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Updated Pure Certified Flash Array Implementation Specialist
Practice Exam 2026
The Pure Certified Flash Array Implementation Specialist (FAIS) exam validates an engineer’s proficiency in the end-to-end deployment of Flash Array systems, from physical racking to initial software initialization. This certification emphasizes hands-on mastery of the Purity CLI, requiring candidates to demonstrate expertise in configuring high-availability networking, performing non-disruptive upgrades, and verifying Pure1 connectivity. By passing this exam, professionals prove they can reliably implement mission-critical storage infrastructure while adhering to Pure Storage’s best practices for data resiliency and performance.
Pure Storage Flash Array Implementation
Specialist Practice Exam
1. During initial rack installation, what must be verified before powering on the
FlashArray?
A. NFS exports configured B. Proper power redundancy connected C. Snapshot schedule enabled D. Host groups created Answer: B Power supplies must be connected to separate redundant power sources to ensure high availability.
2. What is the first configuration step after powering on a new FlashArray?
A. Create volumes B. Configure management IP addresses C. Enable replication D. Connect hosts
Answer: B Management interfaces must be configured before further setup can occur.
3. Fibre Channel zoning should be configured using which best practice?
A. Single initiator to multiple targets per zone B. Single initiator single target per zone C. All devices in one zone D. Host-only zoning Answer: B Single initiator/single target zoning improves security and troubleshooting.
4. When configuring iSCSI on FlashArray, which network feature is
recommended?
A. Jumbo frames B. NAT C. DHCP only D. Port forwarding Answer: A Jumbo frames improve storage performance by reducing packet overhead.
5. What must occur before a host can access a volume?
A. Snapshot creation B. Volume must be mapped to the host C. RAID rebuild D. Purity upgrade Answer: B Volumes must be connected (mapped) to a host or host group.
6. FlashArray controllers operate in what mode?
A. Active-passive B. Active-active
A. Post-process compression B. Inline deduplication and compression C. Encryption only D. RAID striping Answer: B Data reduction is always-on and inline.
11. What is required for synchronous replication?
A. High latency WAN B. Low latency connection C. Internet VPN only D. Snapshot license only Answer: B Low latency ensures write acknowledgment integrity.
12. ActiveCluster provides:
A. Backup only B. Asynchronous replication C. Active-active data access across arrays D. File sharing Answer: C ActiveCluster enables simultaneous read/write access.
13. What tool provides predictive analytics for FlashArray?
A. CLI
B. Pure C. vCenter D. SNMP trap Answer: B Pure1 offers cloud-based monitoring and analytics.
14. What is the purpose of host personality settings?
A. Configure RAID B. Optimize host multipathing behavior C. Enable snapshots D. Set NTP Answer: B Host personality ensures proper path handling.
15. What is recommended multipathing policy for VMware?
A. Fixed B. MRU C. Round Robin D. Manual Answer: C Round Robin balances I/O across paths.
16. Continuous bubbling in water seal equivalent in storage (analogy): constant
path flapping indicates:
A. Normal function B. Connectivity issue C. Snapshot failure D. RAID rebuild Answer: B Frequent path loss suggests SAN instability.
17. What is required before enabling File Services?
A. Configure DNS B. Enable block services C. Create RAID group D. Reboot controllers Answer: A File services require DNS configuration.
Answer: B Ensures host and integration compatibility.
22. Role-based access control is configured via:
A. Local user only B. Active Directory integration C. CLI only D. Snapshot policy Answer: B AD integration supports RBAC.
23. What is required for iSCSI connectivity?
A. WWPN
B. IQN
C. Fibre zoning D. RAID config Answer: B iSCSI uses IQNs.
24. How is performance monitored via CLI?
A. purehost list B. purearray monitor C. purevol create D. show disk Answer: B Displays real-time performance metrics.
25. What does a host group simplify?
A. RAID creation B. Multi-host volume presentation
C. Snapshot deletion D. Encryption Answer: B Allows shared volume mapping.
26. Encryption at rest is:
A. Optional hardware add-on B. Built-in C. Disabled by default D. Snapshot-based Answer: B Encryption is integrated.
27. What ensures time synchronization?
A. DHCP
B. NTP configuration C. Snapshot D. RAID Answer: B Accurate time ensures logs and replication consistency.
28. A new volume should be formatted where for VMware?
A. On FlashArray B. In ESXi as VMFS C. In Pure D. In AD Answer: B Datastore formatting occurs at hypervisor level.
29. What indicates an air gap equivalent in storage?
33. Volume resizing on FlashArray is:
A. Disruptive B. Non-disruptive C. Requires reboot D. Requires host shutdown Answer: B Volume expansion is non-disruptive.
34. Data reduction ratio measures:
A. Network speed B. Space savings efficiency C. RAID health D. CPU usage Answer: B Indicates effectiveness of deduplication/compression.
35. Which port is typically used for management?
A. FC port B. Management Ethernet port C. iSCSI port only D. SAS Answer: B Management occurs over Ethernet.
36. A disconnected path in VMware should be checked in:
A. Datastore settings B. Storage adapters C. Snapshot policy D. Pure1 dashboard only Answer: B Storage adapter view shows path health.
37. Replication requires:
A. Matching Purity versions B. Different hardware models only C. Same rack D. Same subnet Answer: A Compatibility ensures proper replication.
38. FlashArray uses what architecture?
A. Hybrid disk B. All-flash C. Tape D. Object-only Answer: B It is an all-flash storage platform.
39. Performance bottlenecks are first identified using:
A. Host logs B. Pure1 or CLI monitoring C. Snapshot schedule D. RAID rebuild Answer: B Monitoring tools identify latency and throughput.
