Customers that are looking for high-density storage solution capable of sustaining an around-the-clock working schedule should consider our RocketAIC 7749EM series PCIe NVMe expansion drives, which are equipped with Solidigm’s Datacenter Class D7-P5520 Series E1.S SSDs. RocketAIC 7749EM drives are available with over 60TB of robust, enterprise-grade NVMe storage, and have been tuned to deliver maximum sustained transfer performance over extended periods of time; ideal for performance hungry, media, scientific and AI driven workflows. The Rocket 7749EM’s datacenter class E1.S NVMe media and unique hardware design provide a variety of advanced features designed to enhance the integrity of storage configurations, protect critical data assets, and streamline serviceability. The NVMe AIC Drive is built for 2023 Mac Pro Workstations. The Unique Dual-Wide PCIe Hardware Architecture enables the E1.S media to be arranged vertically, to ensure all sides of storage media exposed to the cool air ingested by the pair of powerful, low-decibel cooling fans. The cool air is then condensed and circulated throughout the AIC, before being expelled from the rear of the PCIe bracket, away from sensitive NVMe media and the host Mac platform. This innovative cooling solution enables the RocketAIC 7749EM to deliver 27GB/s of sustained transfer throughput. PLP (Power Loss Protection) – PLP is associated with Enterprise grade storage solutions, and was designed to help reduce the risk of data loss during a power outage. SSDs that support PLP utilize a bank of capacitors to flush data stored in the cache-NAND to permanent flash memory when the host system suddenly loses power. Enterprise Class Reliability & Endurance Rating – RocketAIC 7749EM drives have a durability rating measures in DWPD (disk writes per day), as opposed to the standard TBW (total bytes written). The E1.S media employed by the drive is certified for datacenter applications, and are designed for prolonged sessions of heavy I/O. Learn More about HighPoint’s Class-Leading RocketAIC 7749EM series of Enterprise Grade PCIe NVMe Expansion Drives

HighPoint Rocket AIC PCIe expansion storage drives eliminate data transfer bottlenecks and streamline critical workflows. NVMe media is ideal for high-performance media post production and content creation workflows, breaking traditional storage performance bottlenecks. Not only does it deliver blisteringly fast transfer throughput, NVMe drives are considerably more efficient than conventional SAS/SATA SSD storage, and boast of much lower-latency, a massive queue depth, and superior random I/O performance in addition to the blistering sequential performance. This is largely due to HighPoint’s proven NVMe architecture; RocketAIC NVMe drives have a direct pipeline to the system’s CPU and GPUs, and our field-proven hardware design and robust driver package work to ensure that pipeline remains straight as an arrow and completely free of obstruction. Direct to CPU Architecture, Massive Queue Depth, and Superior Transfer Bandwidth Unlike conventional storage media, NVMe drives are designed to interface directly with the system’s PCIe host bus and are always first in line, rather than having to thread their way through the crowd. One could think of it in terms of traffic on an interstate; our NVMe drives have immediate access to the highway’s Express lane, with the added bonus of never having to jostle for position when entering or leaving that lane (instant access and transmission). Other drives simply are simply along for the ride, so to speak. Travel for this type of media is essentially relegated to the slow lane and plagued with potential bottlenecks; transfer speed is variable as the physical drive media cannot keep pace with the faster traffic (NVMe) and will have to wait their turn. Some specialized PCIe adapter cards can help streamline pathways for SAS/SATA devices, but speeds will still be hampered by the architecture of this type of media; the fastest 12G enterprise SAS drive, at best, is still only 1/3 as fast as your basic client-class Gen3 M.2 SSD. All of this translates into one seriously streamlined workflow. Unlike SAS/SATA media, NVMe storage’s chief advantages; the ultra-low-latency, minimized access times and superior transfer speed, remain remarkably consistent, end to end (direct from the drive to the application’s doorstep, and back again). It’s no wonder why modern performance-hungry applications such as media post production, 3D animation, rendering and design, and a slew of AI, ML, and AV applications increasingly rely on NVMe storage to get the job done. HighPoint RocketAIC drives have been engineered to ensure each hosted NVMe SSD is allocated x4 lanes of host bandwidth at all times; up to 3,500MB/s for PCIe Gen3 connections, and 7,000MB/s of bandwidth for Gen4 drives. This bandwidth is not theoretical – it is always on tap. Future Proof storage Solutions; as PCI-based media, RocketAIC PCIe expansion drives are highly scalable and versatile storage solutions. They can be easily moved between different platforms so long as the target system has a PCIe slot that can physically accept the AIC drive. This is why many PCIe devices, including all HighPoint NVMe solutions, are described as fully upwards/backwards compatible. A RocketAIC drive with an x16 interface (such as our RocketAIC 7500x and 7700x models), can be installed into any PCIe slot with x16 mechanical lanes. The same is true for our x8 models, such as the RocketAIC 6200 series – these can be installed into any slot capable of supporting a mechanical x8 or x16 device. For example, customers still working with a PCIe Gen3 Mac Pro 2019 platform can invest in PCIe Gen4 storage solutions, such as the RocketAIC 7540HM, RocketAIC 7505HM and RocketAIC 7502HW; these drives can be easily moved directly to a 2023 platform. The drive will remain intact, fully accessible, and will be able to take full advantage of the superior bandwidth; no reconfiguration is required. Learn More RocketAIC for Mac Pro Workstations HighPoint’s Alternative for 2.5” NVMe Drive in the 2023 Mac Pro

It’s no surprise that NVMe media is ideal for RAID applications. NAND, flash media is exponentially faster and far more reliable than platter-based storage media, and HighPoint’s proven NVMe RAID stack was developed to build on these strengths. Customers can employ our RAID technology to exploit the full potential of their NVMe storage investments, and fine-tune RAID configurations to deliver mind-blowing transfer performance! HighPoint’s NVMe RAID technology was engineered to fully leverage the Broadcom PCIe Switch technology employed by our NVMe RAID AICs and Enclosures to maximize the performance and reliability of NVMe storage configurations for x86 Intel/AMD computing platforms. The technology is unique to our SSD7xxx product lines (RAID AICs and Enclosures), and requires that a HighPoint RAID Stack solution be installed for the host operating system. Core NVMe RAID Technology & Solutions HighPoint’s NVMe RAID Stack solution is available for a wide range of hardware platforms and operating systems, and is comprised of our RAID and Storage technology, Product Specific Host & Device driver, and RAID Storage management and monitoring suite. Our NVMe RAID stack was designed to leverage Broadcom’s industry leading PCIe Switch chipsets to optimize x16 lanes of upstream bandwidth, minimize latency, maximize port density, and allocate a dedicated x4 lanes of downstream bandwidth to each device channel at