Areca ARC-1886-8X8i 16-Port PCIe RAID Controller

Avacab Official Distributor

  
 
 
The Areca ARC-1886-8X8i is a professional Tri-Mode RAID controller built for enterprise and datacenter environments that demand high performance, flexible connectivity, and outstanding reliability.
  

Areca ARC-1886-8X8i features

• Host Bus Interface: 8-lane PCI Express 4.0, doubling the bandwidth of previous generations and ensuring compatibility with current and future server architectures.
• Ports: 8 internal (via 1 x SFF-8654 SlimSAS x8) and 8 external (2 x SFF-8644 Mini-SAS HD, 4 lanes each), delivering top flexibility for both internal arrays and external expansion.
• RAID Processor: Tri-Mode Dual Core ARM A15 at 1.6GHz, fine-tuned for intensive, mission-critical RAID operations.
• Cache Memory: 8GB on-board DDR4-2666 ECC, ensuring rapid access and maximum data protection for demanding workloads.
• Data Transfer Rate: Up to 12Gb/s for SAS/SATA and PCIe Gen 4.0 NVMe per port, supporting both legacy storage and cutting-edge NVMe solutions.
• Drive Support: Up to 512 SAS/SATA drives (12Gb/s, 6Gb/s or 3Gb/s) via SAS expanders, and up to 32 NVMe drives directly through the native controller PCIe switches.
• Cache Protection: Supports ARC-1886-CBM module (Cache Backup Module with SuperCap) for maximum resilience in the event of a power loss.
• Typical Power Consumption: Around 14W, ideal for 24/7 continuous operation.
• Physical Dimensions: Low-profile MD2: 167.65 mm (length) x 64.41 mm (height), easily fits dense and compact server environments.
• Operating Environment: Temperature 0°C to 60°C; humidity 10% to 85% non-condensing.

RAID Functions and Advanced Features

• Supports RAID levels 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 30, 50, 60, Single Disk, and JBOD.
• Manages multiple RAID 0 and 10 arrays (RAID00 and RAID100), multi-mirroring, and mirrored pass-through disk configurations.
• Features online migration, volume and RAID level expansion, disk cloning, and hot-swap support for flexible array management.
• Hardware-level encryption and full SED (Self-Encrypting Drive) support for maximum data security.
• Redundant flash image for high availability, persistent NVRAM event logging, and automatic fault detection and rebuild.

Management and Monitoring

• Administration via McRAID Storage Manager (web interface), fully scriptable CLI utilities, and remote management capabilities for complex deployments.
• Supports UBM, SES2, SGPIO and SMP management, with SNMP/SMTP for integrated enterprise-level monitoring and alerting.

Compatibility and Applications

• Fully compatible with Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, macOS, and VMware systems; integrates easily into virtualized, hybrid cloud and consolidated storage infrastructures.
• Designed for mission-critical environments such as virtualization, large-scale storage, backup, HPC, and demanding corporate storage solutions.