Saturday, March 10, 2012

File Server Resource Manager



Applies To: Windows Server 2003 R2
With the increasing demand on storage resources, as organizations rely more heavily on data than ever before, IT administrators face the challenge of overseeing a larger and more complex storage infrastructure, while at the same time, tracking the kind of information available in it. Managing storage resources not only includes data size and availability any more but also the enforcement of company policies and a very good understanding of how existing storage is utilized, allowing for sound strategic planning and proper response to organizational changes.
File Server Resource Manager is a suite of tools that allows administrators to understand, control, and manage the quantity and type of data stored on their servers. By using File Server Resource Manager, administrators can place quotas on folders and volumes, actively screen files, and generate comprehensive storage reports. This set of advanced instruments not only helps the administrator to efficiently monitor existing storage resources but it also aids in the planning and implementation of future policy changes.

To install File Server Resource Manager
  1. In Control Panel, click Add or Remove Programs. Then clickAdd/Remove Windows Components.
  2. From the list of components, in the Windows Components Wizard dialog box, select Management and Monitoring Tools, and click Details.
  3. From the list of subcomponents, select File Server Resource Manager, and then click OK.
  4. Click Next, and after the configuration of the new component has completed, click Finish.

To open the File Server Resource Manager console

The File Server Resource Manager component is administered through a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in console.
  • On the Start menu, click All Programs, click Administrative Tools, and then click File Server Resource Manager.


The general File Server Resource Manager options can be set in the File Server Resource Manager Options dialog box. These settings will be used throughout the different nodes and some of them can be modified when configuring specific actions.
This section covers:
  • Configure E-mail Notifications
  • Configure Storage Reports
  • Configure Report Repositories
  • Configure File Screen Audit

To configure e-mail options

  1. In the console tree, right-click File Server Resource Manager, and then click Configure options. The File Server Resource Manager Options dialog box opens.
  2. On the E-mail Notifications tab, under SMTP server name or IP address, type the host name or the IP address of the SMTP server that will forward e-mail notifications.
  3. If you want to routinely notify certain administrators of quota or file screening events, under Default administrator recipients, type each e-mail address.

    Use the format account@domain. Use semicolons to separate multiple accounts.
  4. To test your settings, click Send Test E-mail.

To configure the default parameters for storage reports

  1. In the console tree, right-click File Server Resource Manager, and then click Configure options. The File Server Resource Manager Options dialog box opens.
  2. On the Storage Reports tab, under Configure default parameters, select the type of report that you want to modify.
  3. Click Edit Parameters.
  4. Depending on the type of report that you select, different report parameters will be available for editing. Perform all necessary modifications, and then click OK to save them as default parameters for that type of report.
  5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for all types of reports that you want to edit.

You can specify the location where storage reports will be saved on disk. A default path has been defined, but it can be changed if desired. There are three types of reports:
Incident reports
This type of report is automatically generated when a quota or file screening event occurs.
Scheduled reports
This type of report is generated when there is a schedule defined in the Storage Reports node.
On-demand reports
This type of report can be generated manually, in the Storage Reports node.

To change the report repositories locations

  1. In the console tree, right-click File Server Resource Manager, and then click Configure options. The File Server Resource Manager Options dialog box opens.
  2. On the Report Locations tab, type the path or browse to the location where you want the incident, scheduled, and on-demand reports to be saved.
  3. Click OK.

To configure file screen audit

  1. In the console tree, right-click File Server Resource Manager, and then click Configure options. The File Server Resource Manager Options dialog box opens.
  2. On the File Screen Audit tab, select the Record file screening activity in the auditing database check box.
  3. Click OK. All file screening activity will now be stored in the auditing database and can be viewed by running a File Screen Audit Report.

Quota Management

On the Quota Management node of the File Server Resource Manager Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in, you can perform the following tasks:
  • Create quotas to limit the space allowed for a volume or folder and generate notifications when the quota limits are approached or exceeded.
  • Generate auto quotas that apply to all existing folders in a volume or folder, as well as to any new subfolders created in the future.
  • Define quota templates that can be easily applied to new volumes or folders and that can be used across an organization.
For Example:
  • You can place a 200 megabytes (MB) limit on the personal folder of each user on a server, with a notification to you and the user when 180 MB of storage has been exceeded.
  • A flexible 500 MB quota on a group's shared folder can be set. When this storage limit is reached, all users in the group are notified by e-mail that the storage quota has been temporarily extended to 520 MB, so that they can delete unnecessary files and comply with the preset 500 MB quota policy.
  • You can receive a notification when a temporary folder reaches 2 gigabytes (GB) of usage yet not limit that folder's quota because it is necessary for a service running on your server.
This section covers:
  • Create a quota
  • Create a quota template
  • Create an auto quota
  • Edit quota template properties
  • Edit auto quota properties 

