Creating Shared File Storage in Microsoft Azure

In this guide, we will walk through the steps to create a shared storage account in Microsoft Azure. We'll cover creating a storage account, setting up a file share, managing snapshots, and restricting access to selected virtual networks.

Creating a Storage Account

1. Create a Storage Account:

   • Create a Resource Group for your storage and assign it a name.
   • Choose Performance as Premium and set the account type to File Shares.
   • Set Redundancy to Zone-Redundant storage.
   • Create the resource and navigate to it.

   

2. Setting up File Shares:

   • In the Data Storage section, select File Shares.
   • Click on +File Share and create a name for the file share.
   • Leave other settings as default and click Review+Create, then click Create.

3. Adding a Directory:

   • Click on +Add Directory and give your directory a name.
   • Navigate to your newly created directory and upload a file of your choice.

   

   

4. Configuring and Testing Snapshots:

   • Go back to your File Share, select Operations, and click Snapshots.

   

   • Click +Add Snapshot, optionally add a comment, and confirm.

   

   • Ensure your directory is included in the snapshot.

   

   • Test the snapshot functionality by deleting the uploaded file, then restore it from the snapshot.

5. Restricting Storage Access to Virtual Networks:

   • Create a Virtual Network:
     • Search for "Virtual Network" and create a new one with default settings.

   

   

   • Navigate to the subnet settings, select the default subnet, and enable "Microsoft.Storage" under Service Endpoints.

   

   

   

6. Configure Network Access for the Storage Account:

   • Return to your File Storage account.
   • In the Security+Networking section, click on Networking.

   

   • Enable access from selected virtual networks and IP addresses.
   • Add the virtual network you created earlier and select the default subnet.
   • Save the settings.

7. Verification:

   • Navigate back to your File Share and ensure access is restricted to the specified virtual network.

   

Cleanup

Remember to delete all resources created during this process to avoid unnecessary charges.

By following these steps, you have successfully created a File Share, configured snapshots for your files, and restricted access to a virtual network.