Azure File Sync
How to manual sync from Azure Files to File Server:
Ensure updated Az modules:
- Get-Module -Name Az.* -ListAvailable
- Install-Module -Name Az -AllowClobber -Force
Connect-AzAccount -Subscription "09eeda6c-a997-4649-905b-6c259db05b7f"
Examples:
Get GUID:
Get-AzStorageSyncCloudEndpoint -ResourceGroupName "ca2-prd-azurefilesyncstorage-rg" -StorageSyncServiceName "ca2-prd-azurefilesync" -SyncGroupName "ca2-syncg-data-filesynctest"
> CloudEndpointName : a1450c53-99b9-4334-a448-d650f9bf5940
Run Manual Sync:
Invoke-AzStorageSyncChangeDetection -ResourceGroupName "ca2-prd-azurefilesyncstorage-rg" -StorageSyncServiceName "ca2-prd-azurefilesync" -SyncGroupName "ca2-syncg-data-filesynctest" -CloudEndpointName "a1450c53-99b9-4334-a448-d650f9bf5940"
BCP-DR Architecture for Vancouver File Servers
A document that outlines the various sections of the BCP-DR architecture that was set up to improve redundancy for Vancouver file servers
Author: William Chu
Publish Date: July 22, 2024
Introduction
The Vancouver file servers, van-file1 and van-file2, are used to store and share files for the Vancouver office. They are critical for the daily operations and productivity of the staff. However, they are also vulnerable to failures, such as hardware malfunctions, network outages, power outages, or natural disasters. In the event of any of these failures, the file servers would become inaccessible, causing data loss and disruption of work.
The purpose of setting up this architecture for the Vancouver file servers was to have better failover capabilities, meaning that if file servers went down, the users would still be able to access their files from another location without interruption. This would ensure business continuity and data protection for the Vancouver office.
Solution Overview
The solution that was deployed to achieve this goal is based on Azure File Sync and DFS namespace.
Azure File Sync is a service that enables synchronization of files from on-premises file servers to Azure Files storage account, which is a cloud-based file share.
DFS namespace is a feature that allows creating a virtual folder structure that aggregates multiple file shares into a single namespace. The combination of these two technologies allows creating a hybrid file system that seamlessly integrates the Vancouver file servers with the Azure Files storage account, and provides a unified access point for the users.
Solution Details
The following are the main steps and components of the solution:
- An Azure Files storage account, ca2filesync1, was created in Canada Central, and file shares named vanfile-data, vanfile-datacal, and vanfile-workgroups was created within it. Files and folder are synced along with their NTFS permissions.
- The Azure File Sync service, ca2-prd-azurefilesync, was installed and configured on both van-file1 and van-file2, and sync groups named ca2-syncg-vanfile-datacal, ca2-syncg-vanfile-data, and ca2-syncg-vanfile-workgroups were created to replicate the file server shares with the Azure Files storage account.
- The Vancouver file share was registered as a cloud endpoints in the sync group, and the local folders on van-file1 and van-file2 that contain the files to be synchronized were registered as server endpoints.
- The synchronization is continuous and near real-time, meaning that any changes made to the files on the file servers are quickly reflected on the Azure Files storage account. However, the vice versa, syncing from azure to on-premises, is a once-a-day sync.
- After replication was completed, a Distributed File System (DFS) namespace named \\canaccord.com\van-file was created on tor-file2 and van-file2 and folders named data, datacal, and workgroups was created within it.
- The files folder was configured to have two folder targets, one pointing to the van-files file share on the Azure Files storage account, where 100% of the traffic would still go to van-file server unless they were down, then an automatic failover would occur to azure files.
- The on-premises file servers are currently backed up by Druva, where specific files and folders can be recovered. In the event any recovery is needed on Azure Files, specific files and folders and be restored and dropped into azure when needed. Else, the alternative would be to enable an azure backup policy which will incur additional costs for retention.
Benefits and Outcomes
The new application architecture provides the following benefits and outcomes for the Vancouver file servers and the users:
- Improved redundancy: The files are replicated and stored in three locations: van-file1, van-file2, and the Azure Files storage account. This reduces the risk of data loss and increases the availability of the files.
- Better failover capabilities: The DFS namespace enables automatic failover to the Azure Files storage account in case of a disaster that affects both van-file1 and van-file2. The users should not notice any interruption or downtime when they access the files folder, as they will be seamlessly redirected to the cloud endpoint, though the latency will be increased since the azure shares are across the country.
- Simplified management: The architecture simplifies the management and administration of the file servers, as the files are centrally managed and synchronized by the Azure File Sync service and the DFS namespace. The file servers can also benefit from the cloud features, such as backup, restore, encryption, and monitoring.
Diagram