Areca steps up its game with new ARC-1389 NVMe switch adapters
Fast NVMe solution via PCIe Gen 5.0 x16 at attractive prices.
The new ARC-1389 NVMe switch adapters (similar in design to the sister series ARC-1689) from Areca consistently rely on PCIe Gen 5.0 and offer ultra-high bandwidth of up to 60 GB/s via a PCIe Gen 5 x16 interface in both variants (ARC-1389 -8N and ARC-1389-32I) offer ultra-high bandwidth of up to 60 GB/s via a PCIe Gen 5 x16 interface.
Both models integrate the powerful Broadcom PEX89048 PCIe switch, support hot-plugging, UEFI Secure Boot, redundant flash images, and require no special drivers – operating systems access them via native NVMe drivers. Perfectly suited for applications in ML/AI, HPC, or high-performance storage infrastructures.
ARC-1389-8N – compact M.2 switch adapter
Areca offers fast PCIe Gen5 switch technology with its new NVMe adapter ARC-1389-8N. The card provides eight M.2 onboard slots according to PCIe Gen 5 x4. Since the adapter supports switch mode, it divides incoming PCIe Gen 5 x16 bandwidth into multiple downstream links to the NVMe drives. NVMe SSDs are presented to the host natively, i.e., they use the operating system's NVMe drivers.
Thanks to integrated security features, these controllers can reduce downtime in data centers. This is particularly true for the optional ARC-1689-CBM supercapacitor module. This energy buffer ensures data integrity in the event of sudden power failures by enabling secure transfer of internal data from NVMe DRAM to NAND flash.
- Connectivity: Up to 8x M.2 NVMe SSDs (4×2280 and 4×22110) directly via PCIe Gen 5.0 x4.
- Features: Hot-plug capable drives, intelligent LED status display, UEFI Secure Boot, redundant flash image, advanced thermal control.
- Data protection in the event of a power failure: Optional power loss protection via CBM module secures data in the SSD cache.
- Management: Web-based McRAID Manager via PCIe (in-band) and management tools such as ArcSAP / ArcHTTP.
ARC-1389-32I – scalable switch adapter for enterprise
The ARC-1389-32I model provides advanced PCIe Gen 5.0 switch technology via its 4 x MCIO ports (PCIe Gen 5 x8 per MCIO). Via AIC mode (add-in card mode), the card allows the data carriers to be directly available to the operating system.
The adapter provides high-bandwidth, low-latency storage and also delivers scalable, cost-effective, and reliable storage performance. Native inbox drivers, secure UEFI boot, and hot-swap capability round out its impressive features.
- Connectivity: Four MCIO x8 ports enable 8×4, 16×2, or up to 32×1 NVMe SSDs via cable or mid/backplane.
- Flexible: Dynamic configuration adjustment of downstream port widths (x1–x16), supports various form factors (U.2, U.3, EDSFF).
- Security & control: also hot-plug, LED management, redundant flash images, UEFI Secure Boot, no driver required – all with native NVMe drivers.
- Management: identical to the 8N, including Web UI and ArcSAP/ArcHTTP.
| Model Name | ARC-1389-32I Switch Adapter | ARC-1689-32I H/W RAID Adapter |
|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | LP-MD2 : 64.41(H) x 167.65(L) mm | |
| PCIe Switch Chip | PLX89048 Gen5 48 lanes (with Dual Core ARM A15 2.0GHz) | |
| Host Interface | PCIe Gen5 x16 Lanes | |
| Device Connector | MCIO[x8] Connector | |
| Max NVMe Support | up to 8x4, 16x2 and 32x1 NVMe SSD Connection | |
| Device Interface | PCIe Gen 5.0 x4 (NVMe) | |
| RAID Level | N/A (W/O RAID function on GUI) | 0, 1, 10, Single Disk (Single/Dual/Triple) or JBOF |
| Management Port | In-Band: PCIe/Out-of_Band:Lan Port | |
| Device Driver | In-box (Native) NVMe Driver | |
| Software Package | Same as ARC-1886 Tri-Mode Adapter | |
| Power Consumption | Worst Case: 23.7 Watts, Typical: 18 Watts | |
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