[Apr 10, 2026] Valid FAAA_005 Test Answers & Pure Storage FAAA_005 Exam PDF [Q18-Q34]

NO.18 Refer to the exhibit.

Which VM is running on the ESXi host with the lowest write latency?

c14-d51-w12

c14-s145-wl1

C14-s108-wl1

c14-s102-wl1

NO.19 A customer running FlashArray//X70R3 in production just purchased a FlashArray//C60R3 Array for a secondary site. The customer wants to have the lowest RPO (Recovery Point Objective) possible for the data.
Which FlashArray feature will meet the requirements?

ActiveCluster

ActiveDR

Async Replication

NO.20 A customer is looking for a new storage system with the following requirements:
* 20 TB of file shares
* Support 800 TB of Wols
* Low cost per GB
* CloudSnap utilization in the future
Which Pure Storage platform should be recommended?

FlashArray//X

FlashArray//C

Cloud Block Store

FlashBlade//S

The customer is looking for a storage system that supports 20 TB of file shares, 800 TB of workloads, has a low cost per GB, and can utilize CloudSnap in the future. The best recommendation is FlashArray//C.
Why This Matters:
FlashArray//C:
FlashArray//C is designed for capacity-optimized workloads, making it ideal for use cases requiring large amounts of storage at a lower cost per GB compared to higher-performance arrays like FlashArray//X.
It supports QLC flash technology, which provides high density and cost efficiency for less performance-intensive workloads.
CloudSnap is fully supported on FlashArray//C, enabling snapshots to be offloaded to public cloud storage for disaster recovery or archival purposes.
Why Not the Other Options?
A). FlashArray//X:
FlashArray//X is optimized for high-performance workloads, such as databases and mission-critical applications. While it supports CloudSnap, it is more expensive and not the most cost-effective solution for large-scale capacity needs.
C). Cloud Block Store:
Cloud Block Store is a cloud-native block storage solution that runs in public clouds (e.g., AWS, Azure). It does not meet the requirement for on-premises storage with file shares and CloudSnap utilization.
D). FlashBlade//S:
FlashBlade//S is designed for file and object storage but is typically used for high-performance, unstructured data workloads. It is more expensive than FlashArray//C and not necessary for this use case.
Key Points:
FlashArray//C: Provides high-density storage at a low cost per GB, ideal for large-scale workloads.
CloudSnap Support: Enables offloading snapshots to the cloud for disaster recovery or archival purposes.
Cost Efficiency: Balances performance and cost, making it suitable for file shares and large datasets.
Reference: Pure Storage FlashArray//C Documentation: “Use Cases for FlashArray//C” Pure Storage Whitepaper: “Optimizing Storage Costs with FlashArray//C” Pure Storage Knowledge Base: “Choosing the Right FlashArray Model for Your Workload”

NO.21 A customer has two data centers: one in North America and one in England. The customer wants to replicate their production data across data centers, with as low an RPO as possible.
What Pure Storage feature meets their requirements?

ActiveCluster

ActiveDR

Asynchronous snapshot replication

NO.22 A customer wants to have more insight into and control of their Pure Storage FlashArray and VMware environment from a single user interface.
What does the customer need to do to enable this capability in their environment?

Ensure all VMware API for Array Integration (VAAI) primitives are enabled

Log in to the FlashArray GUI and install the plugin for vSphere Client

Configure FlashArray Management Pack for vRealize Operations Manager

Install Pure Storage SRA for VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM)

