Lab answer key: Implementing storage solutions in Windows Server

Note: An interactive lab simulation is available that allows you to click through this lab at your own pace. You may find slight differences between the interactive simulation and the hosted lab, but the core concepts and ideas being demonstrated are the same.

Note: Be sure to revert the virtual machines (VMs) between each exercise. Due to most of the VMs being Windows Server 2019 Server Core, the time it takes to revert and restart is faster than attempting to undo changes made to the storage environment in the exercises.

Exercise 1: Implementing Data Deduplication

Task 1: Install the Data Deduplication role service

1. Connect to SEA-ADM1, and then, if needed, sign in as CONTOSO\Administrator with a password of Pa55w.rd.
2. On SEA-ADM1, select Start, and then select Server Manager.
3. In Server Manager, select Manage, and then select Add Roles and Features.
4. In the Add Roles and Features Wizard, select Next twice.
5. On the Select destination server page , in the Server Pool pane, select SEA-SVR3.Contoso.com, and then select Next.
6. On the Select server roles page, in the Roles pane, expand the File and Storage Services item, and then expand the File and iSCSI Services item, select the Data Deduplication item, and then select Next.
7. On the Select features page, select Next, and then in the Confirm installation selections page, select Install.
8. While the role service is installing, on the taskbar, select the File Explorer icon.
9. In File Explorer, browse to drive C.
10. Select the Labfiles directory, and then display the context-sensitive menu. In the menu, select Give access to, and then, in the cascading menu, select Specific people….
11. In the Network access window, in the Type a name and then click Add, or click the arrow to find someone text box, type Users and click Add.
12. In the Network access window, select Share, and once you are presented with the Your folder is shared window, select Done.
13. Switch back to the Server Manager window, and then, on the Add Roles and Features Wizard installation succeeded page, select Close.
14. Switch to the SEA-SVR3 console session, and then, if needed, sign in as CONTOSO\Administrator with a password of Pa55w.rd.
15. If presented with the SConfig menu, at Enter number to select an option, enter 15 and press Enter to exit to a PowerShell console session.
    

    Note: To open Notepad from PowerShell, type Notepad and press enter.

16. At the Windows PowerShell prompt, enter the following commands, and press Enter after each to create a new drive formatted with ReFS:
    CodeCopy

    Get-Disk
    Initialize-Disk -Number 1
    New-Partition -DiskNumber 1 -UseMaximumSize -DriveLetter M
    Format-Volume -DriveLetter M -FileSystem ReFS
    

17. At the Windows PowerShell prompt, enter the following commands, and press Enter after each to copy from SEA-ADM1 a script that creates sample files to be deduplicated, execute it, and identify the outcome:
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    New-PSDrive –Name 'X' –PSProvider FileSystem –Root '\\SEA-ADM1\Labfiles'
    New-Item -Type Directory -Path 'M:\Data' -Force
    Copy-Item -Path X:\Lab09\CreateLabFiles.cmd -Destination M:\Data\ -PassThru
    Start-Process -FilePath M:\Data\CreateLabFiles.cmd -PassThru
    Set-Location -Path M:\Data
    Get-ChildItem -Path .
    Get-PSDrive -Name M
    

    Note: Record the free space on drive M.

Task 2: Enable and configure Data Deduplication

1. Switch back to the console session to SEA-ADM1, and then, within the console session, switch to Server Manager.
2. In the Server Manager tree pane, select File and Storage Services, and then select Disks.
3. In the Disks pane, browse to the list of disks of SEA-SVR3 and select the entry representing the disk number 1, which you configured in the previous task.
4. In the Volumes pane, display the context-sensitive menu of the M: volume, and then, in the menu, select Configure Data Deduplication.
5. In the Volume (M:\) Deduplication Settings window, in the Data deduplication drop-down list, select the General purpose file server setting.
6. In the Deduplicate files older than (in days): text box, replace the default value of 3 with 0.
7. Select the Set Deduplication Schedule button.
8. In the SEA-SVR3 Deduplication Schedule window, select Enable throughput optimization, and then select OK.
9. Back in the Volume (M:\) Deduplication Settings window, select OK.

