ActiveCluster for File Veeam Backup
Hello everyone :-) we recently got a Flasharray with the new "ActiveCluster for File" feature, which is pretty nice. We are trying to switch to Veeam. We are using VMware. I therfore created a Linux based Veeam Backup & Replication Server as well as linux based proxies in our vCenter. Backing up VMs via the hot-add transport mode works without any issues. The issue that we are facing is, how do we backup the NFS shares created from the "ActiveCluster for File"? Because Veeam sees the VMDKs from the VMs in the vCenter but doesen't see the NFS mounts from Everpure in the guest OS of the VM. My questions and thoughts are: Is it possible to create an physical Linux based on Veeam proxy and connected it to the Everpure FlashArray? According to this link, Everpure doesn't support the storage snapshot Integration feature https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbr/userguide/storage_system_requirements.html?ver=13 This is the Plugin I wanted to use with the physical proxy which is connected to the FlashArray https://www.veeam.com/kb4129 I can add the NFS Share into Veeam and create backjobs but how does it technically work? It uses the VBR Server as an proxy.. But is that the right way? How can I create Veeam backup jobs for NFS mounts (which are mounted on VMs in the vCenter, which Veeam doesn't see) provided by ActiveCluster for File ? How does a Veeam file share backup work technically and how should the recommended backup design be in this scenario? Thank you!
NDU replacement/upgrade
Hello everyone, I have a question I do not find an answer. I have found these two commands that may or may not do the same thing, but can't confirm anywhere purewes controller setattr --verify-array <array_name> ct0 --mode secondary and puredb run giveback --safe <---- run from ct0 Supposedly, they both set ct0 as secondary, therefore ct1 as primary. But, is it? What is the difference? ThanksEntra ID SAML2 SSO on FlashArray (Purity//FA 6.12.3), including fleets
Hi everyone, Here is a working setup for single sign-on from Microsoft Entra ID to a FlashArray, tested on Purity//FA 6.12.3, which is the newest version at the time of writing. It follows the Microsoft tutorial for Pure Storage SSO (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/saas-apps/pure-storage-sso-tutorial) and adds the fixes I needed to get the login test to pass. It also covers adding more arrays and fleets. Two things that break the login if you skip them The gallery app ships with role names that do not match the FlashArray role names. If you do not rename them, the login test fails because the array cannot find the role (Step 6). The claims must have no namespace URI (Step 5). What you need An array admin login Entra admin rights (Enterprise applications and App registrations) The Pure Storage SSO app from the Entra App Gallery A user or group to assign Overview Create a certificate on the array Configure SAML2 SSO on the array Entra app and the array certificate Load the Entra signing certificate on the array Claims (delete the namespace URI) Fix the app role names Assign, test and enable Plus: more arrays and fleets, and a troubleshooting list at the end. Step 1: Create a certificate on the array The array needs its own RSA certificate to sign SAML requests and decrypt assertions. Do not use the management certificate: it is EC 256 and caused a 500 error for me. purecert self-signed create saml-sp --common-name myarray.pure --days 365 purecert list The saml-sp row should show self-signed, rsa, 2048. Note the expiry date: SSO signing stops working when it expires. Step 2: Configure SAML2 SSO on the array Go to Settings › Access › Users and Policies › SAML2 SSO and edit the configuration. Array URL: the array FQDN, for example https://myarray.pure/. Signing Credential and Decryption Credential: type the certificate name saml-sp. Do not paste certificate text. Switch on Sign Request and Encrypt Assertion. IdP Entity ID, URL and IdP Metadata URL: copy them from the Entra app (Set up Pure Storage SSO section). Keep Enabled off for now and save. Without credentials, saving fails with "Must provide signing credential when signed request is enabled" and the same message for decryption. The GUI can silently keep management, so check the result in the CLI: puresso saml2 list puresso saml2 test Both credential columns must show saml-sp. If not, set them directly: puresso saml2 setattr Entra-ID --signing-credential saml-sp --decryption-credential saml-sp This can print "Certificate claim does not exist." even though the values were applied, so trust the list output. Step 3: Entra app and the array certificate In the Entra admin center go to Enterprise apps › New application, search Pure Storage SSO and add it. Open Single sign-on › SAML › Basic SAML Configuration. Set Identifier to the array's SP Entity ID and Reply URL to the array's Assertion Consumer URL. Both are shown in the array's SAML2 SSO dialog, so copy them from there. On the array, open the certificates page