The Pure Storage FlashArray//E model is designed to connect to DirectFlash Shelves (DFS) using a dedicated high-speed internal fabric. This fabric utilizes 25GbE RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) ports on the controllers. These ports provide the necessary low-latency, high-bandwidth communication path between the FlashArray//E controllers and the NVMe media housed within the DirectFlash Shelves, which is a core component of the DirectFlash architecture.

A. 40G: While 40GbE is a standard networking speed, it is not the specification used for the internal fabric connecting a FlashArray//E controller to its DirectFlash Shelves.

C. 100G: 100GbE ports are available on FlashArray models for high-speed host connectivity or replication, but the specific interconnect for //E to DFS communication is engineered at 25GbE.

1. Pure Storage, Inc. (2023). FlashArray//E™ Hardware Installation and Upgrade Guide (Purity//FA 6.6.x). In the section "Controller Rear Panel Components," the diagram and corresponding table identify the specific ports for this function. Item 10 is explicitly labeled as "25GbE RoCE ports (for DirectFlash Shelf connectivity)." (Page 13).

2. Pure Storage, Inc. (2023). FlashArray™ Hardware Guide: DirectFlash Shelf. This guide details the components of the DirectFlash Shelf, including its Network Module Cards (NMCs). The specifications for the NMCs used with FlashArray//E confirm the use of 25Gb/s ports for connecting to the array controllers. (Section: "Network Module Card," Page 10).

The puredrive list command is the standard Pure Storage CLI tool for displaying the status and attributes of drives and data packs (DPs). By using the --pack flag followed by a bay identifier from the new DP (e.g., CH0.BAY10), the command filters the output to show the details for that specific pack. The command's output includes a Status field. A status of healthy confirms that the data pack has been successfully evacuated, formatted, and integrated into the array's data layout, making it an active part of the wide write group.

A. find\drive.py: This is a diagnostic script used to physically identify a drive in a chassis by blinking its LEDs, not for checking its logical integration status.

B. puredb list drives: This is a low-level command intended for Pure Storage support to query the internal database. It is not the standard operational command for verifying pack status.

1. Pure Storage, Inc. (2023). Purity//FA CLI Command Reference Guide Purity 6.4.

Section: puredrive command reference.

Details: This document describes the puredrive list command as the primary method for displaying drive and data pack attributes. It details the use of the --pack option to filter results for a specific data pack. The output table shown in the guide includes the Status column, which indicates if the pack is healthy, identifying, unrecognized, or in another state. A healthy state signifies successful integration.

2. Pure Storage, Inc. (2022). FlashArray Best Practices.

Section: Hardware Management and Expansion.

Details: While not a CLI guide, documentation on hardware expansion procedures consistently directs administrators to use puredrive list to verify the status of newly added hardware components like data packs. This confirms it as the standard operational procedure.

On Pure Storage FlashArray//X R2 and R3 models, the port naming convention is sequential and determined by the slot number where the I/O card is installed. The numbering for ports on add-in cards begins after any built-in ports. For a 4-port Fibre Channel (FC) card, the system allocates a block of four port numbers. Slot 0 is assigned ports 0-3, Slot 1 is assigned ports 4-7, and Slot 2 is assigned ports 8-11. Therefore, a 4-port FC card installed in slot 1 will have the interface names FC4, FC5, FC6, and FC7.

A. FC0, FC1, FC2, and FC3: These interface names correspond to a 4-port FC card installed in slot 0, not slot 1.

C. FC5, FC6, FC7, and FC8: This is an incorrect numbering sequence. Port numbering is allocated in contiguous blocks of four, starting from a multiple of four (e.g., 0, 4, 8).

1. Pure Storage, "FlashArray//X Hardware Guide": In the section "I/O Module and Port Numbering," the guide provides a table that explicitly maps slot numbers to port numbers. It shows that for a 4-port module, Slot 1 corresponds to ports 4, 5, 6, and 7. (Note: Specific document version may vary, but this information is consistent across //X R2/R3 documentation).