Task 3: Test Data Deduplication

1. On SEA-ADM1, select Start, and then select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
   

   Note: Perform the next two steps in case you have not already installed Windows Admin Center on SEA-ADM1.

2. In the Windows PowerShell console, enter the following command and then press Enter to download the latest version of Windows Admin Center:
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   Start-BitsTransfer -Source https://aka.ms/WACDownload -Destination "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\WindowsAdminCenter.msi"
   

3. Enter the following command and then press Enter to install Windows Admin Center:
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   Start-Process msiexec.exe -Wait -ArgumentList "/i $env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\WindowsAdminCenter.msi /qn /L*v log.txt REGISTRY_REDIRECT_PORT_80=1 SME_PORT=443 SSL_CERTIFICATE_OPTION=generate"
   

   Note: Wait until the installation completes. This should take about 2 minutes.

4. On SEA-ADM1, start Microsoft Edge, and then go to https://SEA-ADM1.contoso.com.
   

   Note: If the link does not work, on SEA-ADM1, open File Explorer, select Downloads folder, in the Downloads folder select WindowsAdminCenter.msi file and install manually. After the install completes, refresh Microsoft Edge.

   Note: If you get NET::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID error, select Advanced on the Edge browser page, at the bottom of page select Continue to sea-adm1-contoso.com (unsafe).

5. If prompted, in the Windows Security dialog box, enter the following credentials, and then select OK:
   • Username: CONTOSO\Administrator
   • Password: Pa55w.rd
6. On the All connections pane, select + Add.
7. On the Add or create resources pane, on the Servers tile, select Add.
8. In the Server name text box, enter sea-svr3.contoso.com.
9. If needed, ensure that the Use another account for this connection option is selected, enter the following credentials, and then select Add with credentials:
   • Username: CONTOSO\Administrator
   • Password: Pa55w.rd
10. On the sea-svr3.contoso.com page, in the Tools menu, select PowerShell, and then, when prompted, sign in as the CONTOSO\Administrator user with Pa55w.rd as its password.
11. In the Windows PowerShell console, enter the following command and then press Enter to trigger deduplication:
    CodeCopy

    Start-DedupJob -Volume M: -Type Optimization –Memory 50
    

12. Switch back to the console session to SEA-SVR3.
13. On SEA-SVR3, at the Windows PowerShell prompt, enter the following command and press Enter to identify the available space on the volume being deduplicated:
    CodeCopy

    Get-PSDrive -Name M
    

    Note: Compare the previously displayed values with the current ones.

14. Wait for five to ten minutes to allow the deduplication job to complete and repeat the previous step.
15. Switch back to console session to SEA-ADM1.
16. On SEA-ADM1, in the Windows PowerShell console within the Microsoft Edge window displaying Windows Admin Center connection to sea-svr3.contoso.com, enter the following commands and press Enter after each to determine the status of the deduplication job:
    CodeCopy

    Get-DedupStatus –Volume M: | fl
    Get-DedupVolume –Volume M: |fl
    Get-DedupMetadata –Volume M: |fl
    

17. On SEA-ADM1, switch to the Disks pane in Server Manager, and then, in the TASKS menu in the upper right corner, select Refresh.
18. Select the M: volume in the VOLUMES section, display its context sensitive menu, and select Properties from the menu.
19. In the Volume (M:\) Properties window, review the values for Deduplication rate and Deduplication savings.

Exercise 2: Configuring iSCSI storage

Task 1: Install iSCSI and configure targets

1. On SEA-ADM1, switch to the Windows PowerShell window.
2. In the Windows PowerShell console, enter the following command and press Enter to establish a PowerShell Remoting session to SEA-SVR3:
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   Enter-PSSession -ComputerName SEA-SVR3
   

3. Enter the following command and press Enter to install iSCSI target on SEA-SVR3:
   CodeCopy

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

4. Enter the following commands and after each, press Enter to create a new volume formatted with ReFS on disk 2:
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   Initialize-Disk -Number 2
   $partition2 = New-Partition -DiskNumber 2 -UseMaximumSize -AssignDriveLetter
   Format-Volume -DriveLetter $partition2.DriveLetter -FileSystem ReFS
   

