Continuous monitoring: Azure provides different metrics that are available both at the storage account level and individual service level also. These metrics are collected on an hourly basis, and we can define charts based on those metrics and pin those charts to the dashboard. We will see how to do that below.

Logging: We can enable client-side logging using Azure storage client library. And we can allow network logging, and server logging using Azure storage analytics. All these logging can be used to monitor an individual’s transactions for continuous monitoring. These metrics are aggregated data, so we can’t view an individual’s transaction. But by enabling logging, we can investigate by going into the individual’s transaction.

The essential tools that we use to monitor storage are audio storage analytics, which is explained below:

Azure Storage Analytics performs logging and provides data quickly for the storage account. We can use this data to trace requests, analyze usages trends, and diagnose issues with our storage account.
Metrics are enabled by default when we create a storage account. We can allow logging using the Azure portal, Rest APIs, or Client library. Metric uses the Get Blob Service properties, Get Queue Service Properties, Get Table Service Properties, and Get File Service Properties operations to enable Storage Analytics for all the services.
The combined data is stored in a well-known blob (for logging) and in well-known tables (for metrics), which may use respective APIs service.
Storage Analytics has a 20 TB limit on the amount of stored data that is independent of the total limit for your storage account.

Storage analytics logging:

Storage analytics records detailed information about successful and failed requests to a storage service. The data can be used to monitor individual requests and to diagnose issues with a storage service. Both authenticated and anonymous requests will be logged but at different levels. All logs are stored in block blobs inside a container named as $logs, which is automatically created when Storage Analytics is allowed for a storage account. The container ($logs) is located in the blob namespace of the storage account.

The logs are written in the following format

<service-name>/YYYY/MM/DD/hhmm/<counter>.log

Storage analytics metrics

Storage Analytics stores metrics, which include combined transaction statistics and capacity data about the request to a storage service. There are two types of storage analytics metrics.

Transaction metrics

Transaction aggregated data recorded at hourly or minute like reading, write, update, etc.
Data is recorded at the service level and API operation level

Capacity metrics

Capacity data is recorded daily for a storage account’s Blob service, which includes Capacity container count, object count, etc.

All the metrics data for each of the storage service is stored in three tables reserved for that service.

Azure Storage Resource Tool

Azure Storage Explorer: It is a standalone application that enables us to efficiently work with Azure Storage data on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. It provides several ways to connect to storage accounts. For example –

We can connect to storage accounts associated with our azure subscriptions.
We can connect to storage accounts and services that are shared from other Azure subscription
We can connect and manage local storage by using the Azure Storage Emulator.

We can also connect to other services.

Cosmos DB
Data Lake store

Microsoft Azure Storage Emulator: It provides a local environment that emulates the Azure Blob, Queue, and Table services for development purposes. Using the storage emulator, we can test our application against the storage services locally, without creating an Azure subscription or incurring any costs. It is available as part of the Microsoft Azure SDK. We can also install the storage emulator by using the standalone installer.

It uses a local Microsoft SQL Server instance and the local file system to emulate Azure storage services. By default, the storage emulator uses a database in Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Express LocalDB.

Visual studio cloud & server explorer

Server explorer:

The Azure Storage node in Server Explorer shows data in your local storage emulator account and your other Azure storage accounts.
To see the storage emulator account’s resources, expand the Development node.
To view the resource in a storage account, expand the storage account’s node in Server Explorer where you see Blobs, Queues, and Tables nodes.

Cloud explorer:

Cloud Explorer enables us to view our Azure resources and resource groups. We can Inspect their properties, and perform key developer diagnostics actions from within Visual Studio.

To develop some solutions or applications based on Azure Storage resources, we can use Azure storage client library.

We can use connection strings to connect to an Azure Storage account, then use the client libraries’ classes and methods to work with blob, table, file, or queue storage.
Install the NuGet package Windows Azure storage before start developing.

