Windows Server 2019 - LAB08 Implementing storage solutions (Part1)

Part1: After completing this lab, you'll be able to:

1. Implement Data Deduplication.
2. Configure Internet Small Computer System Interface iSCSI storage.

1. Implement Data Deduplication:

Assume you are already have files server in your org & we also have many duplicate files increase day by day due to operation of end users. So we will implement Data Deduplicate on file server to saving storage space. We will install the Data Deduplication role service , before enable data deduplicate we need to checking currently capacity on file server. After that we will enable data deduplicate to verify the benefits of data deduplicate service.

Step 1: Install the Data Deduplication role service

• On file server Open Server Manager > select Manage, and then select Add Roles and Features
• In the Add Roles and Features Wizard, select Next trice
• On the Select server roles page, expand the File and Storage Services item, and then expand the File and iSCSI Services item, select the Data Deduplication checkbox, and then select Next

• On the Select features page, select Next, and then in the Confirm installation selections page, select Install.
• Close Add Roles and Features Wizard when install process succeeded

Step 2: Checking storage used before we enable DATA DEDUPLICATE

Step 3: Enable Data Deduplicate 

• In the Server Manager console, select File & Storage services on the left menu, select Volume, Select E driver, then right-click select configure data deduplication...
• Duplicate setting wizard appear, select the Data Deduplication drop-down menu and change the selection to the General purpose file server, set Deduplicate files older than (in days): to 0

• Select the Set Deduplication Schedule button, select Enable throughput optimization, and then select OK twice. 

• Open windows power shell then enter : Start-DedupJob e: -Type Optimization –Memory 50 Wait for some minutes to allow the deduplication job to run. 

• You can check status by Get-DedupJob, Get-DedupStatus & saving rate by Get-DedupVolume command on windows power shell

• Final, now you can double check on Server Manager console to verify how many space that we saving after enable Data Deduplicate services.

2. Configure Internet Small Computer System Interface iSCSI storage

iSCSI implementation includes the following components:

• IP network: To ensure sufficient performance, the network should provide the throughput of at least 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) and include multiple physical paths to the iSCSI target
• iSCSI targets: Windows Server provides the iSCSI Target Server as a role service of the File and Storage Services role.
• iSCSI initiators. The iSCSI initiator is a client-side component that provides connectivity to a remote iSCSI target
• iSCSI Qualified Name (IQN)
• Internet Storage Name Service (iSNS)

It's time to deploy iSCSI on server, i added 3 news disk to do this lab.

Step 1: Install iSCSI and configure targets on DHVHCMSRV01

• I'll Windows Admin Center connect to remote server to do these tab: Connect to DHVHCMSRV01 on WAC.
• Select PowerShell on the left menu then enter credential to connect.

• Enter the command bellow to install iSCSI Target Server role:

Install-WindowsFeature –Name FS-iSCSITarget-Server –IncludeManagementTools

•  Use Windows PowerShell to initialize, create, and format a volume as ReFS on the 3 new disks (disks 2, 3 and 4) on dhvhcmsrv01.dhv.local (where F refers to the drive number). Use the following three commands, selecting Enter after each line:

Initialize-Disk -Number 2
New-Partition -DiskNumber 2 -UseMaximumSize -AssignDriveLetter
Format-Volume -DriveLetter F -FileSystem ReFS

•  Repeat the command for disk 3 & 4

• Add Firewall rule for iSCSI on target server, on power shell enter 2 commands bellow :

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "iSCSITargetIn" -Profile "Any" -Direction Inbound -Action Allow -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 3260

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "iSCSITargetOut" -Profile "Any" -Direction Outbound -Action Allow -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 3260

Now you can check on firewall incoming rules & outgoing rules you should see 2 rules has added to our firewall

Step 2: Configure iSCSI target on server dhvhcmsrv001.dhv.local

• Switch to  Server Manager console on dhvhcmsrv001.dhv.local, in File and Storage Services, select iSCSI, select Tasks, and in the context menu, select New iSCSI Virtual Disk

• On Select iSCSI Virtual Disk Location windows select F: volume, then click Next

• In the Specify iSCSI virtual disk name page, in the Name text box, enter iSCSIDisk1, and then select Next

• On the Specify iSCSI virtual disk size page, in the Size text box, enter 10. Leave all other settings as they are, and then select Next.

• On the Assign iSCSI target page, ensure the New iSCSI target radio button is selected, and then select Next

• In the Specify target name page, in the Name field, enter iSCSIdhv, and then select Next.

• In the Specify access servers page, select the Add button

• In the Select a method to identify the initiator window, select the Browse button.
• In the Select Computer window, in the Enter the object name to select text box, enter dhvhcmcli001, select Check Names, and then select OK
• In the Select a method to identify the initiator window, select OK.
• On the Specify access servers page, select Next.

• On the Enable Authentication page, select Next.
• On the Confirm selections page, select Create.

• On the View results page, select Close
• Now you can see file with the name iSCSIDisk1.vhdx under F:\iSCSIVirtualDisks path
• Repeat steps above if you want to create more iSCSI storage on Disk 3 & 4

Step 3: Connect & verify iSCSI disk presence at client dhvhcmcli001 & also we can copying and moving files.

• switch & login to client dhvhcmcli001
• In the search field enter : iscsi initiator then select iscsi initiator app

• At this moment MS iSCSI service is not running, select yes to start services now and have services start automatically each time computer restart.

• in iSCSI Initiator Properties on the Targets tab, in the Target text box, enter dhvhcmsrv001, and then select Quick Connect
• in the Quick Connect dialog box, note that the Discovered target name is iqn.1991-05.com.microsoft:dhvhcmsrv001-iscscidhv-target, and then select Done
• In the iSCSI Initiator Properties dialog box, select OK

• Close iSCSI Initiator Properties windows.
• Go to disk management, at this time you should be asked for initialize new disk > click OK

• Right-click on new disk, select New Simple Volume then click Next 4 times the select Finish
• Now you can access to new volume, also you can creating, copying and moving files.
• Done