5. Enter the following commands and after each, press Enter to create a new volume formatted with ReFS on disk 3:
   CodeCopy

   Initialize-Disk -Number 3
   $partition3 = New-Partition -DiskNumber 3 -UseMaximumSize -AssignDriveLetter
   Format-Volume -DriveLetter $partition3.DriveLetter -FileSystem ReFS
   

6. Enter the following commands and after each, press Enter to configure Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security rules that allow iSCSI traffic:
   CodeCopy

   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
   

7. Enter the following command and press Enter to display the drive letters assigned to the newly created volumes:
   CodeCopy

   $partition2.DriveLetter
   $partition3.DriveLetter
   

   Note: The instructions assume that drive letters are E and F respectively. If your drive letter assignments are different, take this into account as you follow instructions in this exercise.

Task 2: Connect to and configure iSCSI targets

1. On SEA-ADM1, switch to Server Manager.
2. On SEA-ADM1, switch to the Disks pane in Server Manager, and then, in the TASKS menu in the upper right corner, select Refresh.
3. In Server Manager, with Disks of File and Storage Services selected in the tree pane, in the TASKS menu in the upper right corner, select Refresh.
4. Review the updated SEA-SVR3 disk configuration with disks 2 and 3 online.
5. Browse to the SEA-DC1 entry and review the disk configuration.
   

   Note: SEA-DC1 has only a single disk hosting the boot and system volumes.

6. In Server Manager, in File and Storage Services, select iSCSI, select Tasks, and then, in the drop-down menu, select New iSCSI Virtual Disk.
7. In the New iSCSI Virtual Disk Wizard, on the Select iSCSI virtual disk location page, under the SEA-SVR3 server, select the E: volume, and then select Next.
8. In the Specify iSCSI virtual disk name page, in the Name text box, enter iSCSIDisk1, and then select Next.
9. On the Specify iSCSI virtual disk size page, in the Size text box, enter 5. Leave all other settings with their default values and then select Next.
10. On the Assign iSCSI target page, ensure the New iSCSI target radio button is selected, and then select Next.
11. In the Specify target name page, in the Name field, enter iSCSIFarm, and then select Next.
12. In the Specify access servers page, select the Add button.
13. In the Select a method to identify the initiator window, select the Browse button.
14. In the Select Computer window, in the Enter the object name to select text box, enter SEA-DC1, select Check Names, and then select OK.
15. In the Select a method to identify the initiator window, select OK.
16. On the Specify access servers page, select Next.
17. On the Enable Authentication page, select Next.
18. On the Confirm selections page, select Create.
19. On the View results page, select Close.
20. Create the second iSCSI virtual disk (F:), by repeating steps 6 through 9, selecting the existing iSCSI target, and completing the wizard using step 18 through 19, using the following settings:
    • Storage Location: F:
    • Name: iSCSIDisk2
    • Disk size: 5 GB, Dynamically Expanding
    • iSCSI target: iSCSIFarm
21. Switch to the SEA-DC1 console session, and then, if needed, sign in as CONTOSO\Administrator with a password of Pa55w.rd.
22. If presented with the SConfig menu, at the Enter number to select an option, enter 15 and press Enter to exit to a PowerShell console session.
23. At the Windows PowerShell prompt, enter the following commands, and press Enter after each, to start the iSCSI Initiator service and display the iSCSI Initiator configuration:
    CodeCopy

    Start-Service -Name MSiSCSI
    iscsicpl
    

    Note: The iscsicpl command will open an iSCSI Initiator Properties window.

24. On SEA-DC1, in the iSCSI Initiator Properties dialog box, on the Targets tab, in the Target text box, type SEA-SVR3.contoso.com, and then select Quick Connect.
25. In the Quick Connect dialog box, note that the Discovered target name is iqn.1991-05.com.microsoft:sea-svr3-iscscifarm-target, and then select Done.
26. In the iSCSI Initiator Properties dialog box, select OK.

