The FlashArray//XL series (such as the XL130R5) utilizes a modern backend connectivity architecture for its expansion shelves, specifically the DirectFlash Shelf (DFS). Unlike older generations that might have used SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) for shelf connectivity, the //XL architecture relies on high-speed Ethernet with RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) to communicate with external media shelves. This ensures that the NVMe drives in the shelf perform with the same low latency as those in the head unit.
To attach a DirectFlash Shelf to a FlashArray//XL130R5, the chassis must be populated with specific PCIe interface cards designated for shelf back-end connectivity. The correct part for this is the FA-XL-100G Ethernet/RoCE 2-Port card. This card provides the necessary 100 Gigabit Ethernet bandwidth and RoCE protocol support required for the NVMe-oF (NVMe over Fabrics) backend fabric that Pure Storage uses.
It is crucial to distinguish this from host-facing cards. While an "iSCSI/RoCE" card exists, the shelf connectivity specifically utilizes the "Ethernet/RoCE" designation in the BOM to differentiate backend fabric ports from frontend host ports. The 200G options are generally reserved for host connectivity or inter-array clustering in specific high-performance setups, but the standard validated card for connecting the DFS to the
//XL130R5 is the 100G Ethernet/RoCE adapter. Verifying this line item on the BOM prevents onsite delays where the engineer might otherwise find themselves with incompatible ports for the expansion shelves.