Specify an appropriate storage option, including Managed, Premium, Ultra disk, Scale-Out File Server (SOFS) with Storage Spaces Direct, Azure NetApp Files, and Azure shared disks

There are several storage options available in Azure for planning and administering SAP workloads. Each option has unique features and capabilities that cater to specific requirements. Let’s take a closer look at some of the appropriate storage options for SAP workloads in Azure.

1. Managed Disks

Azure Managed Disks provide durable and highly available storage for SAP applications. They handle disk management operations and offer simplicity, scalability, and reliability. Managed Disks come in different types, including Standard HDD, Standard SSD, Premium SSD, and Ultra SSD, allowing you to choose the appropriate performance and cost balance for your SAP applications.

To create a managed disk in Azure, you can use the Azure portal or command-line tools. Here’s an example of creating a managed disk using Azure CLI:

az disk create --name --resource-group --size-gb --location


2. Premium Disk

Azure Premium Disks offer high-performance storage for SAP workloads by leveraging solid-state drives (SSDs). They provide low latency and high IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second), making them suitable for mission-critical and performance-sensitive SAP applications.

To provision a Premium Disk in Azure, you can use the Azure portal or infrastructure-as-code solutions like Azure Resource Manager templates. Here’s an example of defining a Premium Disk in an ARM template:

"resources": [
{
"name": "",
"type": "Microsoft.Compute/disks",
"apiVersion": "2019-07-01",
"location": "",
"properties": {
"creationData": {
"createOption": "Empty"
},
"diskSizeGB": ,
"diskIOPSReadWrite": ,
"diskMBpsReadWrite": ,
"encryptionSettings": {
"enabled": true
},
"sku": {
"name": "Premium_LRS"
}
}
}
]


3. Ultra Disk

Azure Ultra Disks provide the highest level of performance and scalability for SAP workloads. They offer even lower latency and higher throughput compared to Premium Disks. Ultra Disks are designed for latency-sensitive applications that require extremely high IOPS and consistent sub-millisecond response times.

To create an Ultra Disk in Azure, you can utilize Azure CLI or Azure PowerShell. Here’s an example of provisioning an Ultra Disk using Azure PowerShell:

New-AzDisk -ResourceGroupName -Location -DiskName -DiskSizeGB -DiskSku 'UltraSSD_LRS'


4. Scale-Out File Server (SOFS) with Storage Spaces Direct

Azure offers Scale-Out File Server (SOFS) combined with Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) as a storage option for SAP workloads. This architecture provides a highly available and scalable storage solution, enabling SAP instances to access shared storage with high IOPS.

To deploy SOFS with S2D, you need to follow the deployment guides provided by Microsoft. These guides outline the necessary steps to configure virtual machines, storage pools, and virtual disks using Windows Server Failover Clustering and Storage Spaces Direct technologies.

5. Azure NetApp Files

Azure NetApp Files is a fully managed, high-performance file storage service provided by Microsoft. It offers shared file storage with low latency and high throughput, making it suitable for SAP workloads that require shared file access.

To create an Azure NetApp Files volume, you can use the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell. Here’s an example of using Azure CLI to create an Azure NetApp Files volume:

az netappfiles volume create --resource-group --account-name --pool-name --volume-name --location --service-level --usage-threshold


6. Azure Shared Disks

Azure Shared Disks is a recently introduced feature that enables multiple virtual machines to share the same disk. It provides shared storage for clustered applications like SAP, ensuring high availability and consistency.

To create an Azure Shared Disk, you can use the Azure portal, Azure PowerShell, or Azure CLI. Here’s an example of creating an Azure Shared Disk using Azure CLI:

az disk create --name --resource-group --location --size-gb --sku Standard_LRS --usage-type Shared


In summary, Azure provides a range of storage options for planning and administering SAP workloads. Whether you require managed disks, premium storage, ultra disks, scale-out file servers, Azure NetApp Files, or shared disks, Azure has the suitable storage solution to meet your SAP workload requirements.