Azure File Sync connects your on-premises Windows Servers to cloud storage. To start, you install the Azure File Sync agent on your Windows servers and register each one with a Storage Sync Service in your Azure subscription. This registration links your local servers to the cloud service. After registration, you organize your synchronization by creating a Sync Group. A sync group defines the relationship between a single cloud endpoint, which is an Azure file share, and one or more server endpoints, which are specific folders on your registered servers. All endpoints in a group sync their contents with each other.
Cloud Tiering is a feature that saves local disk space by automatically moving less-used files to the Azure file share, leaving only a pointer (or "tiered" file) on the server. Frequently accessed files remain fully stored locally for fast performance. You control this behavior with policies. The Initial Download Mode policy decides if a newly added server endpoint downloads all file data immediately or uses tiering from the start. The Space Savings Configuration policy sets a target amount of free space on the server's local drive, and cloud tiering works to maintain that space by moving files to the cloud.
Azure Monitor helps you oversee the health and performance of your sync setup. It tracks sync sessions to show you if data is transferring correctly between cloud and server endpoints and alerts you to any errors. If the same file is changed in two places at once, a sync conflict occurs. Azure Monitor provides tools to see these conflicts and choose which version of the file to keep. You can also use bandwidth controls to limit how much network capacity sync activities use, which helps prevent sync from slowing down other important network traffic during business hours.
Before deploying Azure File Sync, you must prepare the foundation in Azure and on your servers. In Azure, you create a storage account and within it, an Azure file share. On your Windows Server, you ensure it is fully updated. The deployment process then follows a clear order: First, install the Azure File Sync agent on the server. Second, register that server with your Storage Sync Service. Third, create your sync group and define the cloud endpoint (pointing to your Azure file share) and the server endpoints (pointing to the folders you want to sync).
If a server fails, you can recover your sync setup without losing data. Because the Azure file share holds the primary copy of your data, you can set up a new server, install the Azure File Sync agent, and register it with the same Storage Sync Service. You then create new server endpoints in your existing sync group. The service will sync the cloud data down to the new server. The recall policies you configured earlier will determine if files are fully downloaded or initially tiered, allowing you to quickly resume operations.
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A Sync Group defines the relationship between a single cloud endpoint, which is an Azure file share, and one or more server endpoints, which are specific folders on registered servers, and all endpoints in the group sync their contents with each other.
Cloud Tiering automatically moves less-used files to the Azure file share, leaving only a pointer or tiered file on the server, while frequently accessed files remain fully stored locally, and you control this behavior with policies like Initial Download Mode and Space Savings Configuration.
Set up a new server, install the Azure File Sync agent, register it with the same Storage Sync Service, then create new server endpoints in your existing sync group, and the service will sync the cloud data down to the new server, with recall policies determining if files are fully downloaded or initially tiered.
Azure Monitor tracks sync sessions to show if data is transferring correctly and alerts to errors, provides tools to see sync conflicts and choose which version of a file to keep, and allows you to use bandwidth controls to limit network capacity used by sync activities.
Utilize the Security event log for tiering and recall errors, and the System event log for server endpoint health.
Check the Application event log for sync errors and use fltmc to verify filter driver status for tiering issues.
Use Azure Monitor for historical trends and aggregated status, and the Telemetry, TieringResults, and RecallResults event logs on the Windows Server for detailed diagnostics.
Rely solely on the Storage Sync Service portal metrics for all diagnostics, as they provide real-time updates.
A company has Azure File Sync deployed with cloud tiering enabled on several Windows Servers. Users report that some files that should be tiered are still consuming local disk space, and some tiered files are failing to recall. The administrator needs to investigate these issues efficiently.
Which monitoring tools and event logs should the administrator primarily use on the Windows Server to diagnose why files are failing to tier and recall, and to check the overall health of the server endpoint?
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