Task 3: Verify iSCSI disk configuration

1. Switch back to the console session to SEA-ADM1 with the Server Manager window active.
2. In Server Manager, switch from the iSCSI pane in File and Storage Services to the Disks pane, and then, in the TASKS menu in the upper right corner, select Refresh.
3. Review the SEA-DC1 disk configuration and verify that it includes two 5 GB disks with the Offline status and the iSCSI bus type.
4. Switch to the SEA-DC1 console session.
5. At the Windows PowerShell prompt, enter the following command and press Enter to list the disk configuration:
   CodeCopy

   Get-Disk
   

   Note: Both disks are present and healthy, but offline. To use them, you need to initialize and format them.

6. Enter the following commands, and press Enter after each to create a volume formatted with ReFS with the drive letter E.
   CodeCopy

   Initialize-Disk -Number 1
   New-Partition -DiskNumber 1 -UseMaximumSize -DriveLetter E
   Format-Volume -DriveLetter E -FileSystem ReFS
   

7. Repeat the previous step to create a new drive formatted with ReFS but this time use the disk number 2 and the drive letter F.
8. Switch back to the console session to SEA-ADM1 with the Server Manager window active.
9. In Server Manager, refresh the Disks pane in File and Storage Services by selecting Refresh in the TASKS menu in the upper right corner of the window.
10. Review the SEA-DC1 disk configuration and verify that both drives are now Online.

Task 4: Revert disk configuration

1. Switch back to the console session to SEA-SVR3.
2. At the Windows PowerShell prompt, enter the following commands, and press Enter after each to reset disks on SEA-SVR3 to their original state (when prompted to confirm execution of the Clear-Disk cmdlet, press the Y key and then press Enter prior to each loop iteration):
   CodeCopy

   for ($num = 1;$num -le 4; $num++) {Clear-Disk -Number $num -RemoveData -RemoveOEM -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue}
   for ($num = 1;$num -le 4; $num++) {Set-Disk -Number $num -IsOffline $true}
   

   Note: This is necessary in order to prepare for the next exercise.

Exercise 3: Configuring redundant Storage Spaces

Task 1: Create a storage pool

1. Switch back to the console session to SEA-ADM1 with the Server Manager window active.
2. In Server Manager, refresh the Disks pane in File and Storage Services by selecting Refresh in the TASKS menu in the upper right corner of the window.
3. In the Disks pane, scroll down, and note that the SEA-SVR3 disks 1 through 4 are listed with Unknown partitions and the Offline status.
4. Select each of the four disks in sequence, display its context-sensitive menu, select the Bring Online option in the menu, and then in the Bring Disk Online window, select Yes.
5. Verify that all disks are listed with the Online status. In Server Manager, in the navigation pane, select Storage Pools.
6. In Server Manager, in the STORAGE POOLS area, in the TASKS list, select New Storage Pool.
7. In the New Storage Pool Wizard, on the Before you begin page, select Next.
8. On the Specify a storage pool name and subsystem page, in the Name text box, enter SP1. In the Description text box, enter Storage Pool 1. In the Select the group of available disks (also known as a primordial pool) that you want to use listing, select the SEA-SVR3 entry, and then select Next.
9. On the Select physical disks for the storage pool page, select the check boxes next to the three disks of 127 GB size, and then select Next.
10. On the Confirm selections page, review the settings, and then select Create.
11. Select Close.