all times. These characteristics are ideal for industrial and business applications that require storage solutions capable of maximizing I/O transfer performance. Boot-RAID and Data-RAID HighPoint uses the terms “Data RAID” and Boot-RAID” to describe the primary function of a RAID array. All SSDxxx series NVMe RAID AICs and Enclosures support Data-RAID configurations. Those with boot capability (SSD7500 series, SSD7202, SSD7105, etc.) also support Boot-RAID configurations. A Data-RAID array is only used to store or process data. An operating system will recognize a Data-RAID array as single physical drive, which can then be formatted/partitioned as needed. A Boot-RAID array can function as a system disk (bootable drive or volume). In most cases, a Boot-RAID is configured as a redundant RAID array (RAID 1, 10), as it adds a layer of data security to the OS. Boot-RAID volumes must be created before an OS can be installed; a bootable drive cannot be converted into a RAID array. Depending on the product in use, administrators can configure the array using the controller’s UEFI or UEFI HII utility. Supported NVMe RAID Levels SSD7xxx series NVMe solutions powered by our RAID stack are capable of supporting one or more RAID 0, 1, or 10 arrays, single-disks, and Boot-RAID or Data-RAID storage configurations. RAID 10: It represents the “best of both worlds”, as it can dramatically boost Read and Write I/O performance while adding a layer of data redundancy. RAID 10 is capable of delivering read performance on par with RAID 0, and is superior to RAID 5 for NVMe applications. Unlike RAID 5, RAID 10 doesn’t necessitate additional parity-related write operations, which can impact the life span of NVMe SSD’s. RAID 10 requires a minimum of 4 NVMe SSD’s and is comprised of a stripe between two RAID 1 arrays. RAID 0: Also known as a “stripe” array, this type of array optimizes both performance and capacity, and requires a minimum of 2 NVMe SSDs. Data is distributed evenly across all members of the array (members = individual SSDs). Striping arrays improve both read and write performance as the I/O requests are spread across multiple SSDs simultaneously. Ideally, RAID 0 arrays are comprised of identical SSDs (same capacity, model, speed rating, etc.). Capacity is calculated by multiplying the “smallest” SSD (capacity wise) by the total number of SSDs in the array. RAID 1 (Security): It protects data against a single drive failure, and is ideal for bootable volumes, as the system will remain in operation if the source boot disk should fail. RAID 1 is often referred to as “mirroring”, and creates a hidden duplicate of the target SSD. A RAID 1 array is comprised of two SSDs (and only two SSDs). HighPoint Storage Accelerator Engine: HighPoint can integrate MCU’s into our NVMe RAID products to enhance the functionality, performance, and reliability of the target solution, and promote the seamless integration of the device into the host system. Performance Optimization Solutions HighPoint NVMe RAID products are highly customizable, and can be fine-tuned to excel in a specific working environment, hardware/software platform or target application. We have developed several performance-tuning applications are available for SSD7xxx series AICs and Enclosures. HPT-Optimize Multi-CPU/Core Performance Optimizer: This innovative utility can simplify the tuning process for any Multi-Core platforms by intelligently allocating system resources to ensure the target application utilizes the full potential of the NVMe media. HPT-Optimize intuitively maps the most Efficient I/O processing route to minimize the risk of latency & eliminate performance bottlenecks. HPT-Optimize ensures that the target application is directly linked to the CPU core associated with the SSD7xxx series AIC’s or Enclosure’s host PCIe slot; establishing this link will maximize transfer throughput and minimize latency. HPT-Optimize can be used with any RAID level or single SSD configurations, and is available for both Linux and Windows platforms. Cross-Sync RAID Technology: HighPoint’s revolutionary Cross-Sync RAID technology takes an outside-the-box approach to NVMe storage applications; it enables customers to eliminate the performance and capacity bottlenecks imposed by the single PCIe slot constraints of a conventional AIC solution. Cross-Sync enabled RAID solutions employ multiple AICs to optimize storage performance by scaling bus bandwidth up to 32 lanes and deliver up to 55,000MB/s of transfer throughput! Intuitive RAID Management & Monitoring Suite HighPoint SSD7xxx/SSD6200 Series NVMe RAID AICs and Enclosures include a comprehensive suite of pre-OS and OS-Level NVMe Storage and RAID Management and Monitoring tools. These software utilities have been actively developed and perfected over many years, and are available for Linux, Windows and macOS platforms. This “suite” of utilities provides administrators with full manual control over almost all aspects of the storage solution, from monitoring drives and SSDs in real time, recovering or rebuilding a storage configuration in an emergency situation, to configuring an automated maintenance schedule to proactively ward off the threat of downtime imposed by a potential hardware failure. Pre-OS Tools “Pre-OS” refers to an application that can operates before an operating system is booted, or in some cases, in the absence of the operating system. HighPoint has developed several utilities for our NVMe RAID AIC’s that can operate at the Pre-OS level. UEFI Tool: The UEFI Tool is a non-graphical command line utility designed for use at the pre-OS level, and can be used to configure arrays prior to OS installation. UEFI HII (human interface infrastructure): The SD6200 UEFI HII utility is natively supported by a wide range of server class motherboards and computing platforms. It enables an SSD6200 series AIC to inject RAID creation and maintenance options into the motherboard’s standard UEFI BIOS menu. OOB Monitoring: SSD6200 series AICs also provide OOB monitoring capability (out-of-band). Administrators can interface directly with the card via a USB-C port (say for example, via a laptop), and check the status of hosted NVMe media and RAID configurations using simple console commands. OS-Level Tools “OS-Level” refers to an application that is designed to operate while the OS is up and running. The HighPoint OS Level RAID Management toolset is comprised of our WebGUI and CLI, which are now packaged together in a single download available for all major operating systems. WebGUI (Web-Based Graphical Management Interface): The WebGUI is an intuitive graphical user interface designed to work with all modern Web Browsers. It’s the easiest interface to master, as many of the features, especially those related to RAID creation, have default settings that let you breeze through everything with a few simple clicks. However, the WebGUI also has many advanced features that are essential for maintaining a successful NVMe storage configuration. Of particular, note, is the SHI solution (Storage Health Inspector), which is particularly useful for NVMe media, as it provides real-time temperature monitoring with configurable thresholds (this allows you to change settings to match the specs of each NVMe SSD you are working with), and a way to keep tabs on disk endurance; total bytes written (TBW) or disk writes per day (DWPD). CLI (Command Line Interface): The HighPoint CLI (Command Line Interface) is ideal for seasoned administrators and platforms that do