Storage: FileSync, Import/Export, Accounts Flashcards
Azure file sync
transforms Windows Server into a quick cache of your Azure file share
Azure File Sync advantages
Lift and shift.
Backup and Disaster Recovery. Once File Sync is implemented, Azure Backup will back up your on-premises data.
File Archiving. Only recently accessed data is located on local servers. Non-used data moves to Azure in what is called Cloud Tiering.
Azure File Sync: Storage Sync Service
top-level Azure resource for Azure File Sync.
The Storage Sync Service resource is a peer of the storage account resource, and can similarly be deployed to Azure resource groups.
A distinct top-level resource from the storage account resource is required because the Storage Sync Service can create sync relationships with multiple storage accounts via multiple sync groups.
A subscription can have multiple Storage Sync Service resources deployed.
Azure Sync: Sync group
A sync group defines the sync topology for a set of files.
Endpoints within a sync group are kept in sync with each other.
If for example, you have two distinct sets of files that you want to manage with Azure File Sync, you would create two sync groups and add different endpoints to each sync group.
A Storage Sync Service can host as many sync groups as you need.
Azure Sync: Registered Server
The registered server object represents a trust relationship between your server (or cluster) and the Storage Sync Service. You can register as many servers to a Storage Sync Service instance as you want.
Azure Sync: Azure File Sync agent.
The Azure File Sync agent is a downloadable package that enables Windows Server to be synced with an Azure file share.
Azure Sync: Server Endpoints
A server endpoint represents a specific location on a registered server, such as a folder on a server volume. Multiple server endpoints can exist on the same volume if their namespaces do not overlap (for example, F:\sync1 and F:\sync2).
Deploying Azure File Sync
Deploy the Storage Sync Service.
Prepare Windows Server to use with Azure File Sync
Install the Azure File Sync Agent.
Register Windows Server with Storage Sync Service.
Azure Import/Export service
A service used to securely import large amounts of data to Azure Blob storage and Azure Files by shipping physical disk drives to an Azure datacenter.
Can also be used to transfer data from Azure Blob storage to physical disk drives and ship to your on-premises sites.
With the Azure Import/Export service, you supply your own disk drives and transfer data yourself.
Azure Import/Export service
A service used to securely import large amounts of data to Azure Blob storage and Azure Files by shipping disk drives to an Azure datacenter.
This service can also be used to transfer data from Azure Blob storage to disk drives and ship to your on-premises sites.
Data from one or more disk drives can be imported either to Azure Blob storage or Azure Files. With the Azure Import/Export service, you supply your own disk drives and transfer data yourself.
Azure Storage Account
Is a container that groups a set of Azure Storage services together
blobs, queues, files, tables
Storage services in the account share lifecycle
Is an Azure Resource
Azure Storage Account config settings
Subscription: the subscription to be billed for services
Location: datacenter that will store services
Performance: Standard or Premium
Replication: LRS, GRS, etc.
Access tier: hot, cool, archive
Secure Transfer Required: HTTPS or HTTP
Virtual Networks: allows inbound access request from specified virtual networks only
How many storage accounts are needed?
storage account represents a collection of settings like location, replication strategy, and subscription owner.
You need one storage account for each group of settings that you want to apply to your data
Storage Accounts and Data diversity
Organizations often generate data that differs in where it is consumed, how sensitive it is, which group pays the bills, etc. Diversity along any of these vectors can lead to multiple storage accounts. Let’s consider two examples:
Do you have data that is specific to a country or region?
Do you have some data that is proprietary and some for public consumption?
In general, increased diversity means an increased number of storage accounts
Storage Accounts: Cost sensitivity
A storage account by itself has no financial cost; however, the settings you choose for the account do influence the cost of services in the account. Geo-redundant storage costs more than locally redundant storage. Premium performance and the Hot access tier increase the cost of blobs.
You can use multiple storage accounts to reduce costs. For example, you could partition your data into critical and non-critical categories. You could place your critical data into a storage account with geo-redundant storage and put your non-critical data in a different storage account with locally redundant storage.