40. When replacing a failed module, FlashArray supports:
A. Disruptive replacement B. Hot-swappable components C. Full shutdown required D. Data migration required
C. VLAN tagging D. Host zoning Answer: B Simplifies policy management.
45. FlashArray deduplication is most effective with:
A. Encrypted data B. Database workloads C. Random unique files D. Pre-compressed files Answer: B Databases often contain duplicate patterns.
46. What happens if NTP is misconfigured?
A. Data loss B. Replication timing issues C. RAID failure D. Volume deletion Answer: B Time mismatch affects replication consistency.
47. What is required for file services SMB authentication?
A. LDAP/AD integration B. RAID C. Snapshot D. Fibre Channel Answer: A SMB relies on directory services.
48. Expanding capacity is achieved by:
A. Adding flash modules B. Increasing snapshots C. Changing zoning D. Rebooting Answer: A Capacity scales by adding modules.
49. Latency issues are primarily measured in:
A. GB
B. ms C. TB D. MB/s Answer: B Latency is measured in milliseconds.
50. The main goal of FlashArray implementation is to ensure:
A. Maximum rack usage B. High availability and performance C. Minimal snapshots D. Manual operations Answer: B Implementation focuses on resilient, high-performance storage delivery
- What is the standard rack unit (RU) height of a FlashArray//XL chassis?
- A) 2 RU
- B) 3 RU
- C) 4 RU
- D) 5 RU
- A customer wants to migrate data from a SAS-based shelf to an NVMe- based system. What hardware is used as a temporary bridge? 1. A) DirectFlash Shelf 2. B) DFM Swing Shelf 3. C) SAS Expansion Bridge 4. D) NVMe-oF Gateway 5. Rationale: A Swing Shelf is a loaner piece of hardware used to facilitate the evacuation of data from older SAS disks to new NVMe modules during an upgrade.
- What is the power redundancy configuration for a FlashArray//X70?
- A) 1+
- B) 2+
- C) 2+
- D) N+
- Rationale: Standard //X and //C models use dual power supplies in a 1+ redundant configuration.
- Which script must be run on a FlashArray//XR4 prior to running puresetup? 1. A) healthcheck.sh 2. B) cobalt_check.py 3. C) pure_preflight.py 4. D) verify_env.sh 5. Rationale: The cobalt_check script is a mandatory prerequisite for the //XR4 series to ensure the hardware environment is ready for software initialization.
- Which command displays the current Purity version and the array's unique ID?
- A) puresw list
- B) purehw list
- C) purearray list
- Rationale: purearray list provides the top-level summary of the array, including name, ID, and software version.
- To allow Pure Support to perform deep-level troubleshooting or finalize a shelf evacuation, which feature must be enabled?
- A) Phonehome
- B) Remote Assist (RA)
- C) SNMP Traps
- D) Syslog
- Rationale: Remote Assist creates a secure outbound SSH tunnel that allows Pure Support to access the array’s backend.
- What is the maximum Round Trip Time (RTT) latency allowed for ActiveCluster synchronous replication?
- A) 5ms
- B) 11ms
- C) 20ms
- D) 50ms
- Rationale: To maintain synchronous write performance without timing out, ActiveCluster requires a low-latency link of 11ms or less.
- Which port is used by Pure1 to receive telemetry and "Phonehome" data from the array?
- A) Port 22 (SSH)
- B) Port 80 (HTTP)
- C) Port 443 (HTTPS)
- A) purevol list
- B) purehw list
- C) purearray monitor
- Rationale: The monitor subcommand is used specifically for live performance tracking across the array, volumes, or hosts.
- How many rack units (RU) does a DirectFlash Shelf (DFS) occupy?
- A) 2 RU
- B) 3 RU
- C) 1 RU
- D) 5 RU
- Rationale: Expansion shelves are designed to be denser than the controller chassis, occupying only 2 RU.
- What is the "Pure1 Mediator" used for?
- A) To compress data before it hits the cloud
- B) To act as a licensing server
- C) To provide a quorum witness for ActiveCluster
- Rationale: The Mediator is a cloud-based or on-prem component that prevents "split-brain" scenarios during a site failure.
- Which protocol is used for the backend connection between a controller and a DirectFlash Shelf?
- A) SAS
- B) iSCSI
- C) NVMe-oF (RoCE)
- Rationale: Modern DirectFlash Shelves use 100GbE RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) to provide NVMe speeds across the fabric.
- What color are the touch points on a FlashArray that indicate a component is hot-swappable?
- A) Blue
- B) Green
- C) Orange/Terracotta
- Rationale: Pure Storage uses orange/terracotta to mark parts (fans, PSUs, DFMs) that can be safely removed while the array is powered on.
- Which command is used to silience alerts during a maintenance window?
- A) purealert stop
- B) purearray setattr --maintenance-mode-timeout
- C) purehw silence
- D) puresetup maintenance
- Rationale: Setting a maintenance timeout prevents "Phonehome" alerts from being treated as critical errors during scheduled work.
- In a 3 RU chassis, how many DFM slots are available on the front?
- A) 10
- B) 15
- C) 20
- D) 24
- Rationale: The standard 3 RU FlashArray chassis contains 20 vertical slots for DirectFlash Modules.
- What is the purpose of the purehw locate command?
- A) To find the GPS coordinates of the array
- B) To map the logical volume to a physical drive
- C) To blink the LED on a specific physical component