To create a quota that is based on a template

  1. In Quota Management, under Quota Templates, select the template on which you will base your new quota. Then, right-click the template, and click Create quota from template. This opens the Create Quota dialog box.
  2. Under Quota path, select or type the path to the folder to which the quota will apply. Note that the quota properties will also apply to all of its subfolders.
  3. To base the quota on a quota template, select the Derive properties from this quota template option, and select the template from the drop-down combo box. Note that each template properties will be displayed under Summary of quota properties.
  4. Click Create.

To create a quota template

  1. In Quota Management, right-click Quota Templates, and click Create quota template. This opens the Create Quota Template dialog box.
  2. If you want, you can copy the properties of an existing template by selecting it from the drop-down combo box and clicking Copy. These properties can be used as a base for the new template, or you can create an entirely new one.
  3. To identify the new template, enter a template name and an optional quota label.
  4. To configure the space limit for the quota:

    1. Under Limit, specify the amount of space to allow.
    2. Specify the type of quota to impose:

      A hard quota prevents users from saving files after the space limit is reached, and generates notifications when the volume of data reaches each configured threshold.

      A soft quota does not enforce the quota limit, but generates all configured notifications.
    Notification thresholds determine what happens when the quota limit approaches. You can send e-mail notifications, log an event, execute a command or a script, or generate reports. By default, no notifications are generated.
  5. To configure notifications that will be generated when the quota limit is reached, in the Notification thresholds list, highlight the Limit (100%) threshold, and click Edit. This opens the Limit Properties dialog box.
  6. To configure e-mail notifications, set the following options on the E-mail Message tab:

    • Select the Send e-mail to the following administrators check box, and enter the names of the administrative accounts that will receive notifications. Use the formataccount@domain; use semicolons to separate multiple accounts.
    • To contact the person who saved the file that exceeded the quota threshold, select the Send e-mail to the user who exceeded the threshold check box.
    • Optionally, edit the default subject line and message body that are provided.

      The text that is in brackets inserts variable information about the quota event that caused the notification. For example, the [Source Io Owner] variable inserts the user name of the user or application that wrote the file to disk. Use the Insert Variable button to insert additional variables in the text.

      (You can use the Additional E-mail Headers button to configure additional headers, including “From,” “Cc,” “Blind Cc,” and “Reply-To.”)
  7. To log an error to the event log, on the Event Log tab, select the Send warning to event log check box, and optionally edit the default log entry.
  8. To run a command or script, on the Command tab, select the Run this command or script check box, and type the command or browse to the location where the script is stored. Optionally, enter command arguments, select a working directory for the command or script, or modify the command security setting.
  9. To specify that one or more storage reports be generated automatically, on the Report tab, select the Generate reports check box, and select which reports to generate. You must choose at least one e-mail recipient for the report, either an administrator or the user.
  10. After configuring each type of notification that you want to generate, click OK to save the threshold.
  11. To configure additional notification thresholds, perform these steps:

    1. In the Notification Thresholds area, click Add.
    2. At the top of the Add Threshold dialog box, enter the percentage of the quota limit at which to generate the notifications. The default threshold for the first notification is 85 percent.
    3. Use the E-Mail Message, Event Log, Command, and Reports tabs to configure each type of notification that you want to generate, as you did in steps 6 through 10. Then click OK.
  12. When you complete the quota properties, click OK to save the template.

To create an auto quota

  1. In Quota Management select the Quotas node.
  2. Right-click Quotas and click Create quota or select Create quota from the actions pane. This opens the Create Quota dialog box.
  3. Under quota path select or type the path to the folder to which the auto quota will apply. The auto quota will be applied to all subfolders (current and future) in this folder. Once the path is entered, select the Auto apply template and create quotas on existing and new subfolders option.
  4. Under Derive properties from this quota template select the quota template that you wish to apply. You can review the properties of each quota template in the summary list box.
  5. Click Create.

To edit quota template properties

  1. In Quota Templates, select the template that you want to modify.
  2. Right-click the quota template and click Edit template properties, or select Edit template properties from the actions pane, under Selected Quota Templates. This opens the Quota Template Properties dialog box.
  3. Perform all necessary changes. Optionally, you can copy the properties of a different template and modify them for this one.
  4. When you are finished editing the template properties click OK. This will open the Update Quotas Derived from Template dialog box.
  5. Select the type of update you want to apply:

    • If you have quotas that have been modified since they were created using the original template, and you do not want to change them, select Apply template only to derived quotas that match the original template. This option will update only those quotas that have not been edited and maintain the original template properties.
    • If you want to modify all existing quotas that were created using the original template, select Apply template to all derived quotas.
    • If you want to keep the existing quotas unchanged, select Do not apply template to derived quotas.
  6. Click OK.

