We still run our businesses on files. How is Microsoft upgrading Windows Server to use files in a hybrid world?
We do a lot with servers today -- much more than the age-old file and print services that once formed the backbone of business. Now servers run line-of-business applications, host virtual machines, support collaboration, provide telephony services, manage internet presence. It's a list that goes on and on -- and too often we forget that they're still managing and hosting files.
There are occasional reminders of Windows as a file server, with Microsoft finally deprecating the aging SMB 1 file protocol, turning it off in Windows 10. It was a change that forced system administrators to confront insecure connections and the applications that were still using them. There's an added problem: many legacy file servers are still running the now unsupported Windows Server 2008R2.
Microsoft hasn't forgotten the Windows File Server and the services that support it. There's still a lot of work going into the platform, using it as a bridge between on-premise storage and the growing importance of cloud-scale storage in platforms like Azure. New hardware is having an effect, with technologies like Optane blurring the distinction between storage and memory and providing a new fast layer of storage that outperforms flash.
As much as organizations use tools like Teams and Slack, and host documents in services like SharePoint and OneDrive, we still run our businesses on files. We might not be using a common shared drive for all those files anymore, but we're still using those files and we still need servers to help manage them. Windows Server's recent updates have added features intended to help modernize your storage systems, building on key technologies including Storage Replica and new tools to build and run scale-out file servers.
Much of Microsoft's thinking around modern file systems is focused on hybrid storage scenarios, bridging on-premise and cloud services. It's a pragmatic choice: on-premise storage can benefit from cloud lessons, while techniques developed for new storage hardware on-premise can be used in the cloud as new hardware rolls out. That leads to a simple process for modernizing file systems, giving you a set of steps to follow when updating Windows Server and rolling out new storage hardware. In a presentation at Ignite 2019, Ned Pyle, principal program manager on the Windows Server team, breaks it down into four steps: Learn/Inventory, Migrate/Deploy, Secure, and Future.
You can manage multiple server migrations (to newer hardware or VMs) from the Windows Admin Centre interface.
Image: Microsoft
The latest version of SMB, SMB 3.1.1adds new security features to reduce the risks to your files. It improves encryption and adds protection from man-in-the-middle attacks. It's a good idea to migrate much of your file system traffic over to it, removing NTLM and SMB 1 from your network.
You shouldn't forget Microsoft's alternate file system technology ReFS. Offering up to 4TB files, it can use its integrity stream option to validate data integrity, as well as supporting file-system level data deduplication. You can get a significant data saving with ReFS as part of Windows Server's Storage Spaces.
Microsoft now offers a Storage Migration Service to help manage server upgrades. As well as supporting migrations from on-premise to Azure, it can help bring files from older Windows Server versions to Windows Server 2019 and its newer file system tools and services. It will map storage networks, copy data, ensure file security and validity, before obfuscating old endpoints and cutting over to the new.
Part of the future for Windows Server's file protocols is an implementation of SMB over the QUIC protocol, using UDP. It's designed to be spoofing resistant, using TLS 1.3 over port 443. Microsoft is working on adding SMB compression to file traffic, reducing payload size and offering improved performance in congested networks and over low-bandwidth connections.
One option for building a hybrid file system is using Azure Files. On-premise systems can use VPN connections with either NFS or SMB 3.0 connections to Azure to work with what looks like a familiar share, except that it's hosted on Azure. If you're not using a VPN you still have secure connectivity options, with SMB 3.0 over port 445 or using the Azure File Sync REST API over SSL. All you need is the Windows network name of the share, using it the same way you'd use any Windows Server share locally.
Those Azure file shares aren't only for on-premise data; they're accessible using the same protocols inside Azure. With data now a hybrid resource, you can use Azure for scalable compute and analytics, or for gathering and sharing IoT analytics with on-premise applications, or as a disaster recovery location that's accessible from anywhere in the world. There's no change to your servers, or the way you work, only to where that data is stored. With Azure storage able to take advantage of its economies of scale, you can expand those shares as needed, without having to invest in physical storage infrastructure.
SEE:Windows 10: A cheat sheet(TechRepublic)
There's certainly a lot of capacity in Azure file shares: over 100TB of storage per share, with 10,000 IOPS in standard drives (which can be 10 times faster if you pay for premium services). There's support for Azure Active Directory, so you can apply the same access control rules as in your on-premise systems. Ignite 2019 saw Microsoft add support for NFS shares, as well as increasing the maximum file size to 4TB, and adding support for Azure Backup. To simplify things further, Azure File Shares can be managed through Windows Admin Center.
Perhaps the most important recent change is the shift to workload-optimized service tiers. By picking a plan that's closest to your needs you can be sure that you're not paying for features you don't want. At one end of the scale is high I/O and throughput, with Premium storage on SSDs, while at the other archival storage on Cool disks with slow startup times keeps costs to a minimum.