Task 2: Create a volume based on a three-way mirrored disk

1. On SEA-ADM1, in Server Manager, on the Storage Pools pane, select SP1.
2. In the VIRTUAL DISKS area, select TASKS, and then select New Virtual Disk.
3. In the Select the storage pool dialog box, select SP1, and then select OK.
4. In the New Virtual Disk Wizard, on the Before you begin page, select Next.
5. On the Specify the virtual disk name page, in the Name text box, enter Three-Mirror, and then select Next.
6. On the Specify enclosure resiliency page, select Next.
7. On the Select the storage layout page, select Mirror, and then select Next.
8. On the Specify the provisioning type page, select Thin, and then select Next.
9. On the Specify the size of the virtual disk page, in the Specify size text box, enter 25, and then select Next.
10. On the Confirm selections page, review the settings, and then select Create.
11. On the View results page, clear the Create a volume when this wizard closes check box, and then select Close.
12. In Server Manager, in the navigation pane, ensure that the Volumes entry is selected.
13. In the VOLUMES area, select TASKS, and then select New Volume.
14. In the New Volume Wizard, on the Before you begin page, select Next.
15. On the Select the server and disk page, select SEA-SVR3, select Three-Mirror, and then select Next.
16. On the Specify the size of the volume page, select Next.
17. On the Assign to a drive letter or folder page, select Drive letter, select T, and then select Next.
18. On the Select file system settings page, in the File system drop-down list, select ReFS. In the Volume label text box, enter TestData, and then select Next.
19. On the Enable Data Deduplication page, select Next.
20. On the Confirm selections page, select Create.
21. On the Completion page, select Close.

Task 3: Manage a volume in File Explorer

1. On SEA-ADM1, switch to the Windows PowerShell hosting PowerShell Remoting session to SEA-SVR3.
2. In the Windows PowerShell console, at the [SEA-SVR3] prompt, enter the following command and press Enter to enable all of the File and Printer Sharing rules of Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security:
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   Enable-NetFirewallRule -Group "@FirewallAPI.dll,-28502"
   

3. On SEA-ADM1, in the taskbar, select the File Explorer icon.
4. In the File Explorer window, in the Address bar, enter \\SEA-SVR3.contoso.com\t$.
5. In File Explorer, in the Details pane, display the context-sensitive menu, and then, in the menu, select New Folder. Replace the default name assigned to the new folder with TestData, and then press Enter.
6. In File Explorer, double-click the newly created TestData folder.
7. In File Explorer, in the Details pane, display context-sensitive menu, and then, in the menu, select New, and then select Text Document. Replace the default name assigned to the new file with TestDocument, and then press Enter.

Task 4: Disconnect a disk from the storage pool and verify volume availability

1. On SEA-ADM1, switch to Server Manager. In the File and Storage Services tree pane, select Storage Pools, and then select SP1.
2. In the Physical Disks pane, select the TASKS drop-down list, and then select Add Physical Disk.
3. In the Add Physical Disk dialog box, in the row representing the fourth disk to be added to the pool, select the check box next to the disk name. In the Allocation drop-down list, ensure that the Automatic entry is selected, and then select OK.
4. In the PHYSICAL DISKS pane, right-click the top disk in the list, and then select Remove disk.
5. In the Remove Physical Disk window, select Yes.
6. In the Remove Physical Disk dialog box, review the message stating that Windows is repairing the affected virtual disk, and then select OK.
7. Switch back to the File Explorer window displaying the content of the TestData folder.
8. Open TestDocument.txt and verify that its content is still available.

Task 5: Add a disk to the storage pool and verify volume availability

1. On SEA-ADM1, switch to Server Manager. In File and Storage Services tree pane, with the Storage Pools entry selected, in the TASKS menu in the upper right corner, select Rescan Storage.
2. When prompted, in the Rescan Storage dialog box, select Yes.
3. In the Physical Disks pane, select TASKS, and then, in the drop-down menu, select Add Physical Disk.
4. In the Add Physical Disk window, in the row representing the fourth disk to be added to the pool, select the check box next to the disk name. In the Allocation drop-down list, ensure that the Automatic entry is selected, and then select OK.
5. On SEA-ADM1, switch to the File Explorer window and verify that the TestData folder and its content are still available.

Task 6: Revert disk configuration

1. Switch back to the console session to SEA-SVR3.
2. At the Windows PowerShell prompt, enter the following commands and press Enter after each, to reset disks on SEA-SVR3 to their original state (when prompted to confirm execution of the Remove-VirtualDisk, Remove-StoragePool, and Clear-Disk cmdlet, press the Y key and then press Enter prior to each cmdlet execution):
   CodeCopy

   Get-VirtualDisk -FriendlyName 'Three-Mirror' | Remove-VirtualDisk
   Get-StoragePool -FriendlyName 'SP1' | Remove-StoragePool
   for ($num = 1;$num -le 4; $num++) {Clear-Disk -Number $num -RemoveData -RemoveOEM -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue}
   for ($num = 1;$num -le 4; $num++) {Set-Disk -Number $num -IsOffline $true}
   

   Note: This is necessary in order to prepare for the next exercise.