not utilize graphical operating systems. For many Linux veterans, it is the tool of choice, as it runs from a terminal window, is universal for any distribution, and does not require a graphical OS. Streamlines Field Service and Upgrades HighPoint has developed a range of specialized monitoring and configuration toolsets designed to simplify upgrade, expansion and service workflows. UEFI HII (BIOS interface): RAID AICs with this feature set can “inject” RAID configuration functions into the motherboard’s BIOS interface via Human Interface Infrastructure Support (HII). Note, the target motherboard must be HII capable. HighPoint SafeStorage (SED):The SafeStorage solution was developed to work in conjunction with the state-of-the-art SED technology employed by all classes of modern NVMe media, and is based on the OPAL SSC TCG specifications. It is designed to protect data assets when physical drives are misplaced or stolen by preventing unauthorized access to stored data. SafeStorage can be applied to both single-disk and RAID configurations, and is activated via a service known as Disk Security, which can be administered via our WebGUI and CLI utilities. SHI (Storage Health Inspector) Temperature Thresholds & Email Notification: SHI provides wealth of information about NVMe media, and enables administrators to instantly asses the temperature, endurance rating, and operational status of each hosted SSD. SHI enables experienced administrators to adjust the temperature warning thresholds, which can be customized for each hosted SSD. These determine how and when the interface will notify you if one or more SSDs is running too hot, and adjust fan speed accordingly. It can also be tied into the AIC’s (or enclosure’s) audible alarm (beeper) and the WebGUI/CLI’s Event Log and Email notification system. This tool is essential for maintaining high data-throughput in high-stress workloads, and as it is another way to keep the threat of thermal throttling under control. Online Array Roaming: The SSD7xxx series’ Online Array Roaming capability simplifies upgrade and replacement procedures, as customers can migrate SSDs from one controller to another, without having to start from scratch or recover an array. HighPoint NVMe RAID AICs are also capable of recognizing arrays created with other SSD7000, SSD7500, or SSD7749 series controllers, even if the SSDs are moved to different ports. 1-Click Self Diagnostic Logging Service: The WebGUI includes an automated diagnostic tool designed to streamline the troubleshooting process, even for novice administrators. The Diagnostic tab enables the interface to gather information about the corresponding hardware, software and storage configurations and compile it into a single file which can be submitted to our Support Department. Note, this software does not collect user-data (actual data stored to the storage devices), and poses no threat to security or privacy. Hot-Plug & Hot-Swap: Hot-Plug & Hot-Swap features allows administrators to add or remove one or more NVMe SSDs on the fly, as necessity demands, without powering down or rebooting the host platform. HighPoint manufactures several NVMe RAID solutions that provide Hot-Swap and Hot-Plug capability. Learn More: How to hot-swap NVMe SSDs on the SSD7580B NVMe Storage Performance Technology

For nearly 3 decades, HighPoint Technologies, Inc. has been driving force in the Storage and Connectivity Industry. Throughout the years, HighPoint has continuously released cutting-edge products that push these industries forward. Though we offer an extensive selection of products and solutions for all major storage and connectivity interfaces, we specialize in all things NVMe. NVMe Storage and Connectivity Expertise It’s no secret that HighPoint builds the industry’s fastest NVMe RAID controllers. Our game changing NVMe hardware architecture and Cross-Sync RAID technology enables administrators to link dual SSD7xxx controllers to support upwards of 120TB of storage at speeds of up to, and even beyond, 55,000MB/s! And recently, we’ve expanded our NVMe portfolio to include a complete range of HBA solutions, which are perfectly suited for applications that employ Software-Defined Storage solutions such as Vmware vSAS, Microsoft S2D and Linux CEPH. While our industry proven RAID technology and expert driver development capabilities perfectly illustrate our storage expertise, one may be tempted to overlook the fact that HighPoint has a long and storied history as a hardware engineering firm and manufacturer. We cut our teeth in the early days of the IDE/ATA era, and were the first to design and manufacture RAID capable ATA33 and ATA controller chips (yes, HighPoint used to design and manufacture chipsets!) that could be integrated into commercially available mainboards. We shipped millions of these solutions to major motherboard manufactures, and later entered the marketplace as a stand-alone solutions provider, with the debut of our RocketRAID series of PCIe controllers. Our hardware engineering expertise, combined with our industry proven RAID engine and software solutions. Built for Speed Unlike most competing products, HighPoint NVMe solutions are capable of fully saturating x16 lanes of PCIe Gen3 (3.0) or Gen4 (4.0) host bandwidth. This is due to our highly flexible, performance focused PCB architecture, which was designed in-house and is unique to our hardware solutions. Our hardware engineering expertise enable SSD7xxx NVMe RAID AICs and Rocket 1500/1000 Series HBA to incorporate and fully exploit the capabilities of high-performance PCIe Switch technology. SSD7500 and Rocket 1500 Series SSD7000 and Rocket 1000 Series These PCIe Switch Chipsets provide as many as 32 dedicated PCIe lanes, while supporting as many as 48 independent devices. Most consider this type of technology as overkill for a single-card solution. However, HighPoint is no stranger to this design philosophy – we simply saw it as a way to enhance an already superior solution. Our NVMe hardware architecture enables each controller card to operate independent of the host hardware platform, and allocate as much as x4 lanes per NVMe device port; this ensures that all x8 or x16 lanes worth of bandwidth are available at all times, even if multiple ports are not in use. This is a key advantage of HighPoint’s PCB design; bandwidth is assigned automatically, and can be adjusted on the fly. This ability lends credence to the “Intelligent” moniker that is associated with these AICs. To further illustrate the advantages of this architecture, consider the current state of your average NVMe PCIe controller. In truth, the vast majority of NVMe PCIe controllers are essentially just adapter cards – most are only PCIe x8 devices, and either distribute lanes equally across all ports, or defer to the system mainboard for PCIe allocation (this requirement is known as Bifurcation). In either case, performance bandwidth is squandered unless all channels/ports are occupied and in use. If you want to push your system to the max, and ensure that power gets channeled to your target application, don’t waste your time with a simple adapter solution. And don’t simply shop around for a Switch Chipset based solution either – just because it has the chipset, doesn’t mean it was designed to use the switch component. HighPoint SSD7xxx Series RAID AICs and Rocket 1500/1000 Series HBAs don’t take shortcuts – they were designed to take full advantage of each hardware component and deliver max throughput, regardless of platform.