2. Pure Storage, "FlashArray Best Practices": The networking best practices section often includes diagrams of controller backplanes which visually confirm the port numbering scheme. The diagrams for //XR2 and //XR3 models illustrate that the first I/O slot (Slot 1) after the base module (Slot 0) uses the port range 4-7 for 4-port cards.

The upgrade from a FlashArray//M20R2 to an //X20R3-EMEZZ involves a shift in back-end storage connectivity from SAS to NVMe-oF (RoCE). Direct Flash Modules (DFMs) are NVMe-based and require a DirectFlash Shelf (DFS) for housing and connectivity. The existing SAS shelves are incompatible with DFMs. Therefore, to add a new DFM data pack, a new DirectFlash Shelf must be installed and connected to the //X20R3 controllers. The term "DFM Swing shelf" refers to this new shelf that is added to facilitate the expansion with the new DFM technology.

B. SAS Swing shelf: This is incorrect because SAS shelves are designed for SAS-based flash modules, not the NVMe-based Direct Flash Modules (DFMs) the customer wants to add.

C. 4-port ETH card: While Ethernet ports are used to connect DirectFlash Shelves, the //X20R3 controllers have built-in 25/10GbE ports for this purpose. The primary and essential hardware required to house the DFMs is the shelf itself, not necessarily an additional network card.

1. Pure Storage FlashArray//X Hardware Guide: This document details the physical components of the FlashArray//X models. It specifies that //X R3 controllers use DirectFlash Shelves for expansion and connect to them via Ethernet (RoCE) ports, differentiating them from the SAS-connected shelves used with older models like the //M-series. (See sections on "FlashArray//X R3 Chassis" and "DirectFlash Shelf").

2. Pure Storage FlashArray//X Family Datasheet: This datasheet confirms that FlashArray//X R3 models utilize DirectFlash Shelves for capacity expansion. It states, "Expand capacity with DirectFlash shelves connected via 50 Gb/s RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet)." This explicitly links the new controller technology to the required shelf type. (See section "FlashArray//X Specifications").

3. Pure Storage Best Practices and Implementation Guides: Official implementation guides for controller upgrades (e.g., from //M to //X series) outline the procedure for introducing new hardware. These guides describe the process of adding a new NVMe-based shelf (a "swing shelf") to either migrate data from older SAS shelves or to expand capacity with the newer DFM technology post-upgrade.

The provided netmask, 255.255.255.223, is invalid according to standard IP networking principles. A valid netmask, in its 32-bit binary form, must contain a contiguous sequence of ones followed by a contiguous sequence of zeros. The binary representation of the final octet, 223, is 11011111, which violates this rule. The most common and logical correction, given a typical management network setup and the gateway 10.24.18.1, is to assume a standard /24 network. Changing the netmask to 255.255.255.0 (a /24 mask) resolves the invalidity and creates a standard, functional IP configuration where the gateway is valid for the subnet.

A. Changing the gateway address does not resolve the primary issue, which is that the netmask 255.255.255.223 is fundamentally invalid and will be rejected.

C. While /23 (255.255.254.0) is a valid netmask, it is a less probable correction. The error is in the last octet, making a change to 255.255.255.0 a more direct and common fix.

1. Pure Storage FlashArray Installation and Upgrade Guide (Doc. 30-001-0106 Rev L): In the "Site Planning and Network Configuration Worksheet" section, customers are required to provide a valid Subnet Mask for each management port. This implies adherence to universal networking standards for the configuration to be accepted by the system. The provided value is not a valid subnet mask.

2. RFC 950, Internet Standard Subnetting Procedure, Section 2.1: This foundational document defines the structure of a subnet mask. It states, "The subnet field is of variable length, and is specified by a bit-mask... This mask is a 32-bit number with a block of 1s on the left and a block of 0s on the right." The binary value of 223 (11011111) violates this requirement.

3. Dordal, P. L. (2019). An Introduction to Computer Networks. Chapter 9.2, The Subnet Mask. This university-level text explains that the subnet mask's purpose is to separate the network part of an address from the host part. It reinforces that this is achieved by a mask with a contiguous block of network bits (1s) followed by host bits (0s).