 1-6, Connecting to Thunderbolt Computer
• 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 ThunderBox 400 RAID and
to your Thunderbolt capable computer. The additional port may
be used to daisy chain compatible computer peripherals, such
as hard drives, monitors, and much more. A single Thunderbolt
port supports hubs as well as a daisy chain of up to seven Thun-
derbolt devices on, including the Thunderbolt computer.

INSTALLATION
13
Figure 1-7, Thunderbolt Computer Daisy Chain
Figure 1-8, Connecting USB 3.0 Port to Host Computer
USB 3.0
The ThunderBox 400 RAID storage uses a SuperSpeed USB (USB
3.0), providing an even greater enhancement in performance—up
to 40 times faster than USB 2.0, with a design data rate of up to
5Gbps as opposed to USB 2.0’s 480Mbps. Your ThunderBox 400
RAID storage is shipped with a USB 3.0 locking screw cable, to
ensure maximum data transfer performance and prevent cords
from accidentally disconnecting when connected to a SuperSpeed
USB (USB 3.0) port. If your computer only has a USB 2.0 connec-
tion, then ThunderBox 400 will auto-negotiate to USB 2.0 speeds.
This makes it easier for ThunderBox 400 as an external higher
speed storage solution.

INSTALLATION
14
Figure 1-9, Connecting the Power to Enclosure.
Step 3. Connecting Monitor Port (Optional)
You can connect LAN port to the manager clinet system 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 ThunderBox 400 using the
included 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 electronic outlet and to the ThunderBox 400 RAID.
2. ThunderBox 400 RAID will automatically turn on when the host
computer power on status is received from the thunderbolt
cable. It takes about 30 seconds to fully start up the RAID.
3. ThunderBox 400 RAID storage automatically turns off when the
computer to which it is attached sleeps or is disconnected.

INSTALLATION
15
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 ThunderBox 400 RAID stor-
age, you can set up the RAID volume using McRAID storage man-
ager or LCD to set up RAID volumes.
1.5.2 Mac Users
1.5.2.1 Install the MRAID Software
This section describes detailed instructions for installing the
Areca Mac driver & utility for the ThunderBox 400 on your Apple
Thunderbolt capable machine. You must have administrative
level permissions to install Areca Mac 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 or insert the ThunderBox 400 software
CD in the CD-ROM drive.
2. Double-click on the zipped le that comes from the website
or resides at <CDROM>\packages\MacOS 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.

INSTALLATION
16
•Driver is required for the operating system to be able to inter-
act with the ThunderBox 400 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 5 ArcHTTP
Conguration on ThunderBox 400 user manual, for details
about the mail and SNMP traps conguration.
5. On the Choose Install Set screen, click on an icon to install
special components and click on the "Next" button to
continue.

INSTALLATION
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•CLI (Command Line Interface) lets you set up and manage
RAID controller through a command line interface. CLI
performs many tasks at the command line. You can download
CLI manual from Areca website or software CD <CDROM>\
DOCS directory.
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. The Pre-Installation Summary screen, review your installation
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
18
9. When this screen shows, you have completed the driver
installation and click on the "Next" button to continue.
10. After installation is completed, click on the "Done" button to
reboot your computer in order to complete installation.
8. A program bar appears that measures the progress of the
driver installation.

INSTALLATION
19
11. The ArcHTTP and ArcCLI are installed at the same time on
ThunderBox 400. Once ArcHTTP and CLI have been in
stalled, the ArcHTTP background task automatically starts
each time when you start your computer. There is one
MRAID icon showing on your desktop. This icon is for you to
launch the McRAID storage manager (by ArcHTTP) and CLI
utility. If you have not yet installed the hardware, please fol
low the “1.5.1 Physically Install RAID Storage and Drives”
section to install it. Otherwise, to begin the creation volume,
go on the “1.5.2.2 Congure RAID Volumes” section to con
gure the volume.
1.5.2.2 Congure RAID Volumes
There are often multiple ways to accomplish the same congura-
tion and maintenance tasks for your RAID storage. Your ARC-
5026 RAID storage can be congured by one of the following
methods:
1. McRAID Storage Manager from ArcHTTP. (Thunderbolt port)
2. McRAID Storage Manager Through LAN port.
3. LCD Panel with Keypad.
• Method 1: McRAID Storage Manager From ArcHTTP
Start McRAID Storage Manager – Browser Edition
There is one “MRAID” icon showing on your desktop. Double-
click on the “MRAID” icon to locate your ArcHTTP utility and
CLI program le folder.

INSTALLATION
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Locate “Web Management” and launch the selected McRAID
storage manager. Enter RAID storage default User Name
“admin” and the Password “0000” when the login page
prompted for it. After logging in, the McRAID storage manager
process starts.
When you double-click on the “ArcHTTP64”, it shows all RAID
storages available on the system and create an individual
RAID storage icon located on left column of the “ArcHTTP Con-
gurations” screen.
Click on the “Quick Create” in the main menu, your volume is
automatically congured based on the number of disks in your
system. You can create a RAID set associated with exactly
one volume set. The user can change the Raid Level, Capacity,
Initialization Mode, and Stripe Size. A hot spare option is also
created, depending on the exist conguration. Click on the
“Conrm The Operation” check box and click on the “Submit”
button, the RAID set and volume set will start to initialize. If
you prefer to customize your volume set, please use the “Raid
Set Functions” and “Volume Set Functions”. See chapter 4 of