FlashArray File Services provides native SMB and NFS protocol support, allowing the FlashArray to serve as a unified storage platform for both block and file workloads simultaneously. This capability is a software feature of the Purity//FA operating environment and is supported across the FlashArray family, including the FlashArray//X, //C, and //XL models. The customer's existing //X90R3 is a FlashArray//X model and is therefore fully capable of running File Services alongside their existing Oracle block volumes, provided it is running a compatible version of Purity//FA. No hardware upgrade is required to enable this functionality.

A. The customer should migrate their Windows file servers to Pure.

This option describes a potential action or sales outcome, not a technical feasibility assessment of the existing hardware, which is the core of the customer's question.

B. The customer needs to upgrade to XL to be able to use FA File.

This is incorrect. FlashArray File Services are not exclusive to the //XL models. The feature is available on all modern FlashArray//X models, including the customer's //X90R3.

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1. Pure Storage FlashArray Data Sheet. (2023). "Unified Block and File: Consolidate every workload with a single platform for block and file." The data sheet lists FlashArray//X models (including the //X90) as part of the product line that supports unified storage. Document available via Pure Storage official website.

2. Pure Storage. (2022). FlashArray File Services: Technical Overview. "FlashArray File Services is available on all FlashArray//X, FlashArray//C, and FlashArray//XL models, providing a unified storage experience for all of your block and file workloads." (Page 3, Section: "FlashArray File Services"). This white paper explicitly confirms support on the //X series.

3. Pure Storage Purity//FA 6.1 Release Notes. (2021). The introduction of FlashArray File Services in this release specified support for FlashArray//X and FlashArray//C models, establishing the feature's availability on the hardware platform mentioned in the question. Historical release notes confirm the feature is not limited to newer or specific high-end models.