HighPoint’s RocketAIC 7749EM Brings Enterprise Grade AIC Form-Factor Storage Drives to the 2023 Mac Pro In the recent past, if you need a truly high-density, enterprise-grade NVMe storage solution for a tower workstation platform, (something in excess of 16TB), your only realistic option was to install a U.2/U.3 based-solution. U.2/U.3 media are available in very large capacities, and generally provide enterprise class features and endurance ratings. Unfortunately, U.2/U.3 NVMe SSDs aren’t ideal for the Mac Pro - they were designed with rack mount storage servers in mind. While the U.2/U.3 PCIe add in cards are compact and can be easily installed into most modern Mac Pro workstations, these platforms were simply not designed to host 2.5” storage media. Customers looking to add NVMe drives in a Mac Pro are likely very familiar with both of these concerns. While it’s true that both 2023 and 2019 Mac Pro’s provide plenty of PCIe slots, only 2023 platforms are likely to have enough free interior space to host the cabling accessories. Unfortunately, this platform is not equipped with internal drive bays. So, suddenly, you are back to ground-zero…. While it is true that there are third-party drive-bay solutions out there, few if any support more than a pair of drives. That may provide more storage than your average M.2 solution, but in truth, it’s barely outside the realm of a modern high-port-count M2 solution. You can always opt for 30+TB U.2 drives, but it’ll cost you. On average, you can expect to shell out 3000USD per SSD; that’s $100 per TB of storage! Thankfully, there are alternatives. HighPoint’s RocketAIC 7749EM expansion drives can offer you the best of both worlds; a compact M.2-sized storage solution capable of delivering enterprise storage capacity, performance and reliability, without the massive price tag of U.2/U.3 media. HighPoint RocketAIC 7749EM series NVMe drives are equipped with eight datacenter class E1.S NVMe SSDs, and are capable of providing over 60TB of storage at speeds up to 27,000MB/s. RocketAIC 7749EM drives also provide enterprise-grade reliability, with high-endurance DWPD (disk writes per day) ratings and advanced features such as power-loss-protection (PLP). PLP can help reduce the risk of data loss during a sudden power outage by flushing data that was stored in the cache to the drive’s permanent flash memory. Learn More: RocketAIC 7749EM PCIe Expansion Drives (32 to 64TB of pre-configured storage) Other Solution for the Mac Pro: HighPoint SSD series NVMe RAID AICs: SSD7749E 8x E1.S NVMe RAID AIC SSD7540 8x M.2 NVMe RAID AIC SSD7505 4x M.2 NVMe RAID AIC SSD7502 2x M.2 NVMe RAID AIC

NVMe storage and connectivity solutions are frequently deployed to satisfy the stringent performance and reliability requirements of industrial, media and AI applications designed to process large volumes of sensitive data. Securing this data from prying eyes, while protecting the privacy of end users and corporate customers alike is of critical importance. As such, disk encryption technology is quickly become an essential component of storage solutions designed to address these workflows. HighPoint’s SafeStorage solution was developed to work in conjunction with the state-of-the-art SED technology employed by all classes (Client, Datacenter and Enterprise) of modern NVMe media, and is based on the OPAL SSC TCG specifications. It is designed to protect data assets when physical drives are misplaced or stolen by preventing unauthorized access to stored data. First introduced with our PCIe Gen4 SSD7580C 8-Channel U.2/U.3 NVMe RAID HBA, SafeStorage can be applied to both single-disk and RAID configurations, and is activated via a service known as Disk Security, which can be administered via our software management and monitoring suites. Designed for RAID or Independent Drive Configurations Unlike many competing solutions, HighPoint SafeStorage was developed to accommodate storage configurations comprised of both large-scale RAID arrays and individually configured drives. Disk Security for RAID volumes is enabled at the time of creation, and will automatically activate each disk member’s self-encryption capabilities. Securely Lockdown Crucial Data from Unauthorized Access When Disk Security is enabled, your data is automatically locked down whenever the disk media is removed from the HighPoint storage or connectivity device. HighPoint SafeStorage assigns unique identifiers, known as “Keys”, in the form of Passwords, to the HighPoint device and each hosted disk. The Keys are automatically created when the Disk Security feature is activated and can be configured/modified by the administrator as required. This system ensures your data cannot be accessed unless the keys match. Keys/Passwords are securely stored by the HighPoint device and can be managed using the WebGUI and CLI management suites (and in the near future, our UEFI RAID utility). Unless an Administrator changes a Key, disks/arrays can be accessed normally. However, Lockdown mode is enabled as soon as the disk is removed. Stolen disks cannot be simply moved to a separate HighPoint/Non-HighPoint Adapter or Enclosure for access. The “thief” would need to link the disk/array to the new HighPoint device, and would need to enter the original Keys to do so. Cryptographic Erasure Changing or deleting encryption keys for SED capable disks will render all encrypted data indecipherable and thus, unrecoverable. SafeStorage allows administrators to delete and regenerate Keys (aka Passwords) as needed to ensure your encrypted data is always under lock and key. A few simple commands enable authorized administrators to immediately prep storage for resale, retirement or reuse. The Cryptographic Erase command replaces the encryption Key inside each drive; this makes it impossible to ever decrypt data stored on these devices. When executed, data is rendered inaccessible and considered cryptographically erased. The drives can then be reset to an unowned state and reused once a new encryption key is generated. In addition, upon disabling the Disk Security feature, SafeStorage will automatically initiate the cryptographic erase command. The process is automated and takes only seconds to complete. Disk Security can be easily disabled at any time, using HighPoint’s WebGUI and CLI utilities. Server Integration / Hot-Swap & Hot-Plug Workflows: SSD7580C The SSD7580C is HighPoint’s 3rd generation Hot-Plug/Hot-Swap capable PCIe 4.0 U.2/U.3 NVMe RAID AIC. It can host up to eight 2.5” form factor NVMe SSDs of capacity and performance level, via a range of cabling options for industry standard rackmount and mobile rack chassis. The integrated Hot-Swap/Hot-Plug technology is ideal for field service and upgrade workflows, and enables administrators to add or remove individual NVMe SSDs, or even an