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4.2. Storage - Azure Files.md

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Azure Files

  • 99.9% SLA with availability, redundancy and disaster recovery.
  • Typical use cases:
    • Lift and shift
    • Hybrid solutions
    • Born-in-cloud applications that require shared storage are
    • Storage for cross-platform solutions
    • Any workload that currently uses a file server or NAS providing SMB access
  • REST compatible
  • SMB-compatible
    • File protocol over port 445
    • Can be mounted by Linux & windows & macOS compatible
    • Versions
      • SMB 1: Limited block sizes, chatty protocol
      • SMB 2.1 (Supported by Azure)
        • No encryption
        • Better network performance than SMB 1.0
        • Group file shares, software shares
        • Supported >Windows 7, > Windows Server 2008
      • SMB 3 (Supported by Azure)
        • Active-active support: Clustering with nodes
        • Transparent failover
        • RDMA support, multi channel > Lower latency
        • Enables usage of SQL and Hyper-V
        • Encryption support
        • Supported > Windows 8, > Windows Server 2012
    • Talks through port 445 and outbound connection
  • Create Azure File Share
    • Multiple Azure File shares can be created under a storage account
    • Each has a name and optional quota assigned
      • Quota limits the size up to 5120 GB
    • In portal: Storage → Files → File Share
  • File access
    • Access is via standard SMB client
    • Dialect of SMB is negotiated between the client and Azure Files upon connection
    • Encryption used if outside the Azure region or if required as part of the storage account configuration
    • SMB access utilizes the storage account name (as user name) and access key (as password).
    • REST access can utilize SAS tokens

Azure File Snapshots

  • Delta snapshot of a file share
  • Read-only, you can download your snapshot or mount it.
  • Azure Backup can schedule and manage snapshots
  • ❗ 200 snapshots per file share
  • If the file share is deleted all snapshots are also deleted

Replication options

  • DFS-R (before it was File Replication Service)
  • xcopy, robocopy
  • Considerations: locking of files, data consistency, amount of data replicated and maintaining ACLs.

Azure File Sync

  • Enables replication from a single Azure Files share to one or more Windows based file servers
    • Windows service are in a synchronization group.
  • Utilizes an agent deployed on each Windows Server instance that's then registered with the Storage Sync service then added to a sync group.

Cloud tiering

  • Least used data is moved to the cloud
    • Leaves a thumbprint on the server providing transparent access
    • Data is pulled down when access is requested.
  • Tiering is based on maintaining a certain percentage of free space.
    • Ensures around 20% is always free in file server.
  • Can be disabled
  • Is scoped to a file sync namespace.
  • ❗ File must be higher than 64 KB

Quality of Service (QoS)

  • Default configuration: Server will consume maximum possible bandwidth for data transfer via the storage sync service.
  • Supports network limits to be configured
  • For a VM based file server, QoS of the hypervisor can be used.

Considerations

  • Avoid actions that'd cause data to be pulled down from the cloud
    • E.g. anti-virus scans, backups on-premises
  • ACL (Access Control Lists) are replicated to the cloud but are not enforced when accessed via Azure Files.
    • 💡 Content should be restored to an IaaS VM file server to enable ACL enforcement.
  • Data can be pre-seeded via Azure Databox with some caveats
    • Enables pre-seeding instead of full copy over the network.
  • Be careful when combining other data replication technologies.

Workflow for replication

  1. Deploy a storage account
  2. Deploy a Azure File Share
  3. Deploy Storage Sync service
    • Must be in same region as storage account
  4. Create a sync group
    • Sync group has:
      • Storage account & file share
      • Server endpoints
      • Cloud endpoints
  5. Register server
    1. On portal: Sync Service → Registered Service → Download Azure File Sync Agent
    2. Install the service and register the server
  6. Add file share into the sync group as server endpoint
    • 💡 You can have only 1 cloud endpoint for the same sync group
    • You can enable/disable cloud tiering
  7. Install agent on file server
    • Supported >Windows Server 2012
    • Selected files can be skipped
  8. Register server to the storage sync service as server endpoint

Scale and Limits

  • 15 storage sync services per subscription
  • 30 sync groups per storage service
  • 1 cloud endpoint and 50 server endpoints per sync group
  • 4 TB maximum space
  • 100 GB maximum file size
  • 64 KB minimum file size to be tiered

Troubleshooting

  • Check if TCP 445 is open for outbound traffic.
  • In metrics you can monitor for problems.
  • On portal
    • In Sync Services → Sync Groups → Group → See health status and action recommendations for problems for cloud and server endpoints
  • In Event Viewer you can check FileSync events