Problem Statement:

You work for XYZ Corporation and the current requirement in the organization is for faster file sharing, which can also help in data replication from On-Premises infrastructure.

You have been asked to:

1. Create an FSx file system for a windows file server

a. Make sure you have AWS Managed Active Directory with a valid domain name.

b. Connect it to your Windows EC2 server.

How to Create a FSx File System for Windows & Linux Operating Systems

Problem 1 (a) Solution: Make sure you have AWS Managed Active Directory with a valid domain name.

Step 1: Go to the “Services” section & Search the “FSx”. Click on the “FSx”.

Search the “FSx file System”

Step 2: Click on the “Create File System”.

Create a File System

Step 3: Choose the “Amazon FSx for Window File Server” option.

Amazon FSx for Windows File Server

Step 4: Click on the “Next”.

Click on the “Next”

Step 5: In the “File system details”, we will choose the following options here:

File system name — optional: FSx-For-Windows

Deployment Type — Single-AZ2–1

Storage type — SSD

SSD Storage Capacity — 32 GiB

Provisioned SSD IOPS — Automatic (3 IOPS per GiB of SSD Storage)

Throughput capacity- 32 MB/s (recommended)

File System Details

Throughput Capacity

Step 6: Leave the “Network & security as it is. We have selected the “VPC”, the “VPC Security Group & Subnet” as by default created in AWS account.

Network & Security Settings

Step 7: In the “Windows authentication”, we will choose “AWS Managed Microsoft Active Directory”.

Choose the Active Directiry Name Here

Step 8: We don’t have any AWS Managed Microsoft Active Directory. So, we will create a new directory. Click on the “Create new directory” in the blue hyperlink.

Create a new directory

Step 9: You will be redirected to the “Setup Directory page”. Choose the “AWS Managed Microsoft AD” option & click on the “Next”.

AWS Managed Microsoft AD

Step 10: In the “Directory Information”, choose the “Edition” as “Standard Edition”.

Choose the “Standard Edition”

Step 11: Choose the “Directory DNS Name” as “fsx.ad”. The “Directory NetBIOS” as the “FSX-Assignment” & you can also provide the “directory description” as well.

Choose the Directory Name, Description & NetBIOS Name

Step 12: Choose the “Admin password” & also confirm your password over here. Click on the “Next”.

Confirm the Password

Step 13: In the “Choose VPC and subnets” option, Choose the “VPC” as by default created & the subnets as “No preference”. Click on the “Next”.

Choose the VPC and Subnets

Step 14: In the “Review & Create” section, it will show your “Directory details”.

Review the Details

Step 15: You will also get the “Pricing” details in the “Review & create” section. Click on the “Create directory”.

Finally create the directory

Step 16: Your directory will be in the “Creating” status after clicking on “Create directory”.

Creating the Directory

Step 17: It will be taking approximately 30 Minutes to be go from the “Creating” to the “Active” Status.

Directory is Active

Step 18: Now, go to the “Windows Authentication” in the “Create File System” tab. Choose your created directory (fsx.ad).

Choose the AWS Managed Microsoft Active Directory

Step 19: Leave the other settings as it is & click on the “Next”.

Click on the “Next”

Step 20: In the “Review and create”, you will view the “File System details”, which are editable after the creation or few are not editable.

Review & Create Section

Step 21: Click on the “Create file system”.

Create the File System

Step 22: Now, your file system has been created & it will show the status as “Creating”. It will take approximately 30 minutes to be shown “Status” as “Available”.

Active File System

Problem 1(b) Solution: Connect it (FSx) to your Windows EC2 server.

a. Create an EC2 Instance

Step 1: Go to the “Services” section & search the “EC2” service here. Click on the “Instances”.

EC2 Instances

Step 2: Click on “Launch Instances”.

Launch the Instances

Step 3: Choose the “Name” as the “FSx-Connect” in the “Name and tags” section.

Write the Instance Name here

Step 4: Choose the “Application and OS Image (Amazon Machine Image)” as the “Windows”.

Choose the “Windows” AMI

Step 5: Remain the “Instance Type” as “t2.micro”.

t2.micro instance type

Step 6: We will choose the “key pair name” as “MY-WEB-SERVER”.

Choose the key pair name

Step 7: Remain the “Network settings” such as (VPC & Subnet) as by default, no need to do any changes here.

Instance Network Settings

Step 8: Click on the “Edit” in “Network Settings”.

Edit the Network Settings

Step 9: Click on the “Add security group rule”.

Add the Security Group Rule Here

Step 10: Choose the Type — “All Traffic” & Source type — “Anywhere”.

All Traffic Enabled

Step 11: Click on the “Launch Instance”.

Launch the Instance

Step 12: Your instance will be successfully launched. Click on the hyperlink (instance id).

Click on the Hyperlink

Step 13: Your “instance state” will be shown as “Running”.

Running Instance

b. Connect FSx to Windows through RDP Client

Step 1: Select the “Instance (FSx-Connect)” & click on the “Connect”.