Users will be able to access these Azure-hosted file shares as if they're a Windows Server file share, allowing you to begin phasing out local file servers and reduce the size of the attack surface on your local systems. Attackers will not be able to use the file system as a route into line-of-business servers, or as a vector for privilege escalation. Domain-joined Azure file shares will be accessible via SMB 3.0 over VPN connections or via ExpressRoute high-speed dedicated links to Azure.
A modern file server architecture will mix on-premise and cloud. Tiering to Azure makes sense, as it gives you business continuity as well as providing an extensible file system that no longer depends on having physical hardware in your data center. You're not constrained by space or power and can take advantage of it when it's needed.
Similarly, moving traffic to SMB 3.1.1 and using Windows Admin Center will improve performance and give you a future-proof management console that will work for both on-premise and in-cloud storage resources. Putting it all together, Microsoft is delivering a hybrid filesystem solution that you really should be investigating.
Be your company's Microsoft insider with the help of these Windows and Office tutorials and our experts' analyses of Microsoft's enterprise products. Delivered Mondays and Wednesdays
Read more:
Windows Server and the future of file servers in the cloud computing world - TechRepublic
- Setting up a Virtual Server on Ninefold - Video [Last Updated On: February 26th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 26th, 2012]
- ScaleXtreme Automates Cloud-Based Patch Management For Virtual, Physical Servers [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2012]
- Secure Cloud Computing Software manages IT resources. [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2012]
- Dell unveils new servers, says not a PC company [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2012]
- Wyse to Launch Client Infrastructure Management Software as a Service, Enabling Simple and Secure Management of Any ... [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2012]
- As the App Culture Builds, Dell Accelerates its Shift to Services with New Line of Servers, Flash Capabilities [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2012]
- Terraria - Cloud In A Ballon - Video [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2012]
- Ethernet Alliance Interoperability Demo Showcases High-Speed Cloud Connections [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2012]
- RSA and Zscaler Teaming Up to Deliver Trusted Access for Cloud Computing [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2012]
- [NEC Report from MWC2012] NEC-Cloud-Marketplace - Video [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2012]
- IBM SmartCloud Virtualized Server Recovery - Video [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2012]
- BeyondTrust Launches PowerBroker Servers Windows Edition [Last Updated On: February 29th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 29th, 2012]
- Ericsson joins OpenStack cloud infrastructure community [Last Updated On: February 29th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 29th, 2012]
- ScaleXtreme Cloud-Based Patch Management Open for New Customers [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2012]
- RootAxcess - Getting Started - Video [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2012]
- How to Create a Terraria Server 1.1.2 (All Links Provided) - Video [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2012]
- Dell #1 in Hyperscale Servers (Steve Cumings) - Video [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2012]
- Managing SAP on Power Systems with Cloud technologies delivers superior IT economics - Video [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2012]
- AMD Acquires Cloud Server Maker SeaMicro for $334M USD [Last Updated On: March 3rd, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 3rd, 2012]
- Web Host 1&1 Provides More Flexibility with Dynamic Cloud Server [Last Updated On: March 3rd, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 3rd, 2012]
- Leap Day brings down Microsoft's Azure cloud service [Last Updated On: March 3rd, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 3rd, 2012]
- RightMobileApps White Label Program - Video [Last Updated On: March 3rd, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 3rd, 2012]
- bzst server ban #2 - Video [Last Updated On: March 3rd, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 3rd, 2012]
- “Cloud storage served from an array would cost $2 a gigabyte” [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2012]
- More Flexibility with the 1&1 Dynamic Cloud Server [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2012]
- Hub’s future jobs may be in cloud [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2012]
- Cloud computing growing jobs, says Microsoft [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2012]
- TurnKey Internet Launches WebMatrix, a New Application in Partnership with Microsoft [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2012]
- Cebit 2012: SAP Cloud Computing Strategy - Introduction - Video [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2012]
- Dome9 Security Launches Industry's First Free Cloud Security for Unlimited Number of Servers [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2012]
- Servers Are Refreshed With Intel's New E5 Chips [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2012]
- Samsung's AllShare Play pushes pictures from phone to cloud and TV [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2012]
- Google drops the price of Cloud Storage service [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2012]
- New Intel Server Technology: Powering the Cloud to Handle 15 Billion Connected Devices [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2012]
- Swisscom IT Services Launches Cloud Storage Services Powered by CTERA Networks [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2012]
- KineticD Releases Suite of Cloud Backup Offerings for SMBs [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2012]
- First Look: Samsung Allshare Play - Video [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2012]