and download saml-sp. Rename the extension from .crt to .cer. In the Entra app go to Single sign-on › SAML Certificates › Verification certificates › Edit, tick Require verification certificates, and upload the .cer. Because Encrypt Assertion is on, also import the same .cer under Token encryption and activate it (see the token encryption guide under Links). Check that you exported the right certificate: openssl x509 -in saml-sp.cer -noout -subject -enddate The subject must show the common name you used in Step 1, not the GUI certificate. Step 4: Load the Entra signing certificate on the array The array needs Entra's signing certificate to validate the response. If this is empty the array test still shows OK, but a real login fails. In Entra open Single sign-on › SAML Certificates and download Certificate (Base64). Open the file, copy everything including the BEGIN CERTIFICATE and END CERTIFICATE lines. In the array's SAML2 SSO dialog click Edit next to Verification Certificate and paste it. CLI alternative: puresso saml2 setattr Entra-ID --verification-certificate Step 5: Claims (delete the namespace URI) In the Entra app go to Single sign-on › Attributes & Claims › Edit. Open each claim, clear the Namespace field completely, and make sure the names match exactly: dn: user.onpremisesdistinguishedname email: user.mail (or user.userprincipalname for UPN) family_name: user.surname given_name: user.givenname purity_roles: user.assignedroles (required for array level SSO) Step 6: Fix the app role names The Pure Storage SSO gallery app is set up incorrectly for its role names. It ships readonly_role, ops_admin_role, storage_admin_role and array_admin_role with an empty value. The names must match the FlashArray role names exactly, otherwise the login test fails because the array cannot find the role. The roles are edited in App registrations, not in the Enterprise application: Go to App registrations › All applications and search for the app name. Open App roles and click a role. In Display name, remove the _role suffix. In Value, enter the role name, for example array_admin. Click Apply and repeat for the other roles. array_admin_role → Display name: array_admin, Value: array_admin storage_admin_role → Display name: storage_admin, Value: storage_admin ops_admin_role → Display name: ops_admin, Value: ops_admin readonly_role → Display name: readonly, Value: readonly Leave msiam_access as it is. Step 7: Assign, test and enable In the Entra app go to Users and groups › Add user/group, pick the user, click Select a role and choose one of the renamed roles. Only one role per assignment. On the array open the SAML2 SSO dialog and click Test. All lines must be green and the first two must show saml-sp. Click E2E Test, sign in with the assigned user, then click Check E2E Test Result. If it passes, switch Enabled on and save. The login page now shows Click for Single Sign-On and a Local Access link. Tip: Keep a working local admin login in case something on the Entra side breaks or a certificate expires. More arrays and fleets Each array needs its own certificate, and that certificate must be uploaded to Entra under Verification certificates, next to the ones from the other arrays. You do not need a new Enterprise application per array. If you use Fusion / fleet manager, enable Trust Other SAML Service Providers In Fleet in the SAML2 SSO configuration and apply these settings on each additional array: Create the certificate on that array (Step 1) with its own common name. Use the same SSO configuration name as on the first array. Array URL: the FQDN of the new array. SP Entity ID: set it to Manual and paste the SP Entity ID of the first array. All fleet members must use the same SP Entity ID. Signing Credential and Decryption Credential: saml-sp, the certificate of this array. Switch on Sign Request and Encrypt Assertion. Identity Provider fields and Verification Certificate: the same values you used on the first array. In the Entra app, add a second Reply URL with the Assertion Consumer URL of the new array, and upload the new array's saml-sp .cer under Verification certificates. Run Test and E2E Test before enabling. After that you can sign in on the other arrays with the same Entra users, roles and claims. Note: If you use Encrypt Assertion on several arrays, check this: Entra token encryption uses one active certificate per application, so test each array with the E2E test. Troubleshooting Save fails: must provide signing or decryption credential: Create saml-sp and enter its name in both fields Red error echoes a long MIID... string: You pasted certificate text. Type the certificate name instead Test shows management as credential: Run puresso saml2 setattr as in Step 2 500 Internal Server Error when starting login: The credential was the EC management certificate. Switch to the RSA saml-sp certificate Login test fails, role not found: Rename role display name and value in App registrations (Step 6) Login fails or user has no role: Clear the claim namespaces and check