In a Non-Disruptive Upgrade (NDU) scenario, the goal is to replace the compute and control logic of the array while preserving the existing data and minimizing hardware waste. When upgrading from a FlashArray
//X70R2 to an //X70R4, the primary components that change are the Controllers themselves. The chassis, power supplies, and NVRAM modules (depending on the specific generation jump and health) can often be reused or are not the primary target of the replacement in a standard NDU kit.
If a complete array is shipped by mistake (often called a "greenfield" or "net-new" array shipment) instead of the specific upgrade kit, the engineer should only extract and use the Controllers from the new shipment. The existing chassis and its passive components (like the midplane and power supplies) are already racked, cabled, and functioning. Swapping the chassis or power supplies would turn the operation into a disruptive migration or a much more complex "chassis replacement" procedure, which is unnecessary for a controller upgrade.
Therefore, the engineer should unpack the new controllers, perform the NDU procedure to replace the old controllers one by one, and leave the rest of the new hardware (chassis, empty slots, etc.) as spare or return it.
This approach adheres to the NDU procedure of swapping the "brains" of the storage while keeping the
"body" (chassis and drives) intact.
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