entire RAID array, on the fly, without having to power down the host platform or reboot the operating system. SafeStorage is ideal for workflows that depend on Hot-Swap capability. Customers can rest assured that their data assets will be automatically locked down anytime a drive is physically removed from the host platform, for whatever reason. Server Intergrated & Compact Form Factor: SSD7749E/M HighPoint’s revolutionary SSD7749 series of Dual-Width PCIe 4.0 x16 8-Channel NVMe controllers were designed for demanding Industrial and AI applications that require a high-density NVMe storage solution with blazing fast PCIe Gen4 x16 performance and Datacenter class reliability. SSD7749 series AICs are ideal for compact platforms that do not have space for internal drive bays. The AICs directly host the NVMe media within a fully enclosed aluminum casing, which incorporates a tool-less SSD loading system and powerful NVMe cooling system capable of accommodating E1.S or M.2 SSDs of any form factor and thickness, including high-density dual-sided models equipped with heatsinks or heat spreaders. This rugged, all-in-one design makes moving NVMe storage a snap. Though the double-width form fact makes them a bit larger than standard NVMe controller cards, SSD7749 series AICs are roughly the same size and shape as a high-end GPU, and can be just as readily moved from system to system – just unplug the card from one platform and install it into another. No additional cooling or cabling apparatus is needed. SafeStorage is an ideal match for this type of solution. Your data will remain under lock and key, even if the card is misplaced or stolen. Unless you have the required Security Keys, the data can never be accessed. Learn More: SSD7580C 8-port U.2/U.3 Gen4 NVMe RAID Controller (Coming Soon) SSD7749E 8-port E1.S PCIe Gen4 NVMe RAID Controller SSD7749M 8-port M.2 PCIe Gen4 NVMe RAID Controller HighPoint SafeStorage (TCG OPAL SSC)

HighPoint currently manufactures two distinct NVMe AIC product lines: our Rocket 1000 series NVMe AICs, and our SSD7000 series NVMe RAID AICs. Though both product lines share the same base hardware architecture, each series is targeted towards a different set of application and operating environment. HighPoint’s entire NVMe AIC product portfolio is powered by Broadcom’s industry leading PCIe switch technology, and HighPoint’s precision engineered cooling solutions. As such, all are capable of maximizing x16 lanes of upstream bandwidth, and deliver x4 lanes of dedicated downstream bandwidth to each device port. So, which system is right for your application and platform – a Rocket series AIC or SSD series RAID AIC? This article compares and contrasts the two product families, and may help you narrow down your selection. Common Feature Set: Hardware Architecture Broadcom Inside! HighPoint NVMe AICs hardware architecture incorporates Broadcom PCIe switch chipsets, with proven SerDes and SRIS technology, to optimize signal integrity, reduce latency and maximize transfer throughput. These ICs provide and abundance of electrical lanes: 48 for Gen4 and 32 for Gen3. This ensures bandwidth is never wasted; x4 lanes are always on tap for each device port. The highly flexible, performance-focused hardware architecture is unique to our NVMe solutions, and guarantees that maximum bandwidth is available to each SSD at all times. This combination enables Rocket series NVMe AICs to allocate a dedicated x16 lanes of Upstream bandwidth, and x4 lanes of downstream bandwidth to each NVMe device port, and deliver transfer throughput up to 28GB/s for PCIe Gen4 platforms, and up to 14GB/s for Gen3 systems – the maximum possible for a single-card application! Learn More Industry’s Most Effective NVMe Cooling Systems NVMe storage solutions can generate a considerable amount of waste heat under load, especially those that employ high-density dual-sided NAND, such as E1.S and M.2 22110 media. In an effort to protect this sensitive hardware, most SSDs will limit throughput when a temperature threshold has been crossed; a technique known as ”thermal throttling”. While thermal throttling is an ideal failsafe, it can severely bottleneck transfer performance. In order to optimize NVMe storage performance, you will need to keep temperatures in check. HighPoint NVMe AICs were designed to mitigate the threat of thermal throttling to excel in high-stress computing environments. Most of our NVMe AICs utilize robust, high-quality, low-decibel cooling fans designed to rapidly inject and condense cool air within the casing/heatsink, and expel waste heat from the ventilated PCIe bracket. The Ultra-Cooling fan system was engineered to perform optimally in demanding 24/7 workflows while generating minimal noise. Our NVMe AIC products are equipped with one of four specialized cooling solutions. Dual-Width Cooling Solution: SSD7749 NVMe RAID AICs employ a precision engineering NVMe cooling solution designed to accommodate high-density, dual-sided PCIe Gen4 E1.S and M.2 22110 media. Powerful, low-decibel fans draw cool air from within the system chassis, then condense and circulate it throughout the casing. Waste heat is drawn away from the SSD and critical componentry, then rapidly expelled via the ventilated bracket. The unique SSD socket design enables NVMe media to be arranged vertically, which ensures that the cool, condensed air reaches each side of the SSD. Learn More about HighPoint’s Dual-Width Cooling Solution Silent Running: This passive, completely silent cooling system is ideal for professional media workflows that demand a quiet, controlled work environment. This system combines a full-length anodized aluminum heatsink with high-efficiency thermal padding. Low-Noise Active Cooling Solution: Employed by the majority of our PCIe Gen3 AICs, it ensures each hosted SSD consistently operates within the manufacturer’s recommended temperature thresholds, and is comprised of a full-length anodized heat sink, thermal padding and robust, low-noise cooling fans. Hyper-Cooling Solution: Designed for PCIe Gen4 M.2 media , this system leverages an anodized aluminum heatsink with one or more low-decibel cooling fans and high-efficiency thermal padding. It was designed to rapidly transfers waste heat away from sensitive hardware and ensure M.2 media always perform optimally, even under maximum load. Learn More about HighPoint’s Innovative NVMe Cooling Systems What makes SSD7000 AICs different from Rocket 1000 AICs? While HighPoint NVMe AICs share a common hardware architecture powered by our state-of-the-art PCB design, industry leading Broadcom PCIe switch technology, and precision engineered cooling systems, where they differ is in the details. SSD7000 series NVMe RAID AICs employ HighPoint’s industry proven NVMe RAID & storage technology, comprehensive management and