Exercise 4: Implementing Storage Spaces Direct

Task 1: Prepare for installation of Storage Spaces Direct

1. Switch back to the console session to SEA-ADM1 and select All Servers.
2. On SEA-ADM1, in Server Manager, in the console tree, select All Servers, and verify that SEA-SVR1, SEA-SVR2, and SEA-SVR3 have the Manageability status of Online – Performance counters not started before continuing.
3. In Server Manager, in the navigation pane, select File and Storage Services, and then select Disks.
4. With the Disks pane selected, in its upper right corner, in the TASKS menu, select Refresh.
5. In the Disks pane, scroll down to the listing of SEA-SVR3 disks 1 through 4, and verify that their respective entries in the Partition column are listed as Unknown.
6. Select each of the four disks in sequence, and then display its context-sensitive menu. In the menu, select the Bring Online option, and then in the Bring Disk Online window, select Yes.
7. Use the same method to bring online all disks of SEA-SVR1 and SEA-SVR2.
8. On SEA-ADM1, select Start, and in the Start menu, select Windows PowerShell ISE.
9. In Windows PowerShell ISE, select the File menu. In the File menu, select Open, and then, in the Open dialog box, go to C:\Labfiles\Lab09.
10. Select Implement-StorageSpacesDirect.ps1, and then select Open.
    

    Note: The script is divided into numbered steps. There are eight steps, and each step has a number of commands. To execute an individual line, you can place the cursor anywhere within that line and press F8 or select the Run Selection in the toolbar of the Windows PowerShell ISE window. To execute multiple lines, select all of them in their entirety, and then use either F8 or the Run Selection toolbar icon. The sequence of steps is described in the instructions of this exercise. Ensure that each step completes before starting the next one.

11. Select the first line in step 1, and then press F8 to install the File Server role and Failover Clustering feature on SEA-SVR1, SEA-SVR2, and SEA-SVR3.
    

    Note: Wait until the installation finishes. This should take about 2 minutes. Verify that, in the output of each command, the Success property is set to True.

12. Select the second line in step 1, and then press F8 to restart SEA-SVR1, SEA-SVR2, and SEA-SVR3.
    

    Note: Once you invoke the second command to restart the servers, you can run the third command to install the Failover Clustering management tools without waiting for the restarts to finish.

13. Select the third line in step 1, starting with Install, and then press F8 to install Failover Cluster Manager tool on SEA-ADM1.
    

    Note: Wait a few minutes while the servers restart and the Failover Cluster Manager tool is installed on SEA-ADM1.

Task 2: Create and validate a failover cluster

1. On SEA-ADM1, switch to the Server Manager window.
2. In Server Manager, select Tools, and then select Failover Cluster Manager to verify that its installation completed successfully.
3. On SEA-ADM1, switch to the Administrator: Windows PowerShell ISE window, select the line in step 2 starting with Test-Cluster, and then press F8 to invoke cluster validation tests.
   

   Note: Wait until the tests complete. This should take about 2 minutes. Verify that none of the tests fail. Ignore any warnings since these are expected.

4. In the Administrator: Windows PowerShell ISE window, select the line in step 3 starting with New-Cluster, and then press F8 to create a cluster.
   

   Note: Wait until the step completes. This should take about 2 minutes.

5. On SEA-ADM1, switch to the Failover Cluster Manager window. In the Actions pane, select Connect to Cluster, enter S2DCluster.Contoso.com, and then select OK.

Task 3: Enable Storage Spaces Direct

1. On SEA-ADM1, switch to the Administrator: Windows PowerShell ISE window, select the line in step 4 starting with Invoke-Command, and then press F8 to enable Storage Spaces Direct on the newly installed cluster.
   

   Note: Wait until the step completes. This should take about 1 minute.

2. In the Administrator: Windows PowerShell ISE window, select the line in step 5 starting with Invoke-Command, and then press F8 to create S2DStoragePool.
   

