Lab: Implementing Azure File Sync

Scenario

To address concerns regarding Distributed File System (DFS) Replication between Contoso’s London headquarters and its Seattle–based branch office, you decide to test Azure File Sync as an alternative replication mechanism between two on-premises file shares.

Note: An interactive lab simulation is available that allows you to click through this lab at your own pace. You may find slight differences between the interactive simulation and the hosted lab, but the core concepts and ideas being demonstrated are the same.

Objectives

After completing this lab, you’ll be able to:

  • Implement DFS Replication in your on-premises environment.
  • Create and configure a sync group.
  • Replace DFS Replication with Azure File Sync-based replication.
  • Verify replication and enable cloud tiering.
  • Troubleshoot replication conflicts.

Estimated time: 60 minutes

Lab setup

Virtual machines: AZ-800T00A-SEA-DC1, AZ-800T00A-SEA-SVR1, AZ-800T00A-SEA-SVR2, and AZ-800T00A-ADM1 must be running.

Note: AZ-800T00A-SEA-DC1, AZ-800T00A-SEA-SVR1, AZ-800T00A-SEA-SVR2, and AZ-800T00A-SEA-ADM1 virtual machines are hosting the installation of SEA-DC1, SEA-SVR1, SEA-SVR2, and SEA-ADM1, respectively.

  1. Select SEA-ADM1.

  2. Sign in using the following credentials:

    • Username: Administrator
    • Password: Pa55w.rd
    • Domain: CONTOSO

For this lab, you’ll use the available VM environment and an Azure subscription. Before you begin the lab, ensure that you have an Azure subscription and a user account with the Owner or Contributor role in that subscription.

Exercise 1: Implementing DFS Replication in your on-premises environment

Scenario

Exercise scenario: Before you start testing an on-premises DFS Replication migration, you first need to implement DFS Replication in your proof-of-concept environment on SEA-SVR1 and SEA-SVR2.

The main tasks for this exercise are:

  1. Deploy DFS.
  2. Test DFS deployment.

Task 1: Deploy DFS

  1. On SEA-ADM1, start Windows PowerShell as Administrator and install Distributed File System (DFS) management tools by running the following command:

    Install-WindowsFeature -Name RSAT-DFS-Mgmt-Con -IncludeManagementTools
  2. On SEA-ADM1, open File Explorer, browse to the C:\Labfiles\Lab10 folder, and open L10-DeployDFS.ps1 in the script pane of a new Windows PowerShell ISE window.
  3. In the script pane, review the script and then execute it to create a sample DFS namespace and a DFS replication group.

Task 2: Test DFS deployment

  1. On SEA-ADM1, start the DFS Management console and add to it both the \\Contoso.com\Root\ namespace and the Branch1 replication group you created in the previous task.
  2. Verify that the \\Contoso.com\Root\Data folder has targets on SEA-SVR1 and SEA-SVR2. Note the folders configured as the targets.
  3. Verify that the Branch1 replication group has two members, SEA-SVR1 and SEA-SVR2. Note the folders replicated on each server.
  4. Open two instances of File Explorer. In the first instance, connect to \\SEA-SVR1\Data, and then in the second instance, connect to \\SEA-SVR2\Data.

  5. Create a new file with your name in \\SEA-SVR1\Data, and then confirm that the file replicates to \\SEA-SVR2\Data after a few seconds. This confirms that DFS Replication is working.

    Note: Wait until the files are replicated and both File Explorer windows record the same content.

Results

After completing this exercise, you’ll have created a working DFS infrastructure. This includes DFS Replication, which replicates content between SEA-SVR1 and SEA-SVR2.

Exercise 2: Creating and configuring a sync group

Scenario

To prepare for migrating the DFS Replication environment to File Sync, you must first create and configure a File Sync group.

The main tasks for this exercise are:

  1. Create an Azure file share.
  2. Use an Azure file share.
  3. Deploy Storage Sync Service and a File Sync group.

Task 1: Create an Azure file share

  1. On SEA-ADM1, start Microsoft Edge, browse to the Azure portal, and then authenticate with your Azure credentials.

  2. In the Azure portal, create an Azure storage account with Locally-redundant storage (LRS) in a resource group named AZ800-L1001-RG.

    Note: Use the same region for deploying all Azure resources in this lab.

  3. In the storage account, create a file share named share1.

Task 2: Use an Azure file share

  1. On SEA-ADM1, upload the C:\Labfiles\Lab10\File1.txt file to share1.
  2. In the Azure portal, create a snapshot of share1.
  3. On SEA-ADM1, mount share1 as the drive Z by using the connection script that the Azure portal provides.
  4. In File Explorer, on the mounted drive, open the file named File1.txt, enter your name, and then save the file.
  5. Use Previous Versions in File Explorer to restore the previous version of File1.txt.
  6. Open File1.txt, and then verify that it doesn’t include your name.

