Managed Disks handle Azure disk storage for you, managing the storage accounts associated with the VM disks. You specify the disk type (Premium SSD, Standard SSD, Standard HDD), the size, and it’s provisioned and managed by Azure.
For example, to create a managed disk using Azure CLI, the following code soffice:
az disk create –resource-group MyResourceGroup –name MyDisk –size-gb 50 –sku Standard_LRS –zone 1
Premium SSD
Premium SSD is Azure’s highest-performing disk type for IO-intensive workloads, ideal for SAP workload scenarios needing high throughput with low latency. With Premium SSD, you can provision a disk up to 32,767 gibibytes (GiB) with maximum of 20,000 IOPS and 900 MiB/s of throughput.
Ultra Disk
Azure Ultra Disk is the highest performing block storage service in Azure. It is specifically designed for data-intensive and transaction-heavy workloads, such as SAP HANA databases. With Ultra Disk, you can achieve high IOPS, high throughput, and less than one millisecond latency.
Scale-Out File Server (SOFS) with Storage Spaces Direct
SOFS with Storage Spaces Direct is a significant choice when planning for a high availability and resilient storage system, suitable for large file shares that require high availability. With SOFS, you can easily add or replace hardware, balance loads across your resources, and improve performance through nondisruptive volume movement.
Azure NetApp Files
Azure NetApp Files is a fully managed file storage service provided by Microsoft, powered by NetApp technology, giving you the file capabilities in Azure even your core business applications require. It is particularly suitable for SAP workloads, offering multiple performance tiers to match the needs of your applications.
Azure Shared Disks
Azure Shared Disks is a shared block storage offering, providing the ability to attach a managed disk to multiple virtual machines (VMs). It is useful for databases where a single disk needs to be accessed by multiple VMs, such as SAP ASCS/SCS instance deployments.
Some key points to compare different Azure storage options:
| Feature | Managed Disk | Premium SSD | Ultra Disk | SOFS | Azure NetApp Files | Azure Shared Disks |
| Use Case | General Purpose | IO-Intensive Workloads | Data-intensive and transaction-heavy workloads | High availability and resilient storage system | High performance file storage | Shared block storage |
| Performance | Depends on Disk Size/Type | Up to 20,000 IOPS & 900 MiB/s of throughput | High IOPS, High Throughput, <1ms Latency | Depends on hardware | Depends on selected performance tier | Depends on Disk Size |
In conclusion, the selection of suitable storage pivots on the nature of workloads, performance demands, and availability requirements. Hence, for a significant preparation for the AZ-120, one must comprehend these storage options in detail.
Practice Test
True or False: Azure NetApp Files provides high-performance file storage service for POSIX-compliant applications.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure NetApp Files is an Azure native service powered by NetApp’s ONTAP technology, providing a high-performance file storage service for POSIX-compliant applications.
Single Select: For mission-critical applications that require sub-millisecond latency, which Azure storage option would be the most appropriate?
- a) Managed
- b) Premium
- c) Scale-Out File Server (SOFS)
- d) Azure shared disks
Answer: b) Premium
Explanation: Premium storage delivers high-performance, low-latency disk support for virtual machines with IO-intensive workloads.
Multiple Select: Which of the following Azure storage options can provide shared block storage for Azure Virtual Machines?
- a) Premium
- b) Azure NetApp Files
- c) Azure Shared Disks
- d) Managed
Answer: a) Premium, c) Azure Shared Disks
Explanation: Azure Shared Disks and Premium SSDs support Azure Virtual Machines to attach both to a single persistent disk. This configuration is in the context of both VMs existing in the same region and subscription.
True or False: The Scale-Out File Server (SOFS) with Storage Spaces Direct requires specialized storage hardware.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: SOFS with Storage Spaces Direct uses standard server hardware, and makes it possible to use storage devices connected to servers in a cluster to form a highly available, highly scalable software-defined storage at a fraction of the cost of traditional SAN or NAS arrays.
Single Select: Which is the most cost-effective Azure storage option for infrequently accessed data?
- a) Premium
- b) Ultra Disk
- c) Managed disk
- d) Archive
Answer: d) Archive
Explanation: Azure Archive storage offers low-cost, durable, and highly available secure cloud storage for rarely accessed data with flexible latency requirements.
True or False: Azure NetApp Files can support mission-critical workloads.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure NetApp Files can support mission-critical workloads with multiple performance tiers for flexibility.
Multiple Select: Which of the following Azure storage options supports high throughput workloads?
- a) Ultra Disk
- b) Premium
- c) Azure Shared Disks
- d) Azure NetApp Files
Answer: a) Ultra Disk, d) Azure NetApp Files
Explanation: Both Ultra Disk and Azure NetApp Files support high throughput workloads offering high performance and massive throughput capabilities.