To gain more insight and control over their Pure Storage FlashArray and VMware environment from a single user interface, the customer should configure the FlashArray Management Pack for vRealize Operations Manager (vROps).
Here’s why:
Analysis of Options:
A). Ensure all VMware API for Array Integration (VAAI) primitives are enabled:
VAAI is a set of APIs that offloads storage tasks from the ESXi host to the storage array, improving performance and efficiency. However, it does not provide a unified interface for managing both FlashArray and VMware environments.
B). Log in to the FlashArray GUI and install the plugin for vSphere Client:
While the FlashArray plugin for vSphere Client provides some integration, such as provisioning and monitoring FlashArray volumes directly from the vSphere Client, it does not offer comprehensive visibility and control over both environments from a single interface.
C). Configure FlashArray Management Pack for vRealize Operations Manager:
The FlashArray Management Pack for vROps integrates Pure Storage FlashArray with VMware vRealize Operations Manager, enabling centralized monitoring, analytics, and management of both environments from a single pane of glass.
This solution provides deep insights into storage performance, capacity utilization, and health metrics, making it the ideal choice for the customer’s requirement.
D). Install Pure Storage SRA for VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM):
The Pure Storage Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) is used for disaster recovery orchestration with VMware SRM. It does not provide a unified interface for managing FlashArray and VMware environments.
Recommendation:
The correct answer is C. Configure FlashArray Management Pack for vRealize Operations Manager, as it fulfills the customer’s need for a single user interface to manage both FlashArray and VMware environments.
Reference: Pure Storage FlashArray Management Pack for vROps Documentation:
FlashArray Management Pack for vROps
Explains how to integrate FlashArray with vROps for unified monitoring and management.
Pure Storage VMware Integration Overview:
Pure Storage VMware Integration
Provides an overview of Pure Storage’s VMware integration solutions.

NO.23 A cost-conscious customer at a small regional hospital is running a PACS image archive on an NL-disk array.
The customer has the following requirements:
* More than 1 PB of storage
* Latency is not a concern
* Customer user shares must be on the same array
Which solution will meet the customer’s needs?

FlashArray//X

FlashArray//XL

FlashArray//C

NO.24 An existing customer wants a new set of arrays with the following characteristics:
* Business critical workload that requires sub millisecond response times
* Synchronous replication configured to their secondary site
* Offload snapshots to a third location where they do not have a FlashArray Which solution will meet the customer’s needs?
FlashArray//Xs with ActiveDR and CloudSnap

FlashArray//Xs with ActiveCluster and CloudSnap

FlashArray//Cs with ActiveDR and Snapshot Replication

FlashArray//Cs with ActiveCluster and Snapshot Replication

NO.25 What should a protection group in a stretched pod be used for?

Integrating ActiveCluster with async snapshot replication

Using CloudSnap to offload to a third-site target

Initiating ActiveDR failover/failback in a test scenario

Configuring fan-out async snapshot replication

A protection group in a stretched pod should be used for integrating ActiveCluster with asynchronous snapshot replication. This combination allows for synchronous replication within the stretched pod (using ActiveCluster) while also enabling asynchronous replication to a third site for additional disaster recovery protection.
Why This Matters:
ActiveCluster: Provides synchronous replication between two sites within a stretched pod, ensuring zero RPO and near-zero RTO for high availability.
Async Snapshot Replication: Extends the disaster recovery strategy by replicating snapshots asynchronously to a third site, providing an additional layer of protection against regional failures.
Combining these features ensures both local high availability and remote disaster recovery.
Why Not the Other Options?
B). Using CloudSnap to offload to a third-site target:
CloudSnap is used to offload snapshots to cloud storage (e.g., AWS S3 or Azure Blob). While it is useful for backup purposes, it does not integrate with ActiveCluster for synchronous replication.
C). Initiating ActiveDR failover/failback in a test scenario:
ActiveDR is designed for asynchronous replication and failover/failback scenarios but does not integrate with ActiveCluster in a stretched pod configuration.
D). Configuring fan-out async snapshot replication:
Fan-out replication involves sending snapshots to multiple targets asynchronously. However, this does not align with the use case of integrating ActiveCluster with async replication for a stretched pod.
Key Points:
Stretched Pod: Enables synchronous replication across two sites using ActiveCluster. Async Replication: Adds a third-site replication target for comprehensive disaster recovery. Integrated Protection: Combines high availability and disaster recovery into a single solution.
Reference: Pure Storage FlashArray Documentation: “ActiveCluster with Async Replication” Pure Storage Whitepaper: “Disaster Recovery Strategies with FlashArray” Pure Storage Knowledge Base: “Using Protection Groups in Stretched Pods”

NO.26 Which Evergreen//Forever benefit allows a customer to trade in an existing 12 TB shelf for a new 60 TB shelf while only paying for a 48 TB increase?