Task 3: Deploy Storage Sync Service and a File Sync group

  1. On SEA-ADM1, use the Azure portal to create an Azure File Sync resource named FileSync1. Use the same region and Resource Group as you used when deploying the storage account.

    Note: Deploying File Sync creates a Storage Sync Service resource.

  2. Create a sync group named Sync1 in the FileSync1 Storage Sync Service. Use the storage account that you created earlier and share1 as the Azure file share when creating Sync1.
  3. Verify that no server is currently registered with FileSync1.

Results

After completing this exercise, you will have created a File Sync group. You also have created the cloud endpoint mapped on SEA-ADM1 so that you can inspect the Azure file share content.

Exercise 3: Replacing DFS Replication with File Sync-based replication

Scenario

Now that you have all the necessary components in place, it’s time to replace DFS Replication with File Sync-based replication.

The main tasks for this exercise are:

  1. Add SEA-SVR1 as a server endpoint.
  2. Register SEA-SVR2 with File Sync.
  3. Remove DFS Replication and add SEA-SVR2 as a server endpoint.

Task 1: Add SEA-SVR1 as a server endpoint

  1. On SEA-ADM1, in the Azure portal, download the File Sync agent for Windows Server 2022 (StorageSyncAgent_WS2022.msi), and then save it to the C:\\Labfiles\Lab10 folder.
  2. On SEA-ADM1, in File Explorer, browse to the C:\Labfiles\Lab10 folder, and open Install-FileSyncServerCore.ps1 in the script pane of the Windows PowerShell ISE window.
  3. In the Windows PowerShell ISE script pane, review the script, and then execute it to install the File Sync agent on SEA-SVR1.
  4. When prompted, authenticate to your Azure subscription.
  5. In the Azure portal, refresh the registered servers in the FileSync1 Storage Sync Service, and then point out that SEA-SVR1.Contoso.com is now registered.
  6. In File Explorer, open \\SEA-SVR1\Data, and then point out that the folder doesn’t contain File1.txt.
  7. Use the Azure portal to add S:\Data on SEA-SVR2.Contoso.com as a server endpoint to Sync1.

  8. Use File Explorer to verify that File1.txt is available on \\SEA-SVR1\Data\.

    Note: You uploaded File1.txt to the File1.txtAzure file share, from where it was synced to SEA-SVR2 by File Sync.

Task 2: Register SEA-SVR2 with File Sync

  1. On SEA-ADM1, in the Windows PowerShell ISE window displaying the Install-FileSyncServerCore.ps1 script, replace SEA-SVR1 with SEA-SVR2, and then save the change.
  2. Run C:\Labfiles\Lab10\Install-FileSyncServerCore.ps1 to install the File Sync agent on SEA-SVR2.
  3. When prompted, authenticate to your Azure subscription.
  4. Use the Azure portal to verify that SEA-SVR2.Contoso.com and SEA-SVR1.Contoso.com are registered with the FileSync1 Storage Sync Service.

Task 3: Remove DFS Replication and add SEA-SVR2 as a server endpoint

  1. On SEA-ADM1, use DFS Management to delete the Branch1 replication group.
  2. Use the Azure portal to add S:\Data on SEA-SVR2.Contoso.com as a server endpoint to Sync1.

Results

After completing this exercise, you’ll have replaced DFS Replication with File Sync.

Exercise 4: Verifying replication and enabling cloud tiering

Scenario

Exercise scenario: You now need to verify that you have successfully replaced DFS Replication with File Sync, and after confirming this, you need to enable cloud tiering.

The main tasks for this exercise are:

  1. Verify File Sync.
  2. Enable cloud tiering.

Task 1: Verify File Sync

  1. On SEA-ADM1, use two instances of File Explorer to display the content of \\SEA-SVR1\Data and \\SEA-SVR2\Data.
  2. Create a file with an arbitrary name in the \\SEA-SVR1\Data folder.

  3. Verify that shortly afterwards the file with the same name appears in the \\SEA-SVR2\Data folder.

    Note You removed DFS Replication in the previous exercise, which means that File Sync replicated the newly created file.

Task 2: Enable cloud tiering

  1. On SEA-ADM1, use the Azure portal to browse to the Sync1 sync group in the FileSync1 Storage Sync Service.
  2. In the Azure portal, enable cloud tiering for the SEA-SVR1.Contoso.com endpoint in Sync1. Set the free disk space policy to 80 percent and the date policy to cache files that were accessed in the last 7 days.