monitoring suites, and storage solution packages designed to optimize performance, capacity, reliability and data security. They are highly customizable, and can be tailored for a wide range of high-performance platforms and applications. Due to these characteristics, SSD7000 series NVMe RAID AICs are ideal storage solutions for workflows that have specific transfer rate or capacity targets. Learn More About HighPoint RAID & Storage Technology In contrast, Rocket 1000 series NVMe AICs were designed for use with any industry-standard server or workstation and workflows that employ SDS (Software Design Storage) suites. They are supported natively by all major operating system platforms and require no separate device driver or software package. As such, Rocket 1000 series AICs can be easily integrated into nearly any modern computing platform, and can be configured using the host operating systems standard toolset. For many customers, they can effectively serve as direct plug-and-play NVMe storage solutions. Which NVMe AIC Solution is right for me? It all boils down to your target application and the associated hardware/software environment. The SSD7000 series’ comprehensive management and monitoring suite, and storage solutions are ideal for applications that have specific transfer-speed, capacity and data security requirements. If you are looking to build a custom storage solution, SSD7000 series RAID AICs are the ideal choice. If you need to quickly install an NVMe storage solution into an existing industry standard server or workstation environment, and the target workflow was designed to employ SDS (software defined storage) technology or rely on the default OS storage toolset, the Rocket 1000 series native hardware support, and resulting ease of integration may be the perfect solution. Learn More: SSD7000 series NVMe AICs Rocket 1000 series NVMe AICs NVMe Product Matrix

In general, PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSDs with 4 or more TB of capacity utilize double-sided NAND. While this form factor allows for denser storage media, heat dissipation can be a major concern, as considerably more NAND memory has been packaged into the same physical space. In addition, airflow is often restricted for the “down” side of the SSD (the side positioned closest the surface of the controller or motherboard). If the SSDs do not have enough “breathing room”, the risk of overheating can become a major concern, especially when the SSDs are under heavy load for prolonged periods of time. Thermal throttling will inevitably kick in and severely bottleneck transfer performance. HighPoint’s SSD7749M PCIe Gen4 NVMe AIC was designed to mitigate this risk. The unique dual-width AIC form factor is ideal for double-sided M.2 NVMe media! Industry’s First Dual-Width M.2 NVMe AIC HighPoint’s SSD7749 series of AIC RAID controllers and Host Adapters have established a new milestone for NVMe storage, and were designed to address the stringent performance, and reliability requirements of industrial workflows, such as AI and edge-computing applications and HD media post production. The robust, double-width AIC architecture and full-length aluminum casing has incorporated a unique tool-less SSD loading system, and dedicated cooling system designed to protect critical NVMe hardware and eliminate performance bottlenecks associated with thermal throttling. The SSD7749M’s unique architecture and specialized cooling system enables M.2 media to be arranged vertically, similar to how memory is installed into most motherboards. This unique approach simplifies installation and service workflows while providing superior airflow; a true win-win situation! The system enables the SSD7749M to easily accommodate dual-sided M.2 SSDs, even those with a 22110 form-factor. Learn More: SSD7749M 8-port M.2 PCIe Gen4 NVMe RAID Controller

HighPoint’s SSD7749 Series PCIe Gen4 RAID AICs feature the Industry’s First Dual-Width NVMe Cooling Solution Historically, the term “Dual-width” has been synonymous with high-end PCIe GPU’s. This term refers to a PCIe card’s physical size, which as the name implies, requires the equivalent of two PCIe slots. It is rarely, if ever, even mentioned when discussing a storage or connectivity AIC (add-in card). However, the continuous advancement of NVMe technology has resulted in a drastic rethink about the hardware architecture of your typical NVMe AIC. In just a few short years, the performance of a single SSD has doubled from 3500MB/s to 7000MB/s. And, in the very near future, this will double once more to 14,000MB/s. It is becoming increasingly obvious that conventional single-width HBA architecture will be unable to keep pace with demanding NVMe applications. Faster, high-capacity SSDs utilize increasingly higher-density NAND, and generate vast quantities of waste heat under load. Simply put, a dual-width form-factor allows a significantly more robust cooling system; the added interior space can accommodate larger, more efficient heat sinks and powerful fans to promote superior air flow. If your goal is to unlock the full performance potential of NVMe media, these factors cannot be ignored. Our new series of PCIe Gen4 NVMe RAID AICs have adopted a double-width architecture for this very reason. Introducing the Industry’s First Dual-Width NVMe AICs HighPoint’s revolutionary SSD7749E E1.S RAID AIC represents a major leap forward in NVMe storage technology, and was designed specifically meet the demanding performance, reliability, and capacity requirements of industrial servers and edge-computing workflows. Adopting a double-wide form factor was the only logical choice for single-PCIe slot AIC solution, and enabled our engineers to develop the product without compromise. Each AIC is enclosed within a full-length aluminum casing designed to protect critical hardware from high-stress working environments. The casing incorporates a powerful, precision engineered cooling system and ingenious, tool-less SSD loading system designed to accommodate high-density, dual-sided PCIe Gen4 E1.S NVMe media of any width and capacity. The dual-width layout is not a new concept. Dual-width graphic adapters have been available for years, and could now be considered the “norm”. This is why the majority of modern workstation and server platforms are designed to accommodate this type of PCIe device. However, the SSD7749 design is rather unique in this sense, as it is the first commercially available NVMe AIC to utilize this layout. It should be noted that SSD7749 Series AICs do not require the full physical space provided by two PCIe slots. In fact, the cards are only ½ inch or so wider than the SSD7540 M.2 RAID HBA, which uses a single-width form factor, and is approximately 1 inch wide. This additional space provided by reserving two slots provides a virtual “cushion” between the SSD7749 Series AIC and neighboring PCIe devices, which as a bonus, improves airflow within the system chassis. Dedicated Dual-Width Cooling System Eliminates Thermal Throttling As NVMe technology continues to proliferate across vertical markets, the demand for a faster, denser storage solution that utilizes compact form-factor M.2 SSDs and new DC class E1.S media, is on the rise. However, such solutions require a much more robust and efficient cooling system. High-density PCIe Gen4 NVMe media generates a considerable volume of waste heat under load; successfully managing this heat is the key to unlocking the full performance potential of NVMe storage. In response to this growing demand, HighPoint’s product development team have engineered an entirely new double-width cooling solution for SSD7749 series NVMe RAID AICs. Designed to drastically improve cooling performance over existing single-width solutions, this innovative new system ensures high-density PCIe Gen4 E1.S and M.2 22110 media consistently deliver maximum throughput for extended I/O sessions. Precision Engineered “Ultra-Cooling” Fan System: SSD7749 Series NVMe RAID AICs are equipped with robust, high-quality, low-decibel cooling fans designed to rapidly inject and condense cool air within the casing,and expel waste heat from the ventilated PCIe bracket. This “Ultra-Cooling” fan system was engineered to perform optimally in demanding 24/7 workflows while generating minimal noise. Vertical SSD Slot Design: The dual-width architecture of SSD7749 Series NVMe RAID AICs incorporates a unique socket design that enables NVMe media to be arranged vertically, similar to how memory is installed into a conventional motherboard. This “upright” vertical positioning ensures that the cool, condensed air circulating within the casing reaches both sides of the SSD. The “upright” vertical positioning enables the cool air circulated within the casing to reach both sides of E1.S and M.2 SSDs Direct End-to-End Airflow Channeling: A pair of powerful, low-decibel cooling fans that are integrated directly into the casing’s “door” mechanism, which swings up and away from the AIC to expose the SSD loading bay. These fans draw in large volumes of cool air from the platform’s chassis, and direct it towards centrally mounted heat sink. The cool air is then condensed and circulated throughout the interior of the casing. Waste heat is drawn away from the SSDs and critical componentry and rapidly expelled through the “rear” of the AIC, via the vented PCIe bracket. Waste heat is drawn away from the SSDs and critical componentry and rapidly expelled through the “rear” of the AIC, via the vented PCIe bracket. The hardware side of this cooling solution was designed to work seamlessly with HighPoint’s SHI (Storage Health Inspector) software interface, which allows administrators to quickly assess the operating status, endurance rating and temperature of NV Me devices via S.M.A.R.T. technology, in real-time. SHI allows administrators to change the temperature warning thresholds, which can be adjusted for each hosted SSD. These determine how and when the interface will notify you if one or more SSDs is running hot, and adjust fan speed accordingly. It can also be tied into the SSD7749’s audible (beeper) alarm and the WebGUI/CLI’s Event Log and Email notification system. This tool is essential for maintaining high data-throughput in high-stress workloads, and as it is another way to keep the threat of thermal throttling at bay. Learn More: SSD7749E 8-Channel E1.S PCIe Gen4 NVMe RAID AIC SSD7749M 8-Channel M.2 PCIe Gen4 NVMe RAID AIC Cool-Off up to 8x Double-Sided M.2 Devices! E1.S Form-Factor & Thickness Video Introducing the SSD7749 Series Use the SSD7749 with the Apple Mac Pro M2 Ultra

HighPoint’s Dual-Width E1.S and M.2 NVMe AICs are the perfect High-performance storage solution for Apple’s new generation of Mac Pro workstations. Designed for high-stress media, industrial and AI applications, SSD7749 series NVMe RAID AIC host bus adapters, are capable of delivering up to 28GB/s of sustained transfer throughput via a single PCIe Gen4 x16 slot, and double-this with a Cross-Sync configuration! The new Mac Pro is powered by Apple’s M2 Ultra chipset and 24-Core CPU, which were developed entirely in house, and reportedly perform nearly 2x faster than their Intel-based predecessors. The platforms GPU capability is arguably even more impressive; up to 76 cores and 192GB of memory. All of this computing and graphical power is backed by 7 full-length PCIe expansion slots, 4 of which can support dual-width PCIe devices. The slots located at the “bottom” of the motherboard are both x16, and could each potentially host an SSD7749. The new platform was designed for Media Professionals, and is being marketed towards media post production and content creation workflows. As such, Apple states the new platform can handle up to 22 concurrent streams of 8K ProRes video. Double your Mac Pro’s Storage Performance and Capacity with HighPoint’s Double-Width NVMe Architecture HighPoint’s innovative dual-width NVMe hardware architecture is capable of delivering maximum bandwidth for each available PCIe Gen4 slot! Our SSD7749 series NVMe AICs leverage Broadcom’s 48-lane PCIe Gen4 PEX88048 switch chipset, and their proven SerDes and SRIS technology, to optimize signal integrity, reduce latency and maximize transfer throughput. This combination enables our dual-width NVMe AIC to optimize the x16 lanes of bandwidth provided by the Mac Pro’s PCIe Gen4 expansion slots, and allocate a dedicated x4 lanes to each downstream device port The end result is 28GB/s of real-world transfer performance; the maximum possible for a single-card application! Double & Quadruple NVMe Storage Performance: SSD7749 series dual-width NVMe AICs double the performance capabilities of conventional PCIe Gen3 NVMe solutions, from 14GB/s to 28GB/s per PCIe slot. In addition, SSD7749 series NVMe RAID AICs feature HighPoint’s Cross-Sync performance technology. M2 Mac Pros can easily accommodate a pair of SSD7749 AICs via the two dual-width (double-height) Gen4 x16 slots. This enables customers to leverage up to 32 lanes and double transfer throughput to an astounding 55GB/s! Learn More about HighPoint’s Cross-Sync technology Double Capacity with Enterprise Class Reliability: SSD7749 series AICs were designed to accommodate high-capacity DC class E1.S and 22110 M.2 NVMe media, which offer enterprise grade reliability, with endurance ratings between 1 and 3 DWPD (disk writes per day); on par with U.2/U.3 SSDs. DC class E1.S media is also ideal for applications that must operate for extended periods of time, and are capable of delivering high levels of sustained, long-duration read & write I/O performance, especially when compared to their “client” class