Setting the maximum amount of shadow copy storage - Amazon FSx for Windows File Server

Setting the maximum amount of shadow copy storage

You define the maximum amount of storage that shadow copies can consume on a file system using the Set-FsxShadowStorage custom PowerShell command. You can specify the maximum size that shadow copies can grow to by using either the -Maxsize or the -Default parameters. Using Default sets the maximum to 10% of the file system's storage capacity. You cannot specify the -Maxsize and -Default parameters in the same command.

Using -Maxsize, you can define shadow copy storage as follows:

  • In bytes: Set-FsxShadowStorage -Maxsize 2500000000

  • In kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, or other units: Set-FsxShadowStorage -Maxsize (2500MB) or Set-FsxShadowStorage -Maxsize (2.5GB)

  • As a percentage of the overall storage: Set-FsxShadowStorage -Maxsize "20%"

  • As unbounded: Set-FsxShadowStorage -Maxsize "UNBOUNDED"

Use -Default to set shadow storage to use up to 10 percent of the file system: Set-FsxShadowStorage -Default. To learn more about using the default option, see Configuring shadow copies to use the default storage and schedule.

To set the amount of shadow copy storage on an FSx for Windows File Server file system

  1. Connect to a compute instance that has network connectivity with your file system as a user that is a member of the file system administrators group. In AWS Managed Microsoft AD, that group is AWS Delegated FSx Administrators. In your self-managed Microsoft AD, that group is Domain Admins or the custom group that you specified for administration when you created your file system. For more information, see Connecting to Your Windows Instance in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.

  2. Open a Windows PowerShell window on the compute instance.

  3. Use the following command to open a remote PowerShell session on your Amazon FSx file system. Replace FSxFileSystem-Remote-PowerShell-Endpoint with the Windows Remote PowerShell endpoint of file system that you want to administer. You can find the Windows Remote PowerShell endpoint in the Amazon FSx console, in the Network & Security section of the file system details screen, or in the response of the DescribeFileSystem API operation. 

    PS C:\Users\delegateadmin> enter-pssession -computername FSxFileSystem-Remote-PowerShell-Endpoint -configurationname fsxremoteadmin

  4. Verify that shadow copy storage is not already configured on the file system using the following command.

    [fs-1234567890abcef12]: PS>Get-FsxShadowStorage
No Fsx Shadow Storage Configured

  5. Set the amount of shadow storage to 10 percent of the volume and the maximum number of shadow copes to 20 using the -Default option.

    [fs-1234567890abcef12]: PS>Set-FsxShadowStorage -Default
FSx Shadow Storage Configuration

AllocatedSpace UsedSpace    MaxSpace MaxShadowCopyNumber
-------------- ---------    -------- -------------------
             0         0 32530536858                  20

You can limit the maximum number of shadow copies allowed on your file system by using the Set-FSxShadowStorage command with the -MaxShadowCopyNumber parameter and specifying a value from 1-500. By default, the maximum number of shadow copies is set to 20, as recommended for by Microsoft for active workloads.