purity_roles = user.assignedroles (Step 5) Verification certificate shows - in the test: Paste the Entra Base64 certificate (Step 4) If you do not need signed requests or encrypted assertions, you can switch off Sign Request and Encrypt Assertion and skip the certificate steps. Links Configure Pure Storage SSO for Single sign-on with Microsoft Entra ID (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/saas-apps/pure-storage-sso-tutorial) Configure Microsoft Entra SAML token encryption (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/enterprise-apps/howto-saml-token-encryption) Manage certificates for federated single sign-on (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/enterprise-apps/tutorial-manage-certificates-for-federated-single-sign-on) App roles UI (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity-platform/howto-add-app-roles-in-apps#app-roles-ui) Hope this saves someone some time. Questions and corrections are welcome.10012026 - TechTalk Recap - Oracle Resiliency—Choosing the Right Data Protection Approach🛡️
If you missed our latest TechTalks session, Lester Wells and I explored an important reality for Oracle teams: there is no single data-protection feature that covers every failure scenario. Keeping Oracle resilient means looking beyond a simple “backup or HA” decision. The right approach layers protection for local failures, site failures, operational recovery, and logical corruption—then aligns each layer to the application’s business requirements. What you missed 👇 🧭 HA and DR are different problems. High availability helps applications continue through infrastructure failures; disaster recovery protects against a broader site-level event. Both matter, but not every database needs the same RPO or RTO. ⚡ Snapshots improve operational recovery. Fast, space-efficient snapshots can help reduce backup and recovery pressure, refresh dev/test environments, support reporting copies, and provide recovery points for ransomware or user errors. 🏢 ActiveCluster is designed for continuous availability. For metro-distance deployments that meet latency requirements, synchronous replication can provide zero RPO and zero RTO protection against array or site failure. 🌍 ActiveDR extends protection across distance. Continuous, asynchronous replication supports disaster recovery where synchronous replication is not practical—and enables non-disruptive DR testing. 🧩 Layered protection covers more failure modes. Oracle RAC, ActiveCluster, ActiveDR, Data Guard, Flashback, and snapshots each address different risks. Combining the right layers helps protect both availability and recoverability. 🔎 Replication does not replace logical recovery. A bad write, accidental delete, or corruption can replicate correctly. Point-in-time snapshots and database-level recovery tools remain important parts of the plan. One of the best practical examples was using ActiveDR to bring up and validate a DR environment without disrupting production. That makes it easier to test your recovery plan more often—before you need it. 🎥 Catch up on the session HERE🎥 💬 Which Oracle resilience challenge is top of mind for your team: backup windows, recovery time, site-level availability, DR testing, or protection from logical errors? Share your perspective in the comments.
Veeam v13 Integration and Plugin
Hi Everyone, We're new Pure customers this year and have two Flasharray C models, one for virtual infrastructure and the other will be used solely as a storage repository to back up those virtual machines using Veeam Backup and Replication. Our plan is to move away from the current windows-based Veeam v12 in favor of Veeam v13 hardened Linux appliances. We're in the design phase now but have Veeam v13 working great in separate environment with VMware and HPE Nimble. Our question is around Pure Storage and Veeam v13 integration and Plugin support. Veeam's product team mentions there is native integrations in v12, but that storage vendors should be "adopting USAPI" going forward. Is this something that Pure is working on, or maybe already has completed with Veeam Backup and Replication v13?
What’s New in Virtualization: From Hypervisors to Kubernetes
July 16 | Register Now! Modern virtualization is evolving and organizations are now managing a growing mix of hypervisors, container platforms, and cloud environments. Join the session for a deep dive into how Everpure integrates with several virtualization platforms. We’ll cover VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1, the new Nutanix partnership, OpenShift Virtualization, Proxmox, and Azure Local updates. Discover how the Everpure 2026 roadmap delivers the flexibility and performance needed for any hypervisor or container strategy. See what’s new, what’s amazing, and what’s next in the future of modern data storage. Latest integrations: Updates on VCF 9.1, Proxmox, and Azure Local Modern platforms: The new Nutanix partnership and OpenShift Virtualization What’s next: A sneak peek at the Everpure 2026 roadmap Register Now!
