For months, you have been warning your boss that the organization’s file server
ID: 3847468 • Letter: F
Question
For months, you have been warning your boss that the organization’s file server (running Windows Server 2012 Server) is being misused by the staff. Staff regularly back up their family’s photo albums, personal movies, and their iTunes music and video libraries on the file server. You’re now running out of server disk space, maxing out your backup system, and in dire need of help. Since your boss has been ignoring your warnings, you quote a new server that can handle this level of storage and backup. When your boss sees the quote, he panics. “There’s no way we can afford that! Why didn’t you tell me about these problems sooner? What else can we do to get a handle of this issue?! Come up with a plan immediately!” You keep your cool. After calmly walking out of his office, you sit down at your desk to come up with a two phase plan. Communication is going to be a key factor to this project. First, you need to tell the staff what is going on and what is going to happen. At this point, you don’t need a formal policy, but a short explanation for your boss to send out via an all-office email. Second, you need to propose the technical plan to your boss. Explain the technology that you’ll be using to control the file server usage. Be specific to the solution, policies, and/or controls that you recommend putting in place. Be sure to explain how they’ll work and how they’ll resolve the ongoing problem. Write the wording for the all-office memo as well as the technical recommendation to your boss.
Explanation / Answer
The technology named as file server resource manager is a set of features that allow you to manage and classify data that is stored on file servers and it includes the following features:
File Classification Infrastructure: File Classification Infrastructure provides insight into your data by automating classification processes so that you can manage your data more effectively. You can classify files and apply policies based on this classification. Example policies include dynamic access control for restricting access to files, file encryption, and file expiration. Files can be classified automatically by using file classification rules or manually by modifying the properties of a selected file or folder.
File Management Tasks: File Management Tasks enables you to apply a conditional policy or action to files based on their classification. The conditions of a file management task include the file location, the classification properties, the date the file was created, the last modified date of the file, or the last time the file was accessed. The actions that a file management task can take include the ability to expire files, encrypt files, or run a custom command.
Quota Management: Quotas allow you to limit the space that is allowed for a volume or folder, and they can be automatically applied to new folders that are created on a volume. You can also define quota templates that can be applied to new volumes or folders.
File Screening Management: File screens help you control the types of files that user can store on a file server. You can limit the extension that can be stored on your shared files. For example, you can create a file screen that does not allow files with an MP3 extension to be stored in personal shared folders on a file server.
Storage Reports Storage: reports are used to help you identify trends in disk usage and how your data is classified. You can also monitor a selected group of users for attempts to save unauthorized files.
The features included with File Server Resource Manager can be configured and managed by using the File Server Resource Manager Microsoft Management Console (MMC) or by using Windows PowerShell.
Some practical applications for File Server Resource Manager include:
Use file classification Infrastructure with the Dynamic Access Control scenario to create a policy that grants access to files and folders based on the way files are classified on the file server.
Create a file classification rule that tags any file that contains at least 10 social security numbers as having personally identifiable information.
Expire any file that has not been modified in the last 10 years.
Create a 200 megabyte quota for each user’s home directory and notify them when they are using 180 megabytes.
Do not allow any music files to be stored in personal shared folders.
Schedule a report that runs every Sunday night at midnight that generates a list of the most recently accessed files from the previous two days. This can help you determine the weekend storage activity and plan your server downtime accordingly.
You can introduce the standard policies of the file server resource manager to your boss for approval and on approval install and control the same and inform all users about the new policies for better server control and safe operation.
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