Exhibit.

This question tests installation cabling constraints and supported cabling media for SAS connectivity. The key issue is distance: the customer wants to use20-meter copper SAS cablesbetween a controller and a shelf that are installed in separate rows.

NetApp hardware cabling guidance indicates that when long distance SAS connectivity is required, the supported approach is to useSAS optical cabling(for applicable platforms and shelf/IOM combinations). The ONTAP hardware systems documentation describes “mini-SAS HD SAS optical cable rules,” noting that optical AOC SAS cables are available in lengths up to50 metersfor controller-to-stack and shelf-to-shelf connections in supported configurations. This highlights a critical installation principle: long SAS runs are addressed withoptical, not copper.

The documentation also establishes that SAS cabling within a stack must be consistent (all copper or all optical) and that mixed approaches have specific constraints. While the excerpt emphasizes optical rules (because optical is the mechanism for long distance), it implicitly reinforces that copper has practical distance limitations and is not the long-distance solution.

Therefore, if the customer insists on copper SAS, the correct guidance is thatthe controller and disk shelf must be closer togetherto remain within supported copper SAS distance limits and to ensure signal integrity and supported operation. Option B is incorrect because simply “obtaining” 20-meter copper SAS cables does not make the configuration supported. Option D is incorrect because Ethernet adapters do not replace SAS for shelf connectivity. Option A is nonsensical in this context because SAS shelf connectivity cannot be replaced by a “wireless adapter” as a supported installation practice.

Thus, the correct answer isC: if copper cables are to be used, the devices must be closer together; otherwise the supported solution is to use a supported SAS optical approach.