Capacity Consolidation

Flat is Fair Maintenance

Right-Size Guarantee

Love Your Storage

NO.27 A customer notices a low data reduction ratio upon initial data ingest.
Which Purity data reduction technique will help increase the data reduction ratio over time?

Deep deduplication and deep compression

Snapshot cleanup and garbage collection

Capacity consolidation and cloning

RAID-HA protection and AES-256 encryption

If a customer notices a low data reduction ratio upon initial data ingest, the Purity data reduction technique that will help increase the data reduction ratio over time is deep deduplication and deep compression.
Why This Matters:
Deep Deduplication and Deep Compression:
Purity//FA (the operating system for FlashArray) applies deduplication to eliminate duplicate data blocks and compression to reduce the size of unique data blocks.
These techniques are applied continuously as new data is written to the array. Over time, as more data is ingested and patterns emerge, the effectiveness of deduplication and compression increases, leading to a higher data reduction ratio.
For example, deduplication becomes more effective as the dataset grows and more duplicates are identified. Similarly, compression benefits from identifying repetitive patterns in larger datasets.
Why Not the Other Options?
B). Snapshot cleanup and garbage collection:
Snapshot cleanup and garbage collection are maintenance processes that reclaim space from deleted snapshots or unused data blocks. While these processes free up space, they do not directly contribute to increasing the data reduction ratio.
C). Capacity consolidation and cloning:
Capacity consolidation refers to combining workloads onto fewer arrays, and cloning creates space-efficient copies of volumes. While cloning leverages data reduction techniques, it does not inherently improve the overall data reduction ratio for existing data.
D). RAID-HA protection and AES-256 encryption:
RAID-HA (high availability) ensures data redundancy, and AES-256 encryption secures data. Neither of these features impacts the data reduction ratio.
Key Points:
Deep Deduplication and Compression: Continuously optimize storage efficiency as more data is ingested.
Data Reduction Ratio: Improves over time as deduplication identifies duplicates and compression reduces unique data.
Purity//FA Automation: These techniques are fully automated and do not require manual intervention.
Reference: Pure Storage FlashArray Documentation: “Understanding Data Reduction in Purity//FA” Pure Storage Whitepaper: “Maximizing Data Reduction with FlashArray” Pure Storage Knowledge Base: “How Deduplication and Compression Work in FlashArray”

NO.28 A customer wishes to reduce the amount they spend on cloud storage from Azure public cloud. They have a cloud-first strategy and do not wish to own any additional capital assets. The applications data mainly consists of 100 TB of Database data.
Which product satisfies this requirement?

Evergreen//Flex

Evergreen//Forever

Cloud Block Store

Portworx DBaaS

The customer has a cloud-first strategy and does not wish to own additional capital assets, meaning they are looking for a solution that operates entirely within the public cloud without requiring on-premises hardware. Additionally, their primary goal is to reduce cloud storage costs while managing a large volume of database data (100 TB).
Cloud Block Store (CBS) is the ideal solution for this requirement. CBS is a software-defined block storage solution that runs natively in the public cloud (e.g., AWS or Azure). It provides enterprise-grade storage features like deduplication, compression, and thin provisioning, which help optimize storage usage and reduce costs. By leveraging CBS, the customer can efficiently manage their database workloads in the cloud while minimizing storage expenses.
Why Not the Other Options?
A). Evergreen//Flex: This is a subscription-based model for on-premises FlashArray hardware. Since the customer does not want to own any additional capital assets, this option does not align with their cloud-first strategy.
B). Evergreen//Forever: Similar to Evergreen//Flex, this is an on-premises solution that involves hardware ownership, which does not meet the customer’s requirements.
D). Portworx DBaaS: While Portworx is a containerized storage solution for databases, it is primarily designed for Kubernetes environments and does not directly address the need to reduce cloud storage costs for traditional database workloads.
Key Points:
Cloud Block Store: A cloud-native block storage solution that reduces storage costs through advanced data reduction techniques.
Cloud-First Strategy: CBS aligns perfectly with the customer’s desire to avoid capital expenditures and operate entirely within the public cloud.
Reference: Pure Storage Cloud Block Store Documentation: “Deploying and Managing Cloud Block Store in Azure” Pure Storage Whitepaper: “Optimizing Cloud Costs with Cloud Block Store” Pure Storage Best Practices Guide: “Database Workloads in the Public Cloud”

NO.29 A potential healthcare customer wants to move to a modern storage array for their medical records database. They need the fastest possible array as their workload is highly transactional.
Which solution should an SE recommend?