To edit an auto quota

  1. In Quotas, select the quota that you want to modify.
  2. Right-click the Quota entry and click Edit quota properties or select Edit quota properties from the actions pane, under Selected Quotas. This opens the Edit Auto Apply Quota dialog box.
  3. Under Derive properties from this quota template select the new quota template that you want to apply. You can review the properties of each quota template in the summary list box.
  4. Click OK. This will open the Update Quotas Derived from Auto Apply Quota dialog box.
  5. Select the type of update you want to apply:

    • If you have quotas that have been modified since they were automatically generated, and you do not want to change them select Apply auto apply quota only to derived quotas that match the original auto apply quota. This option will update only those quotas in the Auto Apply Quota Path that have not been edited and maintain the original auto apply quota properties.
    • If you want to modify all existing quotas in the Auto Apply Quota Path, select Apply auto apply quota to all derived quotas.
    • If you want to keep the existing quotas unchanged, but make the modified auto quota effective for new folders in the Auto Apply Quota Path, select Do not apply auto apply quota to derived quotas.
  6. Click OK.

File Screening Management

On the File Screening Management node of the File Server Resource Manager MMC snap-in, you can perform the following tasks:
  • Create file screens to control the types of files that users can save and to send notifications when users attempt to save blocked files.
  • Define file screening templates that can be easily applied to new volumes or folders and that can be used across an organization.
  • Create file screening exceptions that extend the flexibility of the file screening rules.
For example:
  • You could ensure that no music files are stored on personal folders on a server, yet you could allow storage of specific types of media files that support legal rights management or comply with company policies. In the same scenario, you may want to give a vice president in the company special privileges to store any type of files in his personal folder.
  • A screening process could be implemented to notify you by e-mail when an executable file is stored on a shared folder, with information including the user that stored the file and the exact location of the file, so that the appropriate precautionary steps can be taken.
This section covers:
  • Define file groups for screening
  • Create a file screen
  • Create a file screen exception
  • Create a file screen template
  • Edit file screen template properties

Define file groups for screening

A file group is used to define a namespace for a file screen, file screen exception, or storage report. It consists of a set of file name patterns, which are grouped into files to include and files to exclude:
  • Files to include: files that belong in the group.
  • Files to exclude: files that do not belong in the group.
noteNote
For convenience, you can maintain file groups while you edit the properties of file screens, file screen exceptions, and file screen templates. Any file group changes that you make from these property sheets are not limited to the current item that you are working on.

To create a file group

  1. In File Screen Management, right-click File Groups, and then click Create file group.

    -Or-

    While you edit the properties of a file screen, file screen exception, or file screen template, under Manage file groups, click Create. This opens the Create File Group Properties dialog box.
  2. Type a name for the file group.
  3. Add files to include and files to exclude:

    • For each set of files that you want to include in the file group, in the Files to include box, enter a file name pattern, and click Add.

      Standard wildcard rules apply. For example, *.exe selects all executable files.
    • For each set of files that you want to exclude from the file group, in Files to exclude, add exclusions in the same way.
  4. Click OK.

To create a file screen

  1. In File Screening Management, right-click File Screens, and then click Create file screen. This opens the Create File Screen dialog box.
  2. Under File screen path, type or browse to the folder to which the file screen will apply. The file screen will apply to all subfolders of the selected folder.
  3. Under How do you want to configure file screen properties, select the Define custom file screen properties option, and then click Custom Properties. This opens theFile Screen Properties dialog box.
  4. If you want to copy properties from an existing template, select the template that you want to use, and click Copy. You can edit the properties for the new file screen.
  5. Under Screening type, select the type of screening to apply:

    • Active screening prevents users from saving files that are members of blocked file groups, and generates notifications when users try to save blocked files. (The file screen does not prevent users and applications from accessing files that were saved to the path before the file screen was created, regardless of whether the files are members of blocked file groups.)
    • Passive screening sends notifications, but does not prevent users from saving blocked files.
    To specify which files to screen, under File Groups, select each file group that you want to include. (To select the check box for the file group, click the file group label twice.)

