Hotspot Question Your on-premises network contains an Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) forest. The forest contains servers that run Windows Server. The servers contain file shares that…

Dropdown 1: Replicate - Correct Answer: Azure File Sync Why Azure File Sync is correct Azure File Sync is purpose-built for exactly this scenario: synchronizing Windows Server file shares (on-premises or Azure VMs) with Azure Files as a cloud endpoint, and keeping multiple…

Submitted by anna_se· Mar 6, 2026Design data storage solutions

Question

Hotspot Question Your on-premises network contains an Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) forest. The forest contains servers that run Windows Server. The servers contain file shares that replicate by using Distributed File System (DFS) Replication. You have multiple remote Windows 11 devices that connect to the on-premises network by using Point-to-Site (P2S) VPN and access the file shares by using drive mappings. You have an Azure subscription. The subscription contains virtual machines that run Windows Server and are configured as domain controllers. The virtual machines replicate to the on- premises forest. The forest syncs with a Microsoft Entra tenant that is linked to the Azure subscription. You plan to migrate the on-premises file shares to the Azure virtual machines. You need to recommend a solution for replicating the file shares to Azure and providing the Windows 11 devices with access to the shares. The solution must ensure that the devices can access the shares by using mapped drive letters via TCP port 445. What should you use to replicate the shares, and what should the devices use to the access the shares? To answer, select the appropriate options in the answer area. NOTE: Each correct selection is worth one point. Answer:

Exhibit

Answer Area

Replicate
Azure Data ShareAzure Files SyncAzure NetApp Files
Access
RESTSMBSMB over QUIC

Explanation

Dropdown 1: Replicate - Correct Answer: Azure File Sync

Why Azure File Sync is correct

Azure File Sync is purpose-built for exactly this scenario: synchronizing Windows Server file shares (on-premises or Azure VMs) with Azure Files as a cloud endpoint, and keeping multiple server endpoints in sync. It supports multi-endpoint replication, meaning you can replicate from on-premises Windows Servers to Windows Server VMs in Azure. It integrates natively with AD DS, supports NTFS permissions, and works alongside DFS namespaces - making it a natural successor to DFS Replication for hybrid migrations.

Why the alternatives are wrong

Azure Data Share - A data-sharing service designed for sharing datasets with external organizations (B2B). It has no concept of file share replication between your own on-premises and cloud environments. Wrong tool entirely.
Azure NetApp Files - A high-performance managed NAS service (NFS/SMB) for lift-and-shift enterprise workloads. It hosts file shares but provides no replication mechanism from on-premises servers. It doesn't solve the "replicate to Azure VMs" requirement.

Dropdown 2: Access - Correct Answer: SMB

Why SMB is correct

The question specifies two hard requirements for client access:

Mapped drive letters - requires SMB (UNC paths like \\server\share mapped to drive letters)
TCP port 445 - this is the standard SMB port

Standard SMB over TCP 445 satisfies both constraints. The Windows 11 devices connect via P2S VPN, which tunnels them into the Azure virtual network, giving them direct TCP 445 access to the Azure VM file servers - exactly like being on the corporate LAN.

Why the alternatives are wrong

REST - Azure Files supports a REST API (HTTPS port 443), but REST cannot be used to map a drive letter. It's for programmatic access, not Windows Explorer or net use mappings.
SMB over QUIC - SMB over QUIC is a modern transport that wraps SMB in the QUIC protocol over UDP port 443 (not TCP 445). The question explicitly requires TCP port 445, so this is disqualified. SMB over QUIC is also designed for internet-facing access without VPN - the devices here already have VPN connectivity, so it's unnecessary.

Summary

Dropdown	Correct Choice	Key Reason
Replicate	Azure File Sync	Syncs Windows Server file shares to Azure; multi-endpoint, AD-aware
Access	SMB	Drive mappings require SMB; TCP 445 is standard SMB - not QUIC (UDP 443)

Topics

#Azure Files Sync#File Share Migration#SMB#Hybrid File Services

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