Pass the Pure Storage FAIS FlashArray-Implementation-Specialist Questions and answers with Dumpstech

To ensure that all volumes connected to a specific host areautomaticallyprotected, the Implementation Engineer shouldadd the Host object as a member of the Protection Group (PGroup).

Purity's protection policy logic allows for membership at different granularities:

Volume Membership:You can add individual volumes to a PGroup. However, if a new volume is provisioned and attached to the host later, it willnotbe protected until an admin manually adds it to the PGroup (making Option A and B manual, error-prone processes).

Host/Host Group Membership:By adding theHostentity to the Protection Group, Purity applies a policy inheritance rule.Any volumecurrently connected to that host—and crucially,any volume attached in the future—automatically inherits the protection policy (snapshot schedule, replication target) of that group. This "set and forget" configuration is the best practice for ensuring compliance and data safety without requiring manual intervention for every provisioning task.

To complete the Non-Disruptive Upgrade (NDU) from an//X70R2to an//X90R3using a fully shipped array, the Implementation Engineer must extract and use theControllers and NVRAM modules.

Stateless Architecture:The FlashArray upgrade philosophy allows the chassis and data drives (Data Packs) to remain in place while the compute (controllers) and cache (NVRAM) are swapped.

Component Compatibility:

Controllers:The X90R3 controllers provide the upgraded CPU/performance required.

NVRAM:The NVRAM modules (located in the chassis front or rear slots depending on generation, but logically paired with controller performance) often differ between generations (R2 vs. R3) and performance tiers (70 vs. 90). The X70R2 NVRAM modules are typically not compatible with X90R3 controllers. Therefore, the engineermustswap the NVRAM modules along with the controllers to ensure the write cache is recognized.

Power Supplies:Both the X70R2 and X90R3 utilize the same high-capacity1600W Power Supply Units. Unless the existing PSUs are faulty, they do not technicallyneedto be swapped for the system to function, making "Controller and NVRAM" the precise minimum requirement for the logic upgrade.

FlashArrays require outbound HTTPS connectivity to reach Pure1 for log uploads, phone home, and remote assist. In many enterprise environments, direct internet access is blocked, and traffic must be routed through an HTTP/HTTPS proxy.

To configure this setting in Purity via the CLI, the correct command ispurearray setattr --proxyfollowed by the full proxy URL (including protocol and port). The setattr (set attribute) subcommand is the standard method for modifying array-wide configuration parameters like the array name, idle timeout, and proxy settings. The other command variations (puresetup proxy or purearray configure) are incorrect syntax for this specific operation. This configuration is often a critical step during the "Pre-Flight" or initial setup phase to ensure the array can "phone home" immediately upon deployment.

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Upgrading from a FlashArray//X to a FlashArray//XL involves a significant architectural change, often requiring a data migration or a specific "chassis replacement" workflow known as a Data-in-Place upgrade where the new chassis temporarily acts as an expansion shelf. In this specific procedure, the new FlashArray//XL chassis is not immediately populated with its final drives (DFMDs) before power-on because it first needs to be configured to accept data or join the cluster in a controlled state.

The procedure requires the Implementation Engineer to boot the FlashArray//XL chassis first and configure it intoShelf Mode (SPM). Onlyafterthe chassis is successfully running in this mode—effectively acting as a passive SAS/Ethernet attached shelf to the existing controllers—are the DirectFlash Modules (DFMd) inserted.

Inserting them earlier could cause the array to attempt a full boot sequence or initialize a new array instance, complicating the upgrade logic. By waiting until Shelf Mode is confirmed, the engineer ensures that the modules are recognized correctly as part of the migration target resources, allowing Purity to manage the layout and data redistribution correctly from the source array.

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ForPhoneHome(telemetry) andRemote Assist(support tunnels) to function correctly,TCP Port 443 (HTTPS)must be open for outbound traffic from all management ports (CT0.ETH0, CT1.ETH0, and the Virtual Management IP).

Pure Storage utilizes a secure, encrypted connection to communicate with the Pure1 Cloud and Support infrastructure.

PhoneHome:The array sends logs and heartbeat data to purestorage.com (and associated subdomains) via HTTPS over Port 443. If this port is blocked, the array cannot report its health status, preventing proactive support.

Remote Assist:This feature creates a reverse SSH tunnel encapsulated over HTTPS (websocket or similar secure transport) to allow Pure Support to remotely log in. It initiates the connectionoutboundto the support relay servers on Port 443.

Option A (Port 80) is generally not used for secure management traffic in modern configurations, often only serving as a redirect. Option C (Port 123) is required for NTP (Network Time Protocol) synchronization, which is critical for logs but is not the transport port for the PhoneHome/Remote Assist data stream itself. Therefore, verifying firewall rules for Port 443 is the primary troubleshooting step.