    If you want to view the members and nonmembers of a file group, highlight the file group, and click Edit.
  6. To configure e-mail notifications for the file screen, set the following options on the E-mail Message tab:

    • To notify administrators when a user or application attempts to save an unauthorized file, select Send e-mail to the following administrators, and enter the administrative accounts that will receive notifications. Use the format account@domain; use semicolons to separate multiple accounts.
    • To send a notice to the user who attempted to save an unauthorized file, select Send e-mail to the user who attempted to save an unauthorized file.
    • Optionally, edit the default subject line and message body.
      The text that is in brackets inserts variable information about the file screen event that caused the notification. For example, the [Source I/O Owner] variable inserts the user name of the user or application that attempted to write the file to disk. To insert additional variables in the text, click Insert Variable.
  7. If you want to log an error to the event log when a user tries to save a blocked file, on the Event Log tab, select the Send warning to event log check box, and, optionally, edit the default log entry.

    In addition, you can set options on the Command tab, to run a command or script when a user attempts a file screen violation, and set options on the Report tab, to specify one or more storage reports to be generated automatically.
  8. When all file screen properties are complete, click Create to save the file screen.

    You will be asked if you want to save a file screen template based on the custom file screen properties you just defined. If you will use the current settings in other file screens, it is recommended that you save a template. The template will be applied to the new file screen. This will enable you to later update the file screen automatically when you update the template.
  9. To save a template when you create the file screen, select Save the custom properties as a template, enter a name for the template, and click OK.

    -Or-

    If you do not want to save a template, select Save the custom file screen without creating a template, and click OK.

To create a file screen exception

  1. InFile Screening Management, right-click File Screens, and then click Create file screen exception. This opens the Create File Screen Exception dialog box.
  2. Under Exception path, type or select the path to which the exception will apply. The exception will apply to the folder and all of its subfolders.
  3. To determine which files to exclude from file screening, in File groups, select each file group that you want to include in the file screen exception.

    If you want to view the members and non-members of a file group, highlight the file group, and click Edit.
  4. Click OK.

To create a file screen template

  1. In File Screening Management, right-click File Screen Templates, and then click Create file screen template. This opens the Create File Screen Template dialog box.
  2. To identify the new template, enter a template name.
  3. Specify the screening type:

    An Active Screening will completely block users from saving unauthorized files.

    A Passive Screening will allow users to save unauthorized files, but will generate the notifications defined for this template.
  4. Select the file groups to block. You can also choose to create new file groups or edit existing ones.
  5. To configure e-mail notifications, set the following options on the E-mail Message tab:

    • Select the Send e-mail to the following administrators check box, and type the names of the administrative accounts that will receive notifications. Use the formataccount@domain; use semicolons to separate multiple accounts.
    • To contact the person who saved the file, select the Send e-mail to the user who attempted to save an unauthorized file check box.
    • Optionally, edit the default subject line and message body that are provided.

      The text that is in brackets inserts variable information about the quota event that caused the notification. For example, the [Source Io Owner] variable inserts the user name of the user or application that wrote the file to disk. To insert additional variables in the text, click Insert Variable.

      (To configure additional headers, click Additional E-mail Headers)
  6. To log an error to the event log, on the Event Log tab, select the Send warning to event log check box, and optionally edit the default log entry.
  7. To run a command or script when a screening event occurs, on the Command tab, select the Run this command or script check box, and type the command or browse to the location where the script is stored. Optionally, enter command arguments, select a working directory for the command or script, or modify the command security setting.
  8. To specify that one or more storage reports be generated automatically, on the Report tab, select the Generate reports check box, and select which reports to generate. You must choose at least one e-mail recipient for the report, either an administrator or the user.
  9. Click OK.

To edit file screen template properties

  1. In File Screen Templates, select the template that you want to modify.
  2. Right-click the file screen template and click Edit template properties, or select Edit template properties from the actions pane, under Selected File Screen Templates. This opens the File Screen Template Properties dialog box.
  3. Perform all necessary changes. Optionally, you can copy the properties of a different template and modify them for this one.
  4. Once you are done editing the template properties, click OK. This will open the Update File Screens Derived from Template dialog box.
  5. Select the type of update you want to apply:

    • If you have file screens that have been modified since they were created using the original template, and you do not want to change them, select Apply template only to derived file screens that match the original template. This option will update only those file screens that have not been edited and maintain the original template properties.
    • If you want to modify all existing file screens that were created using the original template, select Apply template to all derived file screens.
    • If you want to keep the existing file screens unchanged, select Do not apply template to derived file screens.
  6. Click OK.

