Setting up a file server in Azure and mapping the network

Question

How can I set up a file server in Azure and then map the network to access it from my local machine? I would appreciate any guidance or instructions on how to achieve this. Thank you.

Answer 1

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

This is article contains complete details for mounting Azure File Share: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/files/storage-files-quick-create-use-windows

Mount SMB Azure file share on Windows : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/files/storage-how-to-use-files-windows ( This article provides information and details which OS is supported and Mounting option on Windows)

There is video which provide detailed steps for mounting Azure File Share :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmRZi9iGsK0

To set up a file server in Azure and map the network drive to access it from your local machine, you can follow these general steps:

Create a Virtual Machine (VM) in Azure:

• Log in to your Azure portal (https://portal.azure.com).
• Click on "Create a resource" > "Compute" > "Virtual machine".
• Configure the VM settings, including the operating system, size, networking, and authentication.
• Make sure to open necessary ports for file sharing (e.g., SMB for Windows file sharing).
• Create the VM and wait for it to be provisioned.

Configure File Sharing on the Azure VM:

• Log in to your Azure VM using Remote Desktop or SSH, depending on the operating system.
• Set up file sharing protocols like SMB (Server Message Block) for Windows or NFS (Network File System) for Linux.
• Create shared folders and set appropriate permissions for access.
• Note down the IP address or hostname of the Azure VM.

Map Network Drive on Your Local Machine:

• On your local machine (Windows), open File Explorer.
• Click on "This PC" or "Computer" in the left navigation pane.
• Click on "Computer" > "Map network drive" in the top menu.
• Choose a drive letter and enter the path to the shared folder on the Azure VM (e.g., \\<VM_IP>\SharedFolder).
• Check the box for "Reconnect at sign-in" if you want the drive to be available after each reboot.
• Click "Finish" to map the network drive.

Provide Credentials:

• When prompted, enter the credentials for the Azure VM. This could be the username and password you set during VM creation.
• You may choose to save the credentials if you want to avoid entering them each time.

Access Files on the Network Drive:

• Once the drive is mapped, you can access files on the Azure VM just like any other local drive on your computer.

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

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Answer 2

This tutorial shows the steps required to setup Azure Files as mountable/mappable storage for an Azure Virtual Machine. Simply skip the two steps that talk about creating to, and connecting to the VM and you'll find that it shows everything you need to connect from your local windows machine.

1. Create storage account
2. Create file share
3. Map the file share from your local desktop