File shares (Azure Files) - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ service_behavior

intermediate

Understanding Azure Files SMB Protocol Support

Which SMB protocol version is required to mount an Azure Files share on a Windows 10 client?

A SMB 1.0

B SMB 3.1.1

C SMB 2.1

D SMB 3.0

💡 Hint

Azure Files requires a secure and modern SMB version for mounting shares on Windows 10.

Azure Files supports SMB 3.0 and later for Windows 10 clients. SMB 3.0 introduced encryption and performance improvements required by Azure Files. SMB 3.1.1 is the latest supported version and recommended for Windows 10.

❓ Architecture

intermediate

Choosing Azure Files Tier for Cost Optimization

You have a file share with infrequent access but need high durability and availability. Which Azure Files access tier should you choose to minimize cost while meeting these requirements?

A Cool tier

B Hot tier

C Premium tier

D Archive tier

💡 Hint

Consider the access frequency and cost trade-offs of each tier.

The Cool tier is designed for infrequently accessed data with lower storage costs but slightly higher access costs, providing high durability and availability.

❓ security

advanced

Securing Azure Files with Identity-Based Authentication

Which authentication method allows Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) users to access Azure Files shares with their Azure AD credentials?

A Azure AD Domain Services (Azure AD DS) authentication

B Shared Access Signatures (SAS)

C Storage account access keys

D Anonymous public access

💡 Hint

Think about integrating Azure Files with Azure AD for identity-based access.

Azure Files supports Azure AD DS authentication, enabling users to access file shares using their Azure AD credentials via domain join.

❓ Configuration

advanced

Configuring Azure Files with Private Endpoint

You want to restrict access to your Azure Files share so that it is only accessible from your virtual network. Which configuration achieves this?

A Enable public network access and use firewall rules

B Enable service endpoints for Azure Storage on the subnet

C Use a shared access signature (SAS) with IP restrictions

D Create a private endpoint for the storage account in your virtual network

💡 Hint

Consider how to make the storage account accessible only inside your private network.

Creating a private endpoint assigns a private IP in your virtual network, restricting access to the storage account from within that network only.

✅ Best Practice

expert

Optimizing Azure Files Performance for Large File Transfers

Which approach best improves performance when transferring many large files to an Azure Files share?

A Use a single-threaded copy operation over SMB

B Mount the share and copy files one by one manually

C Use AzCopy with parallelism enabled to upload files

D Use REST API calls sequentially for each file

💡 Hint

Think about tools designed for efficient bulk data transfer with parallelism.

AzCopy supports parallel uploads and is optimized for large data transfers to Azure Files, improving throughput and reducing transfer time.