3.1.3. Manage Azure File Shares

💡 First Principle: Azure File Shares provide a fully managed, cloud-based file storage service that integrates seamlessly with existing applications via standard protocols, enabling organizations to centralize file data while maintaining familiar access patterns and enabling hybrid scenarios.

Scenario: You need to migrate shared user files from an on-premises file server to Azure, allowing users to continue accessing them via network drive mappings while centralizing data in the cloud.

This task delves into the practical application of managing Azure file shares. You'll explore how to:

• Create and Configure Azure File Shares: Set up file shares with appropriate performance, redundancy, and access protocols.
• Configure Azure File Sync: Extend on-premises file server capabilities to the cloud, enabling hybrid file services.

Mastering these concepts is crucial for the AZ-104 exam, as it assesses your ability to implement and manage file-based storage solutions.

⚠️ Common Pitfall: Using Azure Files for workloads that require extremely low latency and high IOPS, like a transactional database. While versatile, Azure Files is optimized for shared file access, not for the performance characteristics of a block storage device.

Key Trade-Offs:

• Cloud-Native Access (Direct Mount) vs. Hybrid Access (File Sync): Directly mounting an Azure File share is simpler for cloud-only workloads. Azure File Sync adds complexity but is essential for hybrid scenarios requiring local caching and performance.

Reflection Question: How do Azure File Shares and Azure File Sync collectively address the challenges of migrating on-premises file data to the cloud, balancing centralized storage with local access performance and familiarity?