Storage Reports

On the Storage Reports node of the File Server Resource Manager MMC snap-in, you can perform the following tasks:
  • Schedule periodic storage reports that allow you to identify trends in disk usage.
  • Monitor attempts to save unauthorized files for all users or a selected group of users.
  • Generate storage reports instantly.
For example:
  • You can schedule a report that will run every Sunday at midnight, generating a list that includes the most recently used files of the previous two days. With this information, you can monitor weekend storage activity and plan server downtime that will have less impact on those users that connect from home over the weekend.
  • A report can be run, at any given time, to identify all duplicate files in a volume on a server, so disk space can be quickly reclaimed without losing any data.
  • You can run a File by File Group report, to identify how storage resources are segmented across different file groups; or a File by Owner report, to analyze how individual users are using shared storage resources.
This section covers:
  • Schedule a set of reports
  • Generate reports on demand 

Schedule a set of reports

To generate a set of reports on a regular schedule, you schedule a report task. The report task specifies which reports to generate and what parameters to use; which volumes and folders to report on; how often to generate the reports; and which file formats to save them in.
noteNote
To minimize the impact of report processing on performance, generate multiple reports on the same schedule so that the data is only gathered once. To quickly add reports to existing report tasks, you can use the Add/remove reports from report task action. That action allows you to add or remove reports from multiple report tasks, and to edit the report parameters. To change schedules or delivery addresses, you must edit individual report tasks.

To schedule a report task

  1. Right-click the Scheduled Report Tasks node, and click Schedule a new report task. This opens the Storage Reports Task Properties dialog box.
  2. To select a volume or folder on which to report:

    1. In Scope, click Add.
    2. Browse to the volume or folder that you want to report on, and click OK.
    This adds the selected volume or folder to the list. Add as many paths as you want to include.
  3. In Report data, select each report that you want to generate. (By default, all reports are generated for a scheduled report task.)
  4. To edit the parameters of a report:

    1. Highlight the report label, and click Edit Parameters.
    2. In the Report Parameters dialog box, edit the parameters as needed, and click OK.
  5. If you want to deliver copies of the reports to administrators by e-mail, on the Delivery tab, click E-mail report to administrators, and enter each e-mail account. Use the format account@domain; use semicolons to separate multiple accounts.
  6. To schedule the reports, on the Schedule tab, click Create Schedule. Then, in the Schedule dialog box, click New.

    This opens the Schedule dialog box, with a default schedule set for 9:00 A.M. daily, starting on the next day.
  7. To change the default schedule:

    1. Under Schedule Task, select the interval at which to generate the report.

      You can schedule daily, weekly, or monthly reports, or generate the reports only once.
    2. In the options below this field, enter additional information, as needed, to determine when the reports will be generated.

      These options change based on the interval that you choose. For example, for a weekly report, you can specify how many weeks between reports and which days of the week to generate reports on.
    3. Under Start time, enter the time of day when you want to generate the report.
    4. To save the schedule, click OK.
  8. To save the report task, click OK.
The report task is added to the results pane for Scheduled Report Tasks. Tasks are identified by the reports to be generated, the namespace to be reported on, and report schedule.
In addition, you can view the current status of the report (whether or not the report is running), the last run time and the result of that run, and the next scheduled run time.


Generate reports on demand

During daily operations, you may want to generate reports on demand to analyze different aspects of current disk usage on the server. Use the Generate reports now action to generate one or more reports. Before the reports are generated, current data is gathered.
When you generate reports on demand, the reports are saved in the reports repository, but no report task is created for later use. You can optionally view the reports immediately when they are complete.
noteNote
If you choose to open the reports immediately, you must wait while the reports are generated. Processing time varies, depending on the types of reports and the scope of the data.

To generate reports immediately

  1. Right-click the Scheduled Report Tasks node, and click Generate reports now. This opens the Storage Reports Task Properties dialog box.
  2. In Scope, add each volume or folder that you want to report on.
  3. In Report data, select and format each report that you want to include:

    1. To add a report to the task, select the check box for the report.
    2. To edit the parameters of a report, highlight the report label and click Edit Parameters. When you finish editing the parameters, click OK.
  4. In Report format, select each file format that you want to save the report in.
  5. To deliver the reports by e-mail, on the Delivery tab, select the E-mail report to the following administrators check box. Then, enter each e-mail address that you want the report delivered to. Use the format account@domain; use semicolons to separate multiple accounts.
  6. To gather the data and generate the reports, click OK.
  7. In the dialog box that opens, choose whether to open the reports when they are complete or generate the reports in the background, in which case the reports are not displayed.

    Both options save the reports in the formats that you selected. If you choose to open the reports after they are generated, each report opens in its own Internet Explorer window.

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