Compact, High-Reliability
Architecture
CalDigit HDPro RAID architecture
diagram
Active Sustained Transfer Technology (ASTT)
 ASTT
was designed by CalDigit's top engineers to provide
the ultimate in sustained performance. This advanced
technology is unique to CalDigit and cannot be found
anywhere else.
With ASTT, the performance of your HDPro is always
kept in check. When data is transferred, any highs (peaks)
or lows (drops) are equalized by the Active Sustained
Transfer Technology.
ASTT optimizes the best transfer size and timing between
the RAID controller cache and the host machine. This
eliminates performance drops and maximizes the sustained
data rate.
ASTT also helps to maintain a continuously smooth transfer
rate over the whole capacity of the RAID. This technology
is ideal for video editors who need sustained playback,
and can't risk dropping frames.
See the difference for yourself, see how the use of
ASTT maintains consistent throughput, and other systems
without ASTT have sudden drops in performance.
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| With ASTT On |
Without ASTT on |
"Pay-as-You-Grow" Scalability
HDPro is a flexible, open, remarkably scalable, and
highly available RAID storage solution with virtually
unlimited storage capabilities. It uses CalDigit's advanced
PCI Express architecture that enables its 'pay-as-you-grow'
scalability.
As additional higher storage capacity becomes necessary
with the growth of your media files; more HDPros can
be attached and configured easily in the field without
downtime. Simply done by adding a few key components
- CalDigit PCIe switch and two-port PCIe card - these
products will achieve your goals efficiently and cost
effectively.
Each switch can connect upto 7x HDPros, one host and
one switch. Using hierarchical CalDigit PCI Express
switch, you can have (in theory) unlimited storage pool
across disk available to your media and database.**
Bootable
 The
HDPro is bootable.
Simply install the operating system of your choice
(Mac OS X, Windows, or Linux) onto the HDPro and it
will become completely bootable. By booting from HDPro
the ability to troubleshoot system issues and start
up disks can be achieved whenever errors are encountered.
Booting from a RAID Volume adds both flexibility and
mobility. Complete and pre-configured systems can me
moved to and from various locations, and can even be
used with a laptop.
No More 2TB Limitation in Windows Platforms
 Windows
uses 32-bit block numbers in the lower storage stack.
This effectively limits support for hardware RAID sets.
To get storage unit sizes that are beyond 2TB, one had
to combine multiple LUNs (Logical Unit Numbers) using
the Windows Disk Management. This is cumbersome and
time consuming task.
This problem would give users no other alternatives
other than to use software RAID which defeats the purpose
of using hardware RAID systems.
CalDigit's team of highly qualified engineers have worked
tirelessly to overcome this issue. Now one can utilize
the full capacity of HDPro as a single volume. This
can be easily done with RAID Shield.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
 At
CalDigit, we are committed to providing our customers
with complete satisfaction and an enjoyable experience.
Besides providing great products, we feel that the best
way to build a long lasting relationship with our customers
is by treating them right and giving them the highest
quality of customer service.
The HDPro is a rock solid storage system that we are
completely confident in. And because of that, it is
backed by a 30-day money back guarantee.
Single Vendor Support
The HDPro has been entirely designed
and developed by CalDigit, with no imported components.
When you purchase an HDPro, you have not only bought
one of the best external hardware RAID storage systems
on the market today, but you have also acquired CalDigit's
legendary customer service and support.
And because CalDigit offers true single vendor support,
any questions, or technical support needs are just one
phone call away.
Optional Accessories
Cache Battery Backup
Module for HDPro
In order to offer an additional layer of fault tolerance,
CalDigit provides an optional battery backup kit, protecting
the integrity of the cached data in the event of a power
failure. Each battery module can provide power to the
RAID controller cache for up to 72 hours (HDPro CBBM
Specification).
When power is restored, HDPro flushes the data protected
in the RAID controller cache to the hard drives preventing
loss of the last data transaction.
Up to 2GB of cache memory
 Due
to the HDPro's sustained and high speed data transfer
rates, the size of controller cache can act as a bottleneck.
For example, video playback may not keep up with an
editors movements on the timeline, and can lag behind.
Larger cache size keeps up with the edit and buffer
the video files. For the critical applications, you
can increase HDPro controller cache up to 2GB.
 Low
Profile PCIe cards
HDPro's path through PCIe card (eLane) has two form
factors, standard and low-profile, addressing the requirements
of desktops, workstations, and servers.
CalDigit understands that there are card height limitations
in some machines. The new low-profile PCIe path through
card is available at no additional cost.
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Other
RAID storage solutions are capable of playing back 10-bit
1080i uncompressed HD footage in bursts, but dropped
frames are commonly experienced after just 2-3 minutes
of playback. The HDPro is a true editing solution that
maintains its data rates during both editing and playback!
When
you need a massive amount of storage for your HD projects,
large media files, databases, photos, or audio files,
the HDPro is the ideal storage solution.
Excessive
heat can cause major issues and performance problems
inside any workstation. Each and every component that
is added to a workstation generates heat. These components
are generally crammed into a small space, which in turn
restricts airflow. The result is additional heat. 
Unlike
Fibre Channel, SCSI, FireWire and eSATA RAID storage,
the CalDigit HDPro features a direct connection to the
PCI Express bus, utilizing the computers bridge chip
and memory system, combined with extremely high link
speeds. This direct link eliminates latency introduced
by the conversion of other interfaces to PCI Express,
and provides superior bandwidth, availability and deployment
flexibility as opposed to earlier-generation SCSI and
Fibre Channel technology.
PCI
Express provides error correction, and adapts to the
speed of the PCIe slot automatically. The CalDigit HDPro
works with both PCIe 4 lane or 8 lane. And because PCIe
has speeds of up to 250MB/s per lane, bandwidth for
ultra fast data transport between the storage system
and the host computer can be achieved. These speeds
are roughly 5 times faster that traditional fibre solutions.
The HDPro comes with a high quality Molex* PCI Express
cable and special electronics, to ensure a stable and
high quality connection. This means both incredible
speeds and reliable bandwidth for high-speed data transfers.
We've
got you covered. 
Many
RAID storage systems today are limited to use on desktop
workstations. With today's advanced mobile technology
there is more and more of a demand for storage on the
go. The CalDigit eLane-1ex ExpressCard allows for portable
performance in the field, enabling users to capture,
develop, edit and create content in almost any environment
when using Apple's MacBook Pro or Windows-based notebook.
Because the complete hardware RAID solution is built
inside the HDPro, a separate RAID Card is not needed.
This means that the HDPro is a completely portable hardware
RAID solution, the first of it's kind.
The
HDPro has an integrated Intel XScale core to accelerate
RAID performance and provides support for multiple RAID
levels. By utilizing this advanced technology from Intel,
the CalDigit HDPro provides a simple and powerful solution
for professionals looking to increase performance and
add protection to their storage.