   Note: Wait until the step completes. This should take less than 1 minute. In the output of the command, verify that the FriendlyName attribute has a value of S2DStoragePool.

3. Switch to the Failover Cluster Manager window, expand S2DCluster.Contoso.com, expand Storage, and then select Pools.
4. Verify the existence of Cluster Pool 1.
5. In the Administrator: Windows PowerShell ISE window, select the line in step 6 starting with Invoke-Command, and then press F8 to create virtual disks.
   

   Note: Wait until the step completes. This should take less than 1 minute.

6. Switch to the Failover Cluster Manager window, and then, within the Storage node, select Disks.
7. Verify the existence of Cluster Virtual Disk (CSV).

Task 4: Create a storage pool, a virtual disk, and a share

1. In the Administrator: Windows PowerShell ISE window, select the line in step 7 starting with Invoke-Command, and then press F8 to create a File Server cluster role.
   

   Note: Wait until the step completes. This should take less than 1 minute.

2. Verify that the output of the command includes the role definition, with the attribute FriendlyName set to S2D-SOFS. This validates that the command was successful.
3. Switch to the Failover Cluster Manager window and select Roles.
4. Verify the existence of the S2D-SOFS role. This also verifies that the command completed successfully.
5. In the Administrator: Windows PowerShell ISE window, select the three lines in step 8, starting with Invoke-Command, and then press F8 to create a file share.
   

   Note: Wait until the step completes. This should take less than 1 minute.

6. Verify that the output of the command includes definition of a file share, with the attribute Path set to C:\ClusterStorage\CSV\VM01. This validates that the command completed successfully.
7. In the Failover Cluster Manager window, in the Roles pane, select S2D-SOFS under the Name column, and then select the Shares tab.
8. Verify the existence of the share named VM01. This also verifies that the command completed successfully.

Task 5: Verify Storage Spaces Direct functionality

1. On SEA-ADM1, on the taskbar, select the File Explorer icon.
2. In File Explorer, in the address bar, enter \\S2D-SOFS.contoso.com\VM01, and then press Enter to open the target file share.
3. In File Explorer, in the details pane, display the context-sensitive menu, and then, in the menu, select New Folder. Replace the default name assigned to the new folder with VMFolder, and then press Enter.
4. On SEA-ADM1, switch to the Administrator: Windows PowerShell ISE window.
5. In the console pane of Administrator: Windows PowerShell ISE window, enter the following command, and then press Enter to shut down SEA-SVR3:
   CodeCopy

   Stop-Computer -ComputerName SEA-SVR3 -Force
   

6. On SEA-ADM1, switch to the Server Manager window, select All Servers, and then, in the TASKS menu in the upper right corner, select Refresh.
7. Verify that the SEA-SVR3 entry has the Target computer not accessible entry in the Manageability column.
8. Switch back to the File Explorer window and verify that the VMFolder remains accessible.
9. Switch to Failover Cluster Manager, select Disks, and then select Cluster Virtual Disk (CSV).
10. Verify that for the Cluster Virtual Disk (CSV), the Health Status is set to Warning and Operational Status to Degraded (Operational Status might also be listed as Incomplete.)
11. On SEA-ADM1, switch to the Microsoft Edge window displaying Windows Admin Center.
12. Browse to the All connections pane and select + Add.
13. In the Add or create resources pane, in the Server clusters pane, select Add.
14. In the Cluster name text box, enter S2DCluster.Contoso.com.
15. Ensure that Use another account for this connection option is selected, enter the following credentials, and then select Connect with account:
    • Username: CONTOSO\Administrator
    • Password: Pa55w.rd
16. Clear Also add servers in the cluster and select Add.
17. Back on the All connections page, select s2dcluster.contoso.com.
18. Verify that when the page loads, the Dashboard pane has an alert indicating that SEA-SVR3 is not reachable.
19. Switch to the console session to SEA-SVR3 and start it.
    

    Note: It may take a few minutes for the alert to be automatically removed.

20. Refresh the browser page displaying Windows Admin Center and verify that all servers are healthy.