  3. In the File Explorer instance that’s connected to the \\SEA-SVR1\Data folder, in the details pane, add the Attributes column by right-clicking or accessing the context menu for the Title column; for example, in the Name column, select More, and then select Attributes.

    Note: After some time, files on SEA-SVR2 would be automatically tiered. You will trigger this process by using PowerShell.

  4. On SEA-ADM1, in Windows PowerShell ISE, from the console pane, trigger tiering immediately by running the following commands:

    Enter-PSSession -computername SEA-SVR2
fsutil file createnew S:\Data\report1.docx 254321098
fsutil file createnew S:\Data\report2.docx 254321098
fsutil file createnew S:\Data\report3.docx 254321098
fsutil file createnew S:\Data\report4.docx 254321098
Import-Module "C:\Program Files\Azure\StorageSyncAgent\StorageSync.Management.ServerCmdlets.dll"
Invoke-StorageSyncCloudTiering -Path S:\Data
  5. On SEA-ADM1, switch to File Explorer, and then, on the \\SEA-SVR2\Data share, identify files with the attribute L, M, and O (which indicate that the tiering took place).

Results

After completing this exercise, you’ll have created a working File Sync replication and a configured cloud tiering.

Exercise 5: Troubleshooting replication issues

Scenario

Exercise scenario: Contoso relies heavily on its DFS Replication implementation. You must ensure that any replication issues, including replication conflicts, can be quickly identified and resolved. To do so, you’ll simulate the most common replication issues in your proof-of-concept environment and test their resolutions.

The main tasks for this exercise are:

  1. Monitor File Sync replication.
  2. Test replication conflict resolution.

Task 1: Monitor File Sync replication

  1. On SEA-ADM1, use File Explorer to copy the C:\Windows\INF folder to \\SEA-SVR1\Data\. The folder will sync to the cloud endpoint, causing sync traffic.
  2. In the Azure portal, browse to the Sync1 sync group in the FileSync1 Storage Sync Service.
  3. In the Server endpoint section, verify Health of both endpoints.
  4. Select the SEA-SVR1.Contoso.com endpoint, and then, in the Server Endpoint Properties pane, review Sync Activity.
  5. Select the Files Synced graph and explore how you can customize the graph by using a filter.
  6. Verify if the INF folder is syncing to drive Z.

  7. In the Azure portal, verify that the INF sync traffic is reflected in the Files Synced and Bytes Synced graphs. The INF folder has more than 800 files, and its size is more than 40 megabytes (MB).

    Note: You might need to refresh the page displaying the Azure portal to see the updated statistics.

Task 2: Test replication conflict resolution

  1. On SEA-ADM1, position the File Explorer windows displaying the content of \\SEA-SVR1\Data\ and \\SEA-SVR2\Data\ side-by-side.
  2. In the File Explorer window displaying the content of \\SEA-SVR1\Data\, create a file named Demo.txt.
  3. In the File Explorer window displaying the content of \\SEA-SVR2\Data\, create a file named Demo.txt.
  4. Add an arbitrary text to the first Demo.txt file and save the change.

  5. Immediately afterwards, add an arbitrary text (different from the one you used in the previous step) to the second Demo.txt file and save the change.

    Note: Make sure to save the change to the second file as soon as possible. You’re creating files with the same name but different content to intentionally trigger a sync conflict.

  6. In each File Explorer window, review their content and verify they contain, in addition to the Demo.txt file, the Demo-SEA-SVR2.txt file (and potentially Demo-Cloud.txt) also.

    Note: This is because File Sync detected a sync conflict and added a suffix representing the endpoint name (SEA-SVR2) or Cloud to the file that caused the conflict.

Results

After completing this exercise, you’ll have monitored File Sync replication and resolved replication conflicts.

Exercise 6: Cleaning up the Azure subscription

Exercise scenario: To minimize Azure-related charges, you will clean up the Azure subscription.

Task 1: Delete the Azure resources that were created in the lab

  1. On SEA-ADM1, use the Azure portal to browse to the FileSync1 Storage Sync Service page.
  2. Remove SEA-SVR1.Contoso.com and SEA-SVR2.Contoso.com as registered servers.
  3. Delete the share1 cloud endpoint in the Sync1 sync group.
  4. Delete the Sync1 sync group.
  5. Delete the FileSync1 Storage Sync Service and the Azure storage account that you created in the lab.
  6. Delete the AZ800-L1001-RG resource group.

Results

After completing this exercise, you’ll have cleaned up the Azure resources that were created in the lab.