FlashArray//XL

FlashArray//X

FlashArray//C

To meet the healthcare customer’s requirement for the fastest possible array for a highly transactional medical records database, FlashArray//XL is the optimal choice.
Here’s why:
Analysis of FlashArray Models:
FlashArray//XL:
The FlashArray//XL is Pure Storage’s highest-performance all-flash storage array, designed for mission-critical, high-transaction workloads that demand ultra-low latency and maximum throughput.
It offers the highest IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second), bandwidth, and capacity scaling capabilities in the FlashArray family, making it ideal for workloads like medical records databases that require extreme performance.
With its advanced NVMe architecture and DirectFlash Modules, FlashArray//XL delivers sub-millisecond latency and exceptional performance consistency, which are critical for transactional workloads.
FlashArray//X:
The FlashArray//X is a high-performance all-flash array but is positioned below the FlashArray//XL in terms of raw performance and scalability.
While it is suitable for most enterprise workloads, it may not provide the same level of performance as FlashArray//XL for highly transactional databases with demanding I/O requirements.
FlashArray//C:
The FlashArray//C is optimized for capacity and cost efficiency rather than raw performance.
It uses QLC NAND flash technology, which is more cost-effective but has lower endurance and performance compared to the TLC NAND used in FlashArray//X and FlashArray//XL.
This makes FlashArray//C unsuitable for highly transactional workloads like a medical records database.
Recommendation:
Given the customer’s need for the “fastest possible array” and the highly transactional nature of their workload, FlashArray//XL is the best recommendation. Its ability to deliver consistent, low-latency performance at scale ensures that the medical records database will perform optimally under heavy transactional loads.
Reference: FlashArray//XL Product Overview:
Pure Storage FlashArray//XL
Details the performance and use cases for FlashArray//XL.
FlashArray//X Product Overview:
Pure Storage FlashArray//X
Explains the capabilities of FlashArray//X for enterprise workloads.
FlashArray//C Product Overview:
Pure Storage FlashArray//C
Highlights the cost-efficient design of FlashArray//C for capacity-focused workloads.

NO.30 A customer wants to add capacity to support a new Oracle workload. It has been determined that the application needs 398 TB of thick-provisioned storage from the host. The customer wants to purchase the minimum storage capacity to handle this workload.
How much capacity should the SE propose, assuming DRR is 3:1?

132 TB

21TB

186 TB

62 TB

NO.31 A Storage Administrator has two //X50R3 FlashArrays. The two FlashArrays are located in different data centers with a network link between them. The ethernet link between data centers has a latency of 35 ms.
Which Purity feature will provide protection against a site failure with the lowest recovery point?

ActiveCluster

ActiveDR

Snapshot replication

Local snapshots

NO.32 Which two features are specific to the Evergreen//Forever Program and are NOT included with Evergreen//Foundation? (Choose two.)

Controller Upgrades

Pro Deployment

Capacity Consolidation

Upgrade Always

NO.33 A customer wants to store 100 TiB of Oracle data and 200 TiB of VDI data onto a FlashArray. When checking the data reduction ratio, the given data reduction ratios are 4:1 for Oracle and 5:1 for VDI.
What is the minimum useable capacity needed on the FlashArray?

40TiB

65TiB

300TiB

750TiB

NO.34 How does Pure Storage help customers increase storage density in their arrays, as new technology becomes available, without rebuying existing storage?

Customers can attach third-party storage arrays to the Pure Storage array.

Customers can leverage Pure Storage’s Capacity Consolidation offering.

Customers can mix HDDs and flash modules within the same array.

Customers can add a shelf with a Evergreen//One subscription.