When deploying and managing SAP workloads in Azure, one of the critical elements that need serious attention is storage monitoring. The satisfactory and efficient functioning of SAP systems in the Azure environment significantly depends on how well storage systems are managed and observed. Utilizing Azure tools for storage managing and monitoring is crucial in executing an optimal performance-based experience for your SAP systems.
To start, Azure Storage services furnish multiple data services: Blob, File, Queue, Table, and Disk storage. When working with IoT or dealing with large-scale data, Blob storage could be most advantageous. File storage is useful for lift and shift applications, whereas Queue and Table storage services are primarily used when building Azure applications. Disk storage, as shared or to be used specifically with Azure VMs, provide high-performance SSD storage, especially for SAP HANA workloads.
Azure Storage Monitoring
Monitoring is a key aspect of maintaining and managing a smoothly operated SAP system in Azure. Azure Monitor and Azure Storage analytics are tools that simplify the monitoring process and provide valuable data analytics to comprehend infrastructure health and performance.
Azure Monitor maximizes the availability and performance of applications by delivering a comprehensive solution for collecting, analyzing, and acting on telemetry from the cloud and on-premises environments. Whereas Azure Storage Analytics performs logging and provides metrics data for a storage account.
Understanding Metrics
Metrics in Azure are measurements of system variables over intervals of time. They deliver real-time data on system aspects like the amount of data read and written, the number of total requests, and the number of failed requests. This data is then processed to provide diagnostic and statistical analysis. For instance, transaction metrics for a storage account include the number of successful transactions, average latency, total ingress, egress, etc.
Azure Monitor retains metric values for 93 days, enabling you to evaluate how these values change over time and identify patterns.
Understanding Logs
Logs in Azure are route records generated by system activities. These could be either of the following:
- Activity logs: Gives you insight into operations performed on resources in the storage account.
- Diagnostic logs: Logs emitted by a resource. For Azure Storage, the diagnostic logs are the logs produced by the Azure Storage service itself.
Both log types provide vital data when determining concerns and establishing preventive strategies to avert future problems.
Azure Monitor for SAP solutions
Apart from using Azure Monitor and Storage Analytics, there is also “Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions”, an Azure marketplace offering, providing comprehensive and unified monitoring for full-stack telemetry. It delivers a seamless route to monitor SAP HANA infrastructure through the standard Azure portal, enabling a consolidated view of all SAP and non-SAP workloads running on Azure.
Example: Setting up Metrics in Azure
Here is a straightforward example of how to enable storage metrics using Azure portal:
- Sign in to the Azure portal
- Navigate to the desired storage account
- Under the monitoring section, select Metrics.
- Once in the metrics view, select New alert rule.
- Fill in the necessary details, such as the metric to monitor (e.g., Used Capacity), the condition, and action group.
Note: The action group defines the actions to be taken when the alert condition is fulfilled, like an email notification or automated Azure function to handle the alert.
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding and effectively using storage monitoring in Azure for SAP systems can result in significantly better performance and smoother operation of the system. Proper storage management helps in timely identification and resolution of potential issues, which ultimately leads to better resource utilization.
Practice Test
True/False: Azure NetApp Files and Azure Files can be used for SAP HANA tiered storage.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure NetApp Files and Azure Files can be used to move or overflow older data to lower-cost storage without disrupting the applications that are using that data.
Which of the following storage classes is best for SAP HANA backup files in Azure?
- a. Hot Storage
- b. Cool Storage
- c. Archive Storage
- d. Premium Storage
Answer: b. Cool Storage
Explanation: Cool storage is optimal for short-term backup data storage.
True/False: Azure Site Recovery can be used for disaster recovery of SAP databases in Azure.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure Site Recovery is a built-in disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS) that ensures business continuity by keeping business apps and workloads running during outages.
Which Azure service is used to monitor storage metrics and activity logs for Blob storage?