counterparts. Precision Engineered Double-Width NVMe Cooling Solution As NVMe technology continues to proliferate across vertical markets, the demand for a faster, denser storage solution that utilizes compact form-factor M.2 SSDs and new DC class E1.S media, is on the rise. However, such solutions require a much more robust and efficient cooling system. High-density PCIe Gen4 NVMe media generates a considerable volume of waste heat under load; successfully managing this heat is the key to unlocking the full performance potential of NVMe storage. In response to this growing demand, HighPoint’s product development team have engineered an entirely new double-width cooling solution for SSD7749 series NVMe AICs. Designed to drastically improve cooling performance over existing single-width solutions, this innovative new system mitigates the threat of thermal throttling and ensures high-density PCIe Gen4 E1.S and M.2 22110 media consistently deliver maximum throughput for extended I/O sessions. Each AIC is fully enclosed by an anodized aluminum casing designed to optimize airflow. The dual-width architecture’s unique socket design enables NVMe media to be arranged vertically, similar to how memory is installed into a conventional motherboard. This ensures both sides of the SSD are exposed to the cool air ingested by a pair of powerful, low-decibel cooling fans integrated directly into the casing’s “door” mechanism, which swings up and away from the AIC to expose the SSD loading bay. The cool air is condensed and circulated throughout the casing, which then rapidly ejects waste heat via the ventilated PCIe bracket. Dual-Width NVMe AIC Product Lines SSD7749 Series: 8-Channel PCIe Gen4 x16 NVMe RAID AIC Host Bus Adapters HighPoint’s SSD7749 series represents the epitome of NVMe RAID Storage Technology. Armed with HighPoint’s advanced NVMe RAID stack, SSD7749 series AICs are capable of supporting RAID 0, 1, 10 arrays and individual-drives, including mixed configurations of single-disks and arrays. SSD7749 series AICs include a comprehensive suite of NVMe Storage and RAID Management and Monitoring tools for macOS, designed to streamline upgrade and maintenance workflows. Learn More: SSD7749E 8-Channel E1.S PCIe Gen4 NVMe RAID AIC SSD7749M 8-Channel M.2 PCIe Gen4 NVMe RAID AIC Dual-Width NVMe Cooling Solution Double-Sided M.2 Cooling Solution Video Introducing the SSD7749 Series

HighPoint Linux Binary Drivers Binary drivers are product specific, and developed for a particular distribution version of Linux, they are released to support a new “base” release or major update. As such, they are easy to install and use, even for novice administrators. Binary drivers are also bootable – they enable the Linux distribution to be installed directly to a disk or RAID array hosted by the HighPoint product. However, there is one major caveat; binary drivers are designed for a specific distribution and kernel (default Kernel) combination, and this combination only. They cannot be used with any other distribution or kernel version, and will not work once the kernel is updated. Customers that wish to use Binary drivers are encouraged to check the download section of the corresponding HighPoint product to make sure a package is available for their target specific Linux distribution version. For this reason, we strongly advise that customers disconnect the host platform from the internet during installation. This will prevent the Linux distribution from attempting to download any updates during the install procedure (which would break the driver and prevent the process from completing). We also encourage customers already using Linux binary drivers to download and install the Open-Source package. This may sound counter-intuitive on the surface, but it can enable the Linux system to remain bootable even after a kernel update. After the Binary Driver has been fully installed, and the system is up and running, download the latest version of the Open-Source driver. This is available as a separate package, and is posted in the Downloads section of each product’s webpage (links are also available from the Linux Community page). For more information about the HighPoint Linux Open-Source driver, read on. We also recommend the following article. HighPoint Linux Open-Source Driver Open-Source drivers offer more flexibility than Binary releases, and allow administrators to compile new device drivers as needed. However, traditional open-source downloads required that the user be familiar with manual compilation and the required toolsets, and have expertise with Linux command lines. This all changed with the release of HighPoint’s Auto-Compiling driver solution, which condensed the entire process into a few simple command lines. The service has continually evolved over the years, and is now known as Linux Auto Compile Solution 2.0, or LACS2.0. LACS2.0 drive package need only be installed once, and does not require that the administrator ever compile a new driver manually, nor contact a support representative for a new open-source download. All subsequent kernel updates will be handled automatically by the service (hence the name of the solution), and requires zero user intervention. Learn More. Learn More: Data RAID vs. Boot RAID

HighPoint uses the terms “Data RAID” and Boot-RAID” to describe the primary function of a RAID array. Data-RAID: Storage Volumes Data RAID: a RAID array that is only used to store or process data. An operating system will recognize a Data-RAID array as a single physical drive, which can then be formatted/partitioned as needed. In most cases, Data-RAID arrays can be easily moved from one system or another, provided it is connected to a compatible HighPoint product (such as moving a RAID 0 array between two SSD7000 series controllers). Boot-RAID: Bootable Volumes Boot-RAID: a RAID array that functions as a system disk (bootable drive or volume). In most cases, a Boot-RAID is configured as a redundant RAID array (RAID 1, 5, 6, 10, etc.), as it adds a layer of data security to the OS. Boot-RAID volumes must be created before an OS can be installed; a bootable drive cannot be converted into a RAID array. Depending on the product in use, administrators can configure the array using the controller’s BIOS interface or EUFI tool. Note: Though a Boot-RAID array can be moved from one HighPoint solution to another within the same product class, and remain recognized, the Boot-RAID is unlikely to remain bootable. This isn’t unique to HighPoint or RAID in general. Boot-volumes (this includes bootable, single disks) are generally “tied” to the computing platform that was in place at the time of the original OS installation. The Boot-RAID volume would be recognized and readable, but could not be used to boot another system. Learn More: NVMe RAID AIC Series