Describe Azure File storage

Azure File Storage is a cloud-based service provided by Microsoft Azure for storing and managing data. As one of the various Azure Storage options, Azure File Storage offers a simple, secure, and fully managed cloud file-sharing system analogous to local servers’ file systems. This service simplifies the sharing of data across on-premises and cloud environments, making it ideal for data migration, global file sharing, and various other storage scenarios.

Azure File Storage provides fine-grained control with options to specify who can access certain files and directories, when, and from where. Its seamless integration with Azure Active Directory Domain Services (Azure AD DS) further allows setting NTFS access control lists (ACLs) for the data.

1. Features of Azure File Storage:

• Compatibility with the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol: Azure File Storage supports SMB 3.0, which allows mounting file shares on Windows, Linux, and macOS machines to access them as network drives.
• Integration with Azure Backup: It supports backing up and restoring Azure file shares, ensuring data resilience.
• Fully managed service: Azure File Storage takes care of all management and administrative tasks. Users only need to worry about managing the data they store.
• Security and compliance: All data is encrypted at rest and in transit. Azure File Storage meets numerous international and industry-specific compliance standards, such as ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR.

2. Azure File Storage Use Cases:

• Shared Application Data: Azure File Storage can be used to share common application settings or configurations across multiple machines. Instead of configuring each machine manually, updates can be done in one central location.
• Diagnostics, metrics, and logging: Logging data from various sources can be stored and managed centrally in Azure File Storage.
• Data Migration: Azure File Storage provides a convenient way to migrate on-premises applications that rely on file shares to Azure cloud.

Azure File Storage can be accessed through Azure portal, Azure PowerShell, Azure CLI, or one of the Azure SDKs. Here’s an example of creating a file share using Azure CLI:

az storage account create --name mystorageaccount --resource-group myresourcegroup --location eastus --sku Standard_LRS
az storage share create --name myfireshare --account-name mystorageaccount

In conclusion, Azure File Storage is a versatile and reliable option for any application or service requiring file storage. Its compatibility with common protocols and operating systems, coupled with Azure’s robust security and management capabilities, make it an excellent choice for applications needing a shared access to file data, whether in the cloud or on-premises.

Practice Test

True or False: Azure File storage is a cloud-based service provided by Microsoft.

Answer: True

Explanation: Azure File Storage is a service provided by Microsoft that allows you to create, configure, and manage file shares in the cloud.

Azure File Storage does not support SMB (Server Message Block) protocol. (True/False)

Answer: False

Explanation: Azure File Storage supports SMB protocol which allows applications to read from and write to Azure File shares in exactly the same way they would with on-premises file shares.

Azure File storage provides two types of storage accounts: Standard storage and Premium storage. (True/False)

Answer: True

Explanation: Azure File Storage offers two different types of storage. Standard Storage is backed by hard disk drives and delivers cost-effective storage while Premium Storage backed by solid-state drives and delivers high-performance storage.

Which of the following is not a use case for Azure File Storage?

• a) Shared application settings
• b) Crash recovery
• c) Distribution of large files
• d) Social media hosting

Answer: d) Social media hosting

Explanation: Although Azure File Storage can perform many functions, it is not typically used for social media hosting.

Azure File storage is automatic and does not need to be set up or managed by users. (True/False)

Answer: False

Explanation: While Azure does perform automatic backups and manage some aspects of the File Storage service, users are still responsible for creating and configuring their own file shares.

Azure File Storage does not support REST APIs and Azure SDKs. (True/False)

Answer: False

Explanation: Azure File Storage supports REST APIs and Azure SDKs which helps developers to build robust applications leveraging Azure Files.

Which of the following protocols is not supported by Azure File Storage?

• a) SMB
• b) NFS
• c) FTP
• d) REST

Answer: c) FTP

Explanation: Azure File Storage supports the SMB, NFS, and REST protocols, but it does not support FTP.

Azure File Storage provides global file shares that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. (True/False)

Answer: True

Explanation: Azure File Storage provides globally redundant storage (GRS) and enables file shares that can be accessed around the world.

With Azure File storage, there are no options for replicating your data for security or redundancy. (True/False)

Answer: False

Explanation: Azure File storage supports several levels of redundancy to keep your data safe and available, such as locally redundant storage (LRS), zone-redundant storage (ZRS) and geo-redundant storage (GRS).

Azure File Storage cannot integrate with Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery for additional data protection. (True/False)

Answer: False

Explanation: Azure File Storage can integrate with Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery services to provide additional data protection and disaster recovery.

Interview Questions

What is Azure File Storage?

Azure File storage is a service that offers fully managed file shares in the cloud to access via Server Message Block & Network File System.

How is data access through Azure File storage facilitated?

Data access through Azure File storage is facilitated using the SMB (Server Message Block) protocol and REST APIs.

Which Azure service is best for replacing or supplementing on-premises file servers and NAS devices?

Azure File Storage is perfect for replacing or supplementing on-premises servers and NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices.

Can Azure Files be accessed globally?

Yes, Azure Files can be accessed globally through ‘File Sync’ and can also be cached in multiple locations for fast, local performance.

Can you lift and shift applications that rely on shared file resources to Azure File Storage?

Yes, Azure File Storage helps in the lift-and-shift of applications that depend on shared file resources to Azure.

Can Azure File Storage support multiple protocols?

Yes, Azure File Storage supports multiple protocols including SMB, NFS, and FileREST.

Does Azure File Storage offer any reliablity or redundancy?

Yes, Azure File Storage ensures reliable availability through redundancy, syncing the data across different regions.

What level of security does Azure File Storage provide?

Azure File Storage provides advanced security and compliance capabilities, including Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) authentication, Azure role-based access control (Azure RBAC), and encryption-at-rest through Azure Storage Service Encryption (SSE).

Can we host a website directly from Azure File Storage?

No, Azure File Storage cannot be used to directly host a website. It acts as a shared file storage but cannot serve web pages like Azure Blob Storage can.

What is File Sync in Azure File Storage?

Azure File Sync is a feature that allows you to centralise your organisation’s file shares in Azure Files while keeping the flexibility, performance, and compatibility of an on-premises file server.

Can Azure File Storage be used in an IaaS VM as a data disk?

No, you cannot use Azure File Storage as a data disk in an IaaS VM. It’s used as a mounted file share.

What is Azure File Share snapshot?

Azure File Share snapshot is a read-only version of a share that’s used to read previous versions of files or to recover a file if it’s deleted or corrupted.

What happens when I delete a share that has snapshots?

If you delete a share that has snapshots, all snapshots associated with the share are also deleted.

What is Server Message Block (SMB) in the context of Azure File Storage?

SMB, also known as Common Internet File System (CIFS), is a network protocol that allows applications on a computer to read and write to files and to request services from server programs in a computer network. In the context of Azure File Storage, the SMB protocol is used to provide shared network access to files.

Is it possible to encrypt data at rest in Azure File Storage?

Yes, Azure File Storage supports encryption of data at rest. This encryption doesn’t require any action from the user – it’s managed entirely by Azure.