Hey, I've been dealing with a frustrating issue trying to get about 7TB of data out of Azure Files as we are planning to switch to an on-premises NAS. We've already tried the 'ship a drive' method we used to upload the files, but it seems that option isn't available for downloads, which is a bummer.
I set up an on-prem local server using Azure File Sync, and the initial download was promising, moving around 650GB in the first day. However, since then, the process has slowed down significantly, with only about 100GB being transferred daily. We're still incurring storage costs while we just want to retrieve our files. Is there a way to speed up the transfer, or are there alternative methods to get our data out of Azure? I've got a support ticket open with Microsoft, but they keep bouncing me around departments without resolution.
3 Answers
It sounds like you might be experiencing slowdowns due to the number of small files involved — they can really drag down transfer speeds because of the overhead. Also, if you're on gigabit fiber and not being throttled, that’s good! Still, your internet might be a factor if you hit bandwidth limits during peak times. If you really can't wait, one option is to set up a VM to mount Azure Files and then archive everything into fewer large files before transferring. But keep in mind, setting up that VM comes with extra costs too. It might be worth your time just to ride it out and see if the speeds improve over time.
Another thing to consider is checking your server resources—sometimes it’s worth allotting more CPU/RAM for processing, especially if it looks underutilized.
I've had success with Robocopy in similar situations! If you enable multithreading and configure it as a scheduled task, it can work wonders for speeding up those transfers. It's worth a shot if you're looking for alternatives!
I think you might face limitations with Azure File Sync performance specifically. Have you tried using tools like AzCopy or Rclone? They're designed for data transfers and might help speed things up. However, just remember, we need a sync for access right now, so factor that into your choice!
Yeah, we've needed the sync because some people need continued access to the files while we're transferring. I'll keep that in mind though!
Thanks for the input! I'm definitely considering the VM option if things don’t pick up. The server resources seem fine, but I'll look into it!