Select the “FSx-Connect” Instance

Step 2: Go to the “RDP Client” & click on the “Download remote desktop file”.

Download the Remote Desktop file

Step 3: Your file will be downloaded. Click on the “FSx-Connect.rdp” here.

Open the FSx-Connect.rdp file

Step 4: Click on “Connect”.

Connect with RDP

Step 5: The window ask you to put your “Administrator Password”.

Put the Administrator password Here

Step 6: For getting the password, go to the “Connect to instance”. Click on the “Get password”.

Get Password for the RDP Connection

Step 7: Click on the “Upload private key file”.

Upload the Private Key File Here

Step 8: Upload the Selected (MY-WEB-SERVER.pem) file here, which you have chosen as “Key pair”.

Select the MY-WEB-SERVER.pem

Step 9: Click on the “Open”.

Click on the “Open”

Step 10: Click on the “Decrypt Password”.

Decrypt the Password

Step 11: Copy the password after the “password decryption”.

Copy the Password

Step 12: Go to the “RDP Client” & paste the password there. Click on the “OK”.

Put the Password & Click on the “OK”

Step 13: Click on “Yes”.

Allow the RDP Connection

Step 14: Your “Virtual Window” will be taken sometime after clicking on the “Yes”. In the “Networks”, click on the “Yes” to allow the internet access.

Connection Allowed to Connect to the Network

Step 15: Your “Virtual Window Web Server” is ready for FSx connection.

Virtual Windows Web Server

Step 16: Search the “Control Panel”. Click on the “Control Panel”.

Open the “Control Panel” in the Virtual Windows

Step 17: Click on the “Network and Internet”.

Go to the “Network and Internet” section

Step 18: Click on the “Network and Sharing Center”.

Go to the “Network and Sharing Center”

Step 19: Click on the “Change adapter settings”.

Change the Adapter Settings

Step 20: Select the “Ethernet2”.

Select the “Ethernet2”

Step 21: Do the right click & click on the “Properties”.

Go to the Properties

Step 22: Choose the “Internet Protocol Version 4(TCP/IP) & go to its “Properties”.

Choose the Internet Protocol Version 4

Step 23: The “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPV4) Properties tab” will be opened. In the “General” section, remain the “Obtain an IP address automatically” as it is.

Choose the IP Address as Automatic

Step 24: For pasting the “DNS server” over here, Go to the “directory” & Copy both the “DNS addresses” and paste one by one to the “Windows DNS Server” section.

Copy the DNS Addresses

Step 25: Paste the “DNS Addresses” in the “Use the following DNS server addresses”. Click on “Ok”.

Paste the AWS Active Directory DNS Server to the Windows

Step 26: Click on the “close”. Remove all the tabs after closing this tab.

Close the Ethernet Properties

Step 27: Again, go to the “Control Panel” & click on the “System and Security”.

Go to the “System and Security”

Step 28: Go to the “System”.

Go to the “System”

Step 29: Go to the “Advanced System Settings”.

Advances System Settings

Step 30: Go to the “Computer Name”. Click on the “Change”.

Go to the Change Option

Step 31: In the “Member of Domain”, put your “directory domain name (fsx.ad)” over here. Click on the “OK”.

Put the Directory name in the Domain

Step 32: Put the “Admin & Password” over here & click onthe “Ok”.

Put the Directory Domain Username and Password

Step 33: Click on the “Ok”.

Click on the “OK”

Step 34: The “fsx.ad” will be successfully connected to your EC2 server. Click on the “Ok”.

Click on the “OK”

Step 35: Now, click on the “Ok” to restart the machine for applying the changes.

Restart the Computer

Step 36: Click on the “Close” in the “System Properties”.

Close the System Properties

Step 37: Click on the “Restart Now”.

Restart the Computer Now

Step 38: Now, again open your “RDP client” using your admin & password here. (Process is same as we mentioned above during the steps 4 to 13).

RDP Client

Step 39: Now, go to FSx File System. Choose File System Name (FSx-For-Windows) & click on the “Attach”.

Attach the File System

Step 40: Copy the “highlighted command”.

Copy the Command

Step 41: Go to the “RDP Client” & Open the “Command Prompt”.

Open the Command Prompt

Step 42: Paste the above-given command over here & press the “enter” button from the keyboard.

Paste the FSx command Over Here (In the Virtual Window Machine)

Step 43: It will ask you to your username. Put your directory name and after that put your username like this: (fsx.ad\admin). Press “enter” from the keyboard.

Put the Username Here

Step 44: Now, type the password, which you have mentioned during the directory creation & press “enter” from the keyboard. But the password will not be visible.

Type the Password here

Step 45: You will get the message “The command will be successfully completed”. This means, your “FSx directory” will be successfully connected to the “EC2 server”.

FSx Directory Successfully Connected

Step 46: If you want to check the “(R:) mount”, Click on the “File Explorer”.

Go to the “File Explorer”

Step 47: Go to “This PC”. You can view your “(R:)” mount here below the “C drive”.

View the “(R:) Mount”