Azure File sync -Hybrid

Question

Hello

I have file server 2016 and i want to have Azure file sync to extend my storage to Azure storage .

My file server has total 5 TB and i have 4 TB is usable but i have new requirement to extend my storage , we will have 18 TB of data should be extended to Azure storage through azure file sync .

what are the steps to upload these 18 TB to my Azure file storage although my On-Prmise file server has 5 TB only total size?
Do i need to have Azure site to Site VPN gareway?
what is theAzure backup solution shall i enable it to backup my Azure files ?
what is the best optimization for Hot and cold tiering?

I need to have the best performance access to my shared files so i will go with Azure files sync with hybrid scenario

Answer 1

@Moonlight
Firstly I recommend reading through Planning for an Azure File Sync deployment and Deploy Azure File Sync which should cover the majority of these questions and many others you might have.

1. If you don't have extra storage for initial onboarding and would like to attach to the existing shares, you can pre-seed the data in the Azure files shares over SMB or with AzCopy. This approach is suggested, if and only if you can accept downtime and absolutely guarantee no data changes on the server shares during the initial onboarding process. Another option is using Azure DataBox to migrate the files offline.
2. This is not required. The Azure File Sync agent communicates with your Storage Sync Service and Azure file share using the Azure File Sync REST protocol and the FileREST protocol, both of which always use HTTPS over port 443. For more info refer to Azure File Sync networking considerations.
3. To protect the data in your Azure file shares against data loss or corruption, all Azure file shares store multiple copies of each file as they are written. Depending on the requirements of your workload, you can select additional degrees of redundancy. If you wish to backup Azure files you can use Azure file share backup.
   4. I would recommend starting with a hot tier and if necessary you can switch to transaction optimized or cool tier if necessary. See Storage tiers section for more information.

Hopefully this response and the linked articles answer all your questions. If you have further questions or issues please let us know.

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