Management API’s

Create and manage Azure Storage accounts and connection keys with the management API.
Install the NuGet package Microsoft.Azure.Management.Storage.Fluent.

Following are the steps to manage Azure storage resources using storage explorer.

Step 1: You have to download and install the storage explorer suitable for your OS.

Step 2: When you install and open the storage explorer for the first time, the following screen will appear. Click next to continue.

u2 1

Step 3: Enter your login credentials to connect your Azure account with storage explorer.

Step 4: Once you added the Azure account, you can select from which subscription you would like to view storage accounts. Then click on apply.

Step 5: You can see two nodes here, Local and attached, and the other is the selected storage account. You can see the containers, blobs, etc. here.

If you want to take some action, you can take steps to copy block containers, managed shared policies, set public access levels, acquire a lease, etc.

So, this brings us to the end of blog. This Tecklearn ‘Azure Storage Monitoring and Resource Tool’ blog helps you with commonly asked questions if you are looking out for a job in Azure and Cloud Computing. If you wish to learn Microsoft Azure and build a career in Cloud Computing domain, then check out our interactive, Microsoft Azure Developer and Administrator Training, that comes with 24*7 support to guide you throughout your learning period. Please find the link for course details:

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This Course provides training for Microsoft Azure Administrator and Azure Developer. Tecklearn’s Azure Administrator training provides you with a deep understanding of the entire administrative lifecycle in Azure environments. This Azure course shows you how to maintain services related to computing, storage, network, and security. Enhance your Azure Administrator skills and prepare to ace the AZ-103 Azure Administrator exam. The Azure Developer certification course prepares you for Microsoft’s Azure Developer certification exam AZ-203. It covers Azure architecture, Azure technology development solutions, Azure storage services, and solutions, Cognitive Services such as Computer Vision, Q&A Maker, Azure service solutions, and API management services.

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What you will Learn in this Course?

Introduction to Azure Compute Solutions and Cloud Computing

Introduction to Microsoft Azure
About Azure Certification

Overview of Azure Storage Services

Azure Storage
Azure File Use Case
Azure DNS
Azure Site Recovery

Secure and Manage Azure Storage

Security Issue
Azure Regions
Azure Services

Implementing Secure Data Solutions and Integrating Caching & CDN

Azure CDN
Azure Traffic Manager
Azure Load Balancer
Azure Scale Set

Implementing Azure App Service Web Apps and Mobile Apps

Design and Implement Azure Service Apps
Web Apps
Pricing Calculator – Azure

Managing Azure Subscriptions and Resource Groups

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Deploy .NET Application using SCM
Deploy App using Visual Studio
Web Job Types
Sendgrid

Develop Event-based and Message-based Solutions in Azure

Messaging Strategy
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Microsoft Azure Service Bus
Queues
Topics
Create Topic
Create Subscription
Azure Relay
Using EventHubs

Implementing Azure App Service API Apps & Azure Functions

Azure PAAS Services
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Function Apps
Logic Apps

Overview of Azure Virtual Machines and Configure Virtual Machines for High Availability

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PowerShell DSC and Custom Script Extension
Scale ARM VMS
VMSS
Monitoring VMs
Dev Test Labs
VM Storage

Design and implement Azure DevOps

CI/CD Pipelines
VSTS
Deployment in pass and VM’s
Scheduled deployments

Manage Azure Active Directory (AD)

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Overview of Azure Active Directory
Azure Active Directory B2C
Azure Active Directory B2B
Key Vault
Azure Graph API

Azure Virtual Networks and Network Security

Redis Caching
Azure search
Virtual Networks
Configure Virtual Network
Hybrid Network Connectivity
ARM VM Networking
Azure security and recovery services

Developing Solutions That Use Relational Database and Azure Blob Storage

Azure DB Services – SQL DB
Azure Notifications
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Enabling Geo-Replication
Export source Database
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Azure Key Vault
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Azure Command Line Interface (CLI) and PowerShell

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