NFS mount in a standalone server VS Azure File Share (AFS)

Question

NFS mount in a standalone server VS Azure File Share (AFS)

Mithran 20

Dear Team,

We are running SAP Application with a cluster setup having 2 NFS Servers with a cluster setup maintained with DRBD Sync, we would like to change to AFS which is Azure File Share.

What are the Pros in shifting to AFS?
Incase If we shift to AFS, NFS server which we currently have 2 servers can that be decommissioned ? Do AFS require any separate servers ?

Kindly suggest

Thanks & Regards,

Mithran

deherman-MSFT 38,021 Reputation points Microsoft Employee Moderator

2023-06-06T14:35:18.8+00:00

@Mithran

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deherman-MSFT 38,021 Reputation points Microsoft Employee Moderator

2023-06-06T14:35:18.8+00:00

@Mithran

If you still have questions, please let us know in the "comments" and we would be happy to help you. Comment is the fastest way of notifying the experts.

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Answer 1

Thank you for asking this question on the Microsoft Q&A Platform.

What are the Pros in shifting to AFS?

According to the documentation these are some key benefits:

Easy to use. When an Azure file share is mounted on your computer, you don't need to do anything special to access the data: just navigate to the path where the file share is mounted and open/modify a file.
Shared access. Azure file shares support the industry standard SMB and NFS protocols, meaning you can seamlessly replace your on-premises file shares with Azure file shares without worrying about application compatibility. Being able to share a file system across multiple machines, applications, and application instances is a significant advantage for applications that need shareability.
Fully managed. Azure file shares can be created without the need to manage hardware or an OS. This means you don't have to deal with patching the server OS with critical security upgrades or replacing faulty hard disks.
Scripting and tooling. PowerShell cmdlets and Azure CLI can be used to create, mount, and manage Azure file shares as part of the administration of Azure applications. You can create and manage Azure file shares using Azure portal and Azure Storage Explorer.
Resiliency. Azure Files has been built from the ground up to be always available. Replacing on-premises file shares with Azure Files means you no longer have to wake up to deal with local power outages or network issues.
Familiar programmability. Applications running in Azure can access data in the share via file system I/O APIs. Developers can therefore leverage their existing code and skills to migrate existing applications. In addition to System IO APIs, you can use Azure Storage Client Libraries or the Azure Files REST API.

More info: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/files/storage-files-introduction#key-benefits

Incase If we shift to AFS, NFS server which we currently have 2 servers can that be decommissioned ?

Yes.

Do AFS require any separate servers ?

AFS doesn't use a server, AFES is a service in Azure. However, to work with identity-based authentication for Windows file shares over Server Message Block (SMB), you will need to "join to domain" your Azure File (More info: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/files/storage-files-identity-auth-active-directory-enable)

Hope this helps!

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Mithran 20 Reputation points

2023-06-01T14:16:12.5266667+00:00

Hi Carlos Solís Salazar,
Thank you for the response.

NFS Servers which we use is of Linux - Suse OS. Pacemaker Cluster is configured.

In above case since cluster is there incase one goes down secondary server becomes primary and is accessible.

IN AFS case there are no servers and only our required folders or mount points for Linux is being shared.

we will not be facing any downtime or any restarts or any reboot right ?

In our case for migrating to AFS what are the options ? like is it possible to copy the required folders or files ?

Thanks & Regards,
Mithran
Carlos Solís Salazar 18,196 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2023-06-02T11:38:18.23+00:00

we will not be facing any downtime or any restarts or any reboot right ?

The SLA for Azure Files is at least 99.99%, for requests to read data from Read Access-Geo Redundant Storage (RA-GRS)
More Info: https://www.azure.cn/en-us/support/sla/storage/

AFS is a service, so there is no rebooting.

In our case for migrating to AFS what are the options ? like is it possible to copy the required folders or files ?

You can use AzCopy to move, copy or sync your directories and files, keeping their file structure.

Also, you can use Storage Migration Service

Considering this architecture... Hope this helps!

Accept Answer and Upvote, if any of the above helped, this thread can help others in the community looking for remediation for similar issues.

NOTE: To answer you as quickly as possible, please mention me in your reply.
Mithran 20 Reputation points

2023-06-06T15:31:44.0766667+00:00

Hi Carlos Solís Salazar,

Thanks a lot for the responding my query. Your answer has cleared my query and have given more information on the same.

Once again thanks a lot.

One last query how the costing works for AFS is it based on the size of the Folders/Files ? for example if i have a shared mount points like 3 mount points each having 50GB how the costing works for that ?

Thanks & Regards,
Mithran
Carlos Solís Salazar 18,196 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2023-06-07T12:08:10.1233333+00:00

the cost is related to the total size of all your folder/files.
Mithran 20 Reputation points

2023-07-17T13:30:11.86+00:00

Hi Carlos Solís Salazar,
Thanks a lot for responding my queries.

For AFS migration any downtime required? Since I will be migrating the folders and files that are related to SAP Services.

Do I need to stop SAP Services and then proceed?

Do I need to stop SAP Services and then proceed?

Thanks & Regards,

Mithran

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NFS mount in a standalone server VS Azure File Share (AFS)

What are the Pros in shifting to AFS?

Incase If we shift to AFS, NFS server which we currently have 2 servers can that be decommissioned ?

Do AFS require any separate servers ?

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