- a. Azure Monitor
- b. Azure Advisor
- c. Azure Security Center
- d. Azure Storage Explorer
Answer: a. Azure Monitor
Explanation: Azure Monitor provides data to understand performance and usage patterns for your Blob storage and carries out troubleshooting.
True/False: Azure Monitor can be used for monitoring storage from on-premises SAP systems migrating to Azure.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure Monitor can integrate with on-premises systems to give a unified view during migration.
When planning for SAP HANA storage, what does the storage throughput need to consider?
- a. Size of the SAP HANA database
- b. The number of Azure VMs
- c. The frequency of database backup
- d. All of the above
Answer: d. All of the above
Explanation: All these factors will influence the needed storage throughput for running SAP HANA effectively.
True/False: For Azure VMs used for SAP workloads, only managed disks should be used.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Managed disks handle storage behind the scenes, providing high availability and durability for VM disks which make them ideal for SAP workloads.
Which of the following Azure services can be used to automate backup for VM running SAP HANA?
- a. Azure Backup
- b. Azure Site Recovery
- c. Azure Migrate
- d. Azure Storage Service
Answer: a. Azure Backup
Explanation: Azure Backup is a service that can automate backup tasks for Virtual Machines, SQL Server databases, and on-premises VMware VMs.
True/False: Azure import/export service can be used to transfer very large amounts of data in and out of Azure Blob storage.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure Import/Export service enables secure and efficient data transfer to the Azure Blob storage by shipping hard disk drives to an Azure data center.
What is Azure ExpressRoute?
- a. It is a disaster recovery service
- b. It is a data transfer service
- c. It is a dedicated private network connection to Azure
- d. It is a service for creating VPN tunnels
Answer: c. It is a dedicated private network connection to Azure
Explanation: Azure ExpressRoute lets you connect your on-premises environments with Azure through a private network connection.
Interview Questions
What is Azure Monitor and how it can be used within the context of monitoring storage for SAP workloads?
Azure Monitor is a powerful service in Azure that provides a suite of features to monitor your applications and infrastructure. It collects data from different sources such as your applications, infrastructure, and the Azure platform itself. For SAP workloads, this could be used to monitor the performance and usage of storage accounts and services.
How do you enable Azure Storage Analytics for your SAP workloads?
You can enable Storage Analytics in the Azure portal, PowerShell, CLI, or Management REST API. In the Azure portal, you navigate to the storage account you want to monitor, select “Monitoring” from the left-side menu, and then enable the metrics and log types you want.
Which Azure tool can be used to create alerts based on Azure Storage metrics?
Azure Monitor can be used to create alerts based on Azure Storage metrics. These alerts can trigger actions such as sending an email or calling a webhook.
What tool can be used for querying and visualizing Azure Storage Analytics data?
Azure Monitor logs, previously known as Log Analytics, can be used for querying and visualizing Azure Storage Analytics data.
How does Azure Monitor help in monitoring storage for SAP HANA Large Instances?
Azure Monitor helps in monitoring CPU, memory, and storage consumption. It’s equipped to monitor Azure NetApp Files volumes for your HANA large instances.
Is it possible to monitor the transaction rate of Azure Storage?
Yes, Azure Monitor allows you to monitor the Transaction Rate of the Azure Storage service.
What does Azure Storage metrics cover?
Azure Storage metrics provide data for the performance and availability of a storage account. It includes transaction statistics, storage account capacity data, and end-to-end latency.
Can we monitor specific service storage metrics selectively?
Yes, Azure Monitor allows selective monitoring of storage service metrics for Blob, File, Table and Queue services.
Can Azure Storage Service Encryption (SSE) be monitored for successful encryption operations?
No, Azure Storage Service Encryption (SSE) runs seamlessly in the background. It does not provide specific monitoring or log data about encryption operations.
What is the significance of Metrics in Azure Storage?
Metrics in Azure Storage provides minute-by-minute statistics about transaction rates, server latency, and network latency for each storage account. This information is invaluable for diagnosing issues and analyzing the performance of your applications.
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