Inherited an Azure File Sync Azure File Share environment

Question

Greetings,

Azure File sync was setup previously to me joining the org. We have six on prem servers syncing via Azure File Sync. Two of them are setup to sync to two different storage groups with slightly different parameters. The two that I would like to preserve, are syncing their volume. Then they both have another Sync setup via a folder on that volume. How can I safely unwind that second sync?

Also I have read of a scenario where both the Azure File Share and the on prem share can be active active. However I have also read that doing so by pointing users to the UNC path of the Azure file instance is not recommended due to the sync only happening once per day. What is the method for having this active active file share envrironment so that the users at the site where the on prem share exists can use that share, and the cloud or remote users can use the Azure File Share? Mounting the Azure file share on an Azure VM and then sharing that?

Thank you!

Answer 1

@sjmpls Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum, Thank you for posting your query here!

To safely unwind the second sync, you will need to follow these steps:

1. Remove the folder from the sync group: In the Azure portal, navigate to the sync group that contains the folder you want to remove. Select the "Cloud endpoints" tab, and then select the cloud endpoint that corresponds to the folder In the "Server endpoints" tab, select the server endpoint that corresponds to the folder. Click "Remove" to remove the server endpoint from the sync group
2. Delete the server endpoint: In the Azure portal, navigate to the Storage Sync Service that contains the server endpoint you want to delete. Select the "Server endpoints" tab, and then select the server endpoint you want to delete. Click "Delete" to delete the server endpoint.
3. Remove the folder from the local server: On the local server, navigate to the folder you want to remove. Right-click the folder, and then select "Properties". In the "General" tab, click "Advanced". In the "Advanced Attributes" dialog box, clear the "Enable file share publishing" check box, and then click "OK".

Unwinding the Second Sync: Prepare Backup: Before making any changes, ensure you have a reliable backup of your data in case anything goes wrong.

• Disable Sync: On the two servers that have the secondary sync, you can disable the sync on the specific folders you want to remove. This can be done from the "Azure File Sync" tool in Control Panel on Windows servers.
• Remove Second Sync: After disabling the sync for the secondary folders, allow some time for the changes to propagate and be reflected in Azure. Then, you can safely remove the second sync configuration from these servers.
• Monitor and Validate: Monitor the servers and the Azure portal to ensure that the changes are as expected and that your primary sync is functioning correctly.

Regarding your second question, Azure File Sync does not support active-active replication between an on-premises file share and an Azure file share. However, you can use Azure File Sync to replicate the on-premises file share to an Azure file share, and then use Azure File Sync to replicate the Azure file share to another on-premises file share. This will give you an active-active replication scenario, but with a delay of up to 24 hours due to the sync frequency.

Alternatively, you can mount the Azure file share on an Azure VM and then share that VM with your users. This will give you an active-active file share environment, but with the added complexity of managing an additional VM.

Azure File Sync (AFS) with Azure File Share: This involves continuing to use Azure File Sync for your on-premises servers. Users at the on-premises site can access the local file share, and Azure File Sync will keep it in sync with the Azure File Share. Remote users can access the Azure File Share directly. While you're correct that Azure File Sync syncs once per day by default, you can configure it to sync more frequently (up to once every 5 minutes) if needed.

1. Azure VM as a Gateway: As you mentioned, you can set up an Azure VM to act as a gateway. Mount the Azure File Share on the Azure VM, and then share it to remote users. This way, remote users access the Azure VM, and the Azure File Share remains the single source of truth. However, this approach introduces an additional layer of complexity and management.
2. Azure File Share and DFS-N: You can use Distributed File System Namespace (DFS-N) to create a unified namespace that points to both the on-premises file share and the Azure File Share. Users would access the DFS-N path, and depending on

Reference links :

• Planning for an Azure File Sync deployment
• Deprovision or delete your Azure File Sync server endpoint
• How to manage tiered files
• Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about Azure Files

Please let us know if you have any further queries. I’m happy to assist you further.

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