Single Select: For data that requires frequent data scanning, which Azure storage option is the most appropriate?
- a) Managed
- b) Hot
- c) Ultra Disk
- d) Archive
Answer: b) Hot
Explanation: Hot access tier is optimized for storing data that is accessed frequently.
True or False: Scale-Out File Server (SOFS) with Storage Spaces Direct is suited for SAP workload deployments.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Scale-Out File Server with Storage Spaces Direct aggregates servers, storage, and networking into a single, unified cluster specifically suited for SAP workload deployments.
Single Select: Which storage option provides the highest disk I/O performance in Azure?
- a) Managed
- b) Premium
- c) Ultra Disk
- d) Azure Shared Disks
Answer: c) Ultra Disk
Explanation: Ultra Disk provides the highest disk I/O performance in Azure with configurable performance attributes.
Interview Questions
What are the key features of Azure managed disks?
Azure managed disks are network-attached, block-level storage volumes that are managed by Azure. Key features include automatic management of the storage account, high durability and availability, integrated with Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery services, granular access control, ability to attach/detach disks to VMs, different performance tiers including standard HDD, standard SSD, premium SSD and Ultra Disk, and data redundancy options.
What is the purpose of Azure Premium SSD disks?
Azure Premium SSD disks are designed for IO-intensive enterprise workloads. They offer high performance with low latency and are best suited for applications that require a high IOPS and throughput.
What does Ultra Disk in Azure provide?
Azure Ultra Disks deliver high throughput, high IOPS, and consistent low latency disk storage for Azure Virtual Machines. They are best suited for data-intensive workloads such as databases and require an Azure region that supports Ultra Disk.
Can you explain what Scale-Out File Server (SOFS) with Storage Spaces Direct is?
SOFS with Storage Spaces Direct is a feature of Windows Server that allows you to cluster servers with local storage into a single, fault-tolerant scale-out file server. It provides high availability (HA) and easily scalable network-attached storage (NAS).
What are Azure NetApp Files (ANF)?
Azure NetApp Files is an Azure native, high-performance, fully managed cloud file storage service. It’s based on the proven NetApp ONTAP technology offering multiple performance tiers, secure data management, and protocol-support for SMB, NFS, and iSCSI.
What does Azure shared disks provide?
Azure shared disks allow multiple VMs to attach to and access a disk simultaneously, which is useful for cluster configurations and applications that require high availability and/or certain recovery models. They support Premium SSDs, Standard SSDs, and Standard HDD types.
What is the main advantage of using Managed Disks in Azure?
The main advantages of using Azure Managed Disks include ease of management, high durability and availability, integrated support with Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery services, granular access control, and no need to monitor storage account limits.
What is the major feature of the Ultra Disk tier in Azure Disk Storage?
The major feature of the Ultra Disk tier in Azure Disk Storage is the ability to deliver high throughput, high IOPS, and consistent low latency for Azure Virtual Machines. It is designed for data-intensive workloads like SAP HANA.
What is the impact of using Azure NetApp Files for SAP workloads?
Azure NetApp Files provides advanced features such as NFS and SMB protocol support, snapshot technology, and high performance. For SAP workloads, it means faster data access, and potentially lower latency, improving the efficiency of SAP applications.
What is the significance of Azure shared disks for SAP workloads?
Azure shared disks offer an opportunity for improved fault tolerance and high availability for SAP applications. By allowing a disk to be simultaneously attached to multiple VMs, it supports cluster configurations required by many SAP workloads.
Are all Azure Managed Disk types suited for SAP applications?
Not all Azure Managed Disk types are ideal for SAP workloads. Workloads such as SAP HANA require high throughput and low latency, which are best serviced by Premium SSDs or Ultra Disks.
How can Premium SSDs be beneficial for SAP workloads?
Premium SSDs offer high performance and low latency, which make them well-suited for IO-intensive enterprise applications such as SAP HANA. They deliver consistent performance and can handle high IOPS instances smoothly.
What functionality does Storage Spaces Direct provide in the context of SAP applications?
Storage Spaces Direct in conjunction with Scale-Out File Server (SOFS) can provide an HA and easily scalable NAS storage solution for SAP applications. It can handle large amounts of data and maintain a relatively high speed of data access, which is critical for SAP workloads.
Is Azure NetApp Files a good fit for SAP HANA workloads?
Yes, Azure NetApp Files is a good fit for SAP HANA workloads because they can take advantage of the high performance, multi-protocol support, and secure data management capabilities that Azure NetApp Files offers.
How do Azure shared disks contribute to the availability of SAP applications?
Azure shared disks support features like clustering and SQL Server Availability Group (AG) configurations that contribute to the high availability of SAP applications. By allowing a disk to be attached and accessed by multiple VMs simultaneously, it supports recovery models and increases fault tolerance.
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