Areca MSR Driver
The ArcNVMeUserspaceDriver-Dext and the ArcMSRUserSpaceDriver-Dext
In addition, there is the ArcNVMe-KEXT driver (Kernel Extension), which is designed for older Intel Macs.
These drivers will replace the old ArcMSRu 1.4.9 Big Sur driver in the future.
You can find the latest drivers for your device on this download page: https://www.areca.com.tw/support/downloads.html
macOS System Requirements:
All drivers require at least macOS Sequoia 15.3 – that is, macOS Sequoia (15.0) with the necessary updates up to 15.3.
-> The reason is that Apple introduced and implemented Thunderbolt 5 in macOS with the Sequoia 15.3 update.
The new driver is primarily designed for newer Macs with Silicon processors, but it can also be installed on Intel Macs as long as macOS Sequoia 15.3 is installed.
A major advantage is that “cumbersome” driver activation via the Mac’s pre-boot settings is no longer necessary.
In general, regarding the selection process, you can proceed as outlined below.
Areca DEXT Driver Installation & Activation (ArcNVMeUserSpaceDriverLoader)
Once the ArcNVMeUserSpaceDriverLoader has been successfully installed from the downloaded .zip and .pkg files, you can now run it.
To do this, go to “Go” > “Applications,” locate the ArcNVMeUserSpaceDriverLoader in the list, and double-click it to run it.
Select the ArcNVMe User Space Driver from Applications and then run it
After the first launch, the following message appears: "...Driver is in an unknown state (No driver available)
Please install and activate it“ -> Click ”Install and Activate Dext"
A prompt for system settings will then appear
-> Confirm by clicking “Open System Settings”
In the Driver Extensions overview, click the “activate” button next to the gray slider for ArcNVMeUserSpaceDriverLoader.
A System Extension Modification window will then open
-> Confirm this by entering the user's password
The slider for driver extensions is then activated and set in macOS
-> Now confirm by clicking “Done”
Areca DEXT Driver Installation & Activation (ArcMSRUserSpaceDriverLoader)
The new driver comes as a .dmg file and must be mounted. By default, you must allow it to be mounted (install it as described in Part 1).
You will then see the ArcMSRUserSpaceDriverLoader
Select ArcMSRUserSpaceDriverLoader from Applications and double-click to “run” it
When you start it for the first time, it still displays: “unknown state” and “(No driver available)”
Click “Install and Activate Dext”
Now "open System Preferences” by clicking the button with the same name
Select “Driver Extensions” on the right side next to “Driver Extensions”
-> Click the (i) icon to open
The ArcMSRUserSpaceDriverLoader is displayed with a gray control
-> Click to activate the control
Next, a password prompt will appear asking you to confirm the operation with your user password
-> Enter the password for the logged-in admin user and confirm by clicking “OK”
The switch is now enabled.
Verification when running the ArcMSRUserSpaceDriverLoader program again
-> “Enabled and ready to use” should now be displayed
Then, back in the main window, check to see if:
“The ArcMSR User Space Driver is enabled and ready to use” is displayed. -> If so, you can minimize or close this window.
Check the Areca DEXT ArcMSRu Driver Installation Path
Below are the steps to check whether the DEXT driver has been successfully installed.
Go to the Desktop
-> Click the Apple icon in the upper-left corner and select “About This Mac.”
In the device data overview:
-> Click “More Info...”
In the System Preferences, under the System Overview for your Mac model:
-> Then click “System Report...”
Now, in the System Report Overview
-> On the left side of the overview, select the “Software / Extensions” section by clicking on it
-> Then, on the right side, look for the entry: “Areca RAID Host Adapter Driver”
The same steps apply to the “Areca NVMe Host Adapter Driver” entry
PDF on Installing Areca Drivers
Areca DEXT Driver Installation Guide for ArcNVMe and ArcMSRu:
Installing Areca Dext driver on Apple Silicon & Intel CPU Macs.pdf
Areca KEXT Driver Installation Guide:
Areca is now offering three new drivers for macOS; two of them are new so-called DEXT drivers. Here is the NVMe version.
Here you'll learn how to install ArcNVMe KEXT drivers (kernel extension drivers) designed for older Intel Macs.
The ARC-8050-T5U series impresses with even greater performance, more stable latencies, and reserves for data-intensive workloads.
