To determine whether a specific FlashArray configuration, such as the FlashArray//X50R3, supports or is currently equipped to handle SAS Flash Modules, the command purehw list --type drive --all is the correct diagnostic tool. While the FlashArray//X series is architected as a 100% NVMe platform using DirectFlash Modules (DFMs) in the base chassis, it retains the capability to support legacy SAS Flash Modules (SSDs) through the attachment of external SAS expansion shelves.
The purehw list --type drive --all command provides a comprehensive enumeration of the physical drive hardware components recognized by the system. Unlike the puredrive list command, which focuses on the logical status, capacity, and admission state of the drives, the purehw command with the --type drive flag exposes the hardware-level details, including the interface protocol (SAS vs. NVMe) and the physical location of the drive bays.
By running this command, an Implementation Engineer can verify if the array is communicating with any SAS-based drive hardware. If SAS modules or SAS-compatible drive bays in an external shelf are listed, support is confirmed. Conversely, option A is syntactically incorrect for this purpose, and option B (purehw list --type controller) focuses on the compute node specifications rather than the storage media interfaces. Therefore, listing the drive hardware components is the definitive method to validate the presence and support of SAS Flash media within the specific array configuration during a capacity consolidation.