With the increasing demand on storage resources as organizations rely more heavily on data than ever before, IT administrators face the challenge of overseeing a larger and more complex storage infrastructure, while at the same time tracking the kind of information it contains. Managing storage resources has come to include not only data size and availability but also the enforcement of company policies and a very good understanding of how existing storage is utilized. This allows for sound strategic planning and proper response to organizational changes.
File Server Resource Manager (FSRM) is Microsoft Management Console snap-in that encompasses a suite of tools that allows administrators to understand, control, and manage the quantity and type of data stored on their servers. By using File Server Resource Manager, administrators can place quotas on volumes, actively screen files and folders, and generate comprehensive storage reports. This set of advanced utilities not only helps the administrator efficiently monitor existing storage resources, but also aids in the planning and implementation of future policy changes.
You can use FSRM to perform the following tasks:
Create quotas to limit the space allowed for a volume or folder and to generate notifications when the quota limits are approached and exceeded.
Create file screens to filter the files that users can save on volumes and in folders and to send notifications when users attempt to save blocked files.
Create periodic or storage reports that allow you to identify trends in disk usage and to monitor attempts to save unauthorized files.
FSRM console consists of two snap-ins: Storage Resource Management, which is used to create quotas that place size limits on folder trees and to create file screens that are used to block files from volumes and folders, and Scheduled Storage Tasks, which is used to schedule several types of storage reports and to generate reports. You can also configure e-mail notifications to be sent when quota limits approach or when users attempt to save files that have been blocked.
Using the FSRM console you can also manage storage resources on a remote computer. While you are connected, the results pane for that snap-in displays the objects created on the remote computer, allowing you to manage them from the console. In order to use FSRM remotely, the remote computer must also be running Windows Server 2003 R2, with the Storage Manager component installed. FSRM also supports servers that are clustered.
Storage Resource Manager quotas vs. NTFS disk quotas
The Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 operating systems support disk quotas, which are used to track and control disk usage per user on NTFS volumes. The following table outlines the advantages of using the quota management tools in Storage Resource Manager.
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