In June, 2019, Microsoft Azure announced that the premium tier of Azure Files Storage is generally available for Azure cloud storage users. This brings high performance and fully managed file service to more organizations.
Companies requiring a high level of performance with low latency can benefit from this tier. This article covers an overview of Azure Files Storage and the benefits of optimizing file shares to Premium files.
Azure Files Storage Overview
Azure Files Storage is a cloud storage service provided by Microsoft. This managed service uses the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol to enable mounting file shares across environments. This service supports cross-platform service in Windows, Linux, and Mac machines.
Azure Files are fully managed, which means that disks are created and managed for you. The service offers two types of disks, standard and premium. Standard disks store the data in hard disk drives, whereas Premium disks store the data in Solid State Disks. This premium tier was recently made generally available. That means that anyone with an Azure subscription can leverage the extra features of the Premium tier.
To start using Azure File Storage you first need to create an Azure Storage account with the main file share which is a straightforward process. In the Azure portal, you select storage accounts and the “Add” option.
You’ll be directed to an easy form where you fill in basic details such as the name of the account, the deployment model and your choice on performance, standard or premium. The cost of your service will depend on the choices you make here. You can choose how redundant you want your data to be and the location of your data.
Create a file share is pretty easy, you just select the option in the file service screen and input the name of the file. You also have to input the storage quota you want the file share to have, with a minimum of 1GB and a maximum of 5 TB.
Key Features
- Encryption-the data is encrypted at rest and in transit. Encrypting data means to scramble it in a way that is not readable without an encryption key or password.
- Fully managed-you can deploy file shares and the service manages them for you.
- Supports hybrid environments-you can use Azure Sync to share files from on-premise to cloud environments.
- Cross-platform-it supports all major operating systems such as Mac, Linux, and Windows.
- Supports cloud migration-you can easily migrate on-premises data to Azure Files using the AzCopy tool. Users running a File server on Azure Virtual Machines (VM) can migrate data just by mounting the share on the VM. You can then copy the data using the robocopy utility.
Azure File Storage is a good fit for lift and ship applications to the cloud. It simplifies cloud development by making sharing applications and data easily across environments. You can use File Storage as a file server, supplementing on-premises or replacing them with a cloud-based server.
Standard tier
Standard File Share Storage provides enough resources for a wide range of workloads. General-purpose file storage and development operations can benefit from this tier.
- File size-The standard performance doesn’t have a minimum size of a file share, while the maximum file size is up to 5 TiB. Some regions have a maximum of 100 TiB
- IOPS per share-the maximum IOPs per-share is 1,000 IOPS. Some regions have a maximum of 10,000 IOPS.
- Throughput per file share– up to 60 MiB/sec.
Azure Premium Files Overview
This premium tier is geared to organizations that require a resource-intense performance and large throughput. Unlike standard storage, you can provision capacity for Premium Files. This enables you to scale workloads while keeping low latency. With the premium features made generally available, you can enjoy the following key features:
- File size-100 GiB, provisioned.
- IOPS per share-the maximum IOPS per share is 100,000 IOPS.
- Throughput per file share-4,136 MiB/s Ingress, 6,204 MiB/s Egress.
- Burst mode-the term refers to a transmission mode at high-speed. Burst mode facilitates the temporary transfer of data at maximum throughput. In Azure, any IOs unused get stored in a burst credit storage bucket. This enables shares to burst in the event of an unexpectedly high workload. Burst mode makes Premium Files storage a good fit for organizations with variable workloads and periods of intense throughput.
- Zone redundant storage (ZRS)–zone redundant storage, now available for Premium tier, copies the data, storing it in three different Availability Zones. Premium tier offers also locally redundant storage (LRS) which copies the data in a single region.
Which Workloads Can Benefit from Upgrading to Premium File Storage?
The goal of Premium storage is to deliver consistency for workloads that are highly variable and have a large throughput. Features such as storing in solid-state drives and the full management of file services, make the premium tier a good choice for large workloads such as databases, and content repositories.
Here are the most common use cases for Premium Files:
- Large datasets-Organizations managing large datasets, such as healthcare organizations, require fast upload and downloads across environments.
- Enterprise applications-performance-sensitive workloads such as enterprise applications can also benefit from the high I/O speed of Azure File Storage. This can help reduce the run time.
- Containerization and microservices-the instant scalability enables container workloads to easily adjust the file share to the workload. You can scale up your database storage in a jiffy.
The Bottom Line
Development companies can leverage the high IOPS and the stability provided by the burst credit storage. The general availability of this extra features makes premium features accessible for companies, enabling them to enjoy high performance and availability.
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About the Author
Gilad David Maayan is a technology writer who has worked with over 150 technology companies including SAP, Samsung NEXT, NetApp and Imperva, producing technical and thought leadership content that elucidates technical solutions for developers and IT leadership.
