On a FlashArray//XR2 or //XR3 , if a dedicated PCIe SAS HBA (Host Bus Adapter) is required for external shelf connectivity (expanding beyond the onboard SAS ports), it must be installed in Slot 1 .
The PCIe slot prioritization on the FlashArray//X R2/R3 controllers is strictly defined to ensure optimal performance and lane distribution:
Slot 0: Reserved primarily for frontend Host I/O cards (Fibre Channel or iSCSI/Ethernet). This slot usually connects to CPU 0 and offers high bandwidth for host traffic.
Slot 1: Designated as the primary expansion slot for backend connectivity (SAS cards for expansion shelves) or secondary Host I/O if no SAS expansion is needed.
Slot 2: On smaller models (X10/X20), this is often the only host I/O slot, but on the larger X50/X70/X90 chassis, it is used for additional Host I/O.
If an Implementation Engineer installs a SAS card in Slot 0, the system may fail to recognize the shelves correctly or may flag a configuration error, as the Purity software expects backend expansion traffic to route through the bus associated with Slot 1. Therefore, for SAS expansion cards, Slot 1 is the mandatory location.
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