If physical drives need to be relocated within the array (e.g., rebalancing shelves or moving packs to specific slots to match the target configuration) as part of anXFORM (Data-in-Place) upgrade, this task should be completedafter the upgrade is completed.

Risk Management:The primary objective during the upgrade window is to successfully transition the controllers and software to the new generation (e.g., SAS to NVMe, or //M to //X) while maintaining data availability. Introducing unnecessary physical changes—like moving drives between slots—during the active controller swap adds variables and risk to the critical path.

Procedure:The standard workflow involves:

Perform the Controller Upgrade (XFORM).

Verify the new system is stable, healthy, and handling I/O correctly.

Post-Upgrade:Once the system is stable, the Implementation Engineer performs the physical drive relocation (if required) to optimize the layout or consolidate shelves. This ensures that if any issues arise from the drive movement, they are isolated from the controller upgrade process, making troubleshooting significantly easier and safer.

The puresetup initialization script includes a validation phase where it attempts to ping and resolve the addresses provided for DNS, NTP, and SMTP. If the network is down or these services are unreachable, the script will display error messages indicating that validation failed.

However, these failures aresoft warnings, not hard blocks. The installation logic allows the Implementation Engineer to proceed with the configuration (often by acknowledging the warnings or using a specific flag to bypass checks). The array will successfully initialize, boot into Purity, and begin serving data.

The "Home" features (Phone Home, Remote Assist) and time synchronization will obviously not function until network connectivity is restored. The engineer must document this state and plan a follow-up task (or instruct the customer) to verify these services once the network outage is resolved. The array doesnotrequire reinitialization; it simply needs the network path to become active for the already-configured settings to start working.

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TheFlashArray//XLcurrently supports a maximum of2 DirectFlash Shelves (DFS).

The FlashArray//XL is a high-density, performance-optimized platform housed in a 5U chassis.

Rack Unit Math:According to the FlashArray//XL specifications and site planning guide, the system supports a maximum configuration footprint of11 Rack Units (11U).

The base controller chassis occupies5U.

Each DirectFlash Shelf occupies3U.

Therefore: 5U (Base) + 3U (Shelf 1) + 3U (Shelf 2) =11U.

Capacity:Because the //XL chassis itself holds 40 DirectFlash Modules (compared to 20 in a standard //X), and each shelf holds 28 modules, a fully populated system with two shelves provides nearly 100 drives of capacity (40 + 28 + 28 = 96 drives). This massive density reduces the need for "daisy-chaining" large numbers of shelves like legacy SAS architectures. Adding a third shelf would push the total height to 14U, exceeding the current platform definition.

In the architectural evolution from FlashArray//XR2 and //XR3 to the FlashArray//XR4, Pure Storage made significant changes to the controller's rear panel and I/O design to accommodate higher performance and PCIe Gen 4 capabilities. One of the most critical changes for an Implementation Engineer to plan for during a hardware Non-Disruptive Upgrade (NDU) is the removal of the onboard, default iSCSI ports that were present on previous generations.

On //XR2 and //XR3 controllers, there were onboard Ethernet ports often used for iSCSI host connectivity without requiring a discrete PCIe adapter. However, the //XR4 controller design removes these dedicated onboard iSCSI ports to streamline the motherboard design and shift host I/O strictly to PCIe add-in cards. The //XR4 retains onboard ports specifically for Management (Mgmt) and Replication connectivity,ensuring that administrative access and array-to-array replication can still be maintained without additional hardware.

Consequently, if a customer was relying solely on the onboard ports for iSCSI traffic on their legacy //XR2 or //XR3, the Bill of Materials (BOM) for the upgrade to //XR4 must include discrete Ethernet/iSCSI PCIe cards to migrate those connections. Failure to identify this architectural difference during the pre-upgrade inventory can result in a loss of host connectivity or an inability to cable the new controllers correctly, as the expected physical ports simply will not exist on the new chassis.

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Proper airflow and thermal management are critical for the reliability of high-density storage arrays. FlashArray chassis are designed with specific airflow baffles and cooling zones that rely on the drive bays being populated in a specific order.

When installing a new FlashArray with a single data pack (typically 10 drives), the Implementation Engineer must install the DirectFlash Modulesstarting in bay 0, filling from left to right.

Bay 0is typically the leftmost slot (when facing the front of the array).

Filling slots 0–9 ensures that the first "cooling zone" is properly pressurized, forcing air through the populated modules and the chassis midplane correctly.

Leaving gaps (e.g., installing in slots 10–19 while 0–9 are empty) can disrupt the airflow path, potentially leading to hotspots or inefficient cooling for the controllers behind the backplane.

Additionally, the software enumeration of drives often expects contiguous population starting from the lowest index for logical clarity, though cooling is the primary physical constraint.

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