- Bill The Server Guy Introduces the New Intel XEON e5-2600 (Romley) Server CPU's - Video [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2012]
- New Cisco servers have Intel Xeon E5 inside [Last Updated On: March 8th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 8th, 2012]
- Cisco rolls out UCS servers with Intel Xeon E5 chips [Last Updated On: March 8th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 8th, 2012]
- From scooters to servers: The best of Launch, Day One [Last Updated On: March 8th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 8th, 2012]
- Computer Basics: What is the Cloud? - Video [Last Updated On: March 9th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 9th, 2012]
- Could the digital 'cloud' crash? [Last Updated On: March 10th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 10th, 2012]
- Dome9 Security Launches Free Cloud Security For Unlimited Number Of Servers [Last Updated On: March 10th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 10th, 2012]
- Cloud computing 'made in Germany' stirs debate at CeBIT [Last Updated On: March 11th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 11th, 2012]
- New Key Technology Simplifies Data Encryption in the Cloud [Last Updated On: March 11th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 11th, 2012]
- Can a private cloud drive energy efficiency in datacentres? [Last Updated On: March 12th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 12th, 2012]
- Porticor's new key technology simplifies data encryption in the cloud [Last Updated On: March 12th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 12th, 2012]
- Borders + Gratehouse Adds Three New Clients in Cloud Sector [Last Updated On: March 12th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 12th, 2012]
- Dell to invest $700 mn in R&D, unveils 12G servers [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2012]
- Defiant Kaleidescape To Keep Shipping Movie Servers [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2012]
- Data Centre Transformation Master Class 3: Cloud Architecture - Video [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2012]
- DotNetNuke Tutorial - Great hosting tool - PowerDNN Control Suite - part 1/3 - Video #310 - Video [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2012]
- Cloud Computing - 28/02/12 - Video [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2012]
- SYS-CON.tv @ 9th Cloud Expo | Nand Mulchandani, CEO and Co-Founder of ScaleXtreme - Video [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2012]
- Oni Launches New Cloud Services for Enterprises Using CA Technologies Cloud Platform [Last Updated On: March 14th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 14th, 2012]
- SmartStyle Advanced Technology - Video [Last Updated On: March 14th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 14th, 2012]
- SmartStyle Infrastructure - Video [Last Updated On: March 14th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 14th, 2012]
- The Hidden Risk of a Meltdown in the Cloud [Last Updated On: March 14th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 14th, 2012]
- FireHost Launches Secure Cloud Data Center in Phoenix, Arizona [Last Updated On: March 14th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 14th, 2012]
- Panda Security Launches New Channel Partner Recruitment Campaign: "Security to the Power of the Cloud" [Last Updated On: March 14th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 14th, 2012]
- NetSTAR, Inc. Announces Safe and Secure Web Browsers for iPhones, iPads, and Android Devices [Last Updated On: March 14th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 14th, 2012]
- Amazon Cloud Powered by 'Almost 500,000 Servers' [Last Updated On: March 15th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 15th, 2012]
- NetSTAR Announces Secure Web Browsers For iPhones, iPads, And Android Devices [Last Updated On: March 15th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 15th, 2012]
- Be Prepared For When the Cloud Really Fails [Last Updated On: March 15th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 15th, 2012]
- Dr. Cloud explains dinCloud's hosted virtual server solution - Video [Last Updated On: March 15th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 15th, 2012]
- New estimate pegs Amazon's cloud at nearly half a million servers [Last Updated On: March 15th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 15th, 2012]
- Amazon’s Web Services Uses 450K Servers [Last Updated On: March 15th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 15th, 2012]
- Saving File On Internet - Cloud Computing - Video [Last Updated On: March 15th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 15th, 2012]
- DotNetNuke Tutorial - Great hosting tool - PowerDNN Control Suite - part 2/3 - Video #311 - Video [Last Updated On: March 15th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 15th, 2012]
- Linux servers keep growing, Windows & Unix keep shrinking [Last Updated On: March 15th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 15th, 2012]
- Cloud Desktop from Compute Blocks - Video [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2012]
- Amazon EC2 cloud is made up of almost half-a-million Linux servers [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2012]
- HP trots out new line of “self-sufficient” servers [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2012]
- Cloud Web Hosting Reviews - Australian Cloud Hosting Providers - Video [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2012]
- Using Porticor to protect data in a snapshot scenario in AWS - Video [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2012]
- CDW - Charles Barkley - New Office - Video [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2012]
- Nearly a Half Million Servers May Power Amazon Cloud [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2012]
- Morphlabs CEO Winston Damarillo talks about their mCloud Rack - Video [Last Updated On: March 20th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 20th, 2012]
- AMD reaches for the cloud with new server chips [Last Updated On: March 20th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 20th, 2012]