Generating Storage Reports
Applies To: Windows Server 2003 R2
From the Storage Reports Management node, you can generate reports that will help you understand file use on the storage server. You can use the storage reports to monitor disk usage patterns (by file type or user), identify duplicate files and dormant files, track quota usage, and audit file screening. The following table describes each storage report that is available.
Report | Description |
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Large Files |
Lists files that are larger than a specified size. Use this report to identify files that are consuming the most disk space on the server. |
Files by Owner |
Lists files, grouped by owner. Use this report to analyze usage patterns on the server and to identify users who use large amounts of disk space. |
Files by File Group |
Lists files that belong to specified file groups. Use this report to identify file group usage patterns and to identify file groups that occupy large amounts of disk space. This can help you determine which file screens to configure on the server. |
Duplicate Files |
Lists files that appear to be duplicates (files with the same size and last-modified date). Use this report to identify and reclaim disk space that is wasted because of duplicate files. |
Least Recently Used Files |
Lists files that have not been accessed for a specified number of days. This can help you identify seldom used data that might be archived and removed from the server. |
Most Recently Used Files |
Lists files that have been accessed within a specified number of days. Use this report to identify frequently used data that needs to be highly available. |
Quota Usage |
Lists quotas for which the quota usage is higher than a specified percentage. Use this report to identify quotas with high usage levels so that appropriate action can be taken. (The report includes quotas that were created for volumes and folders in File Server Resource Manager only. It does not include quotas applied to shares in NTFS.) |
File Screening Audit |
Lists file screening violations that have occurred on the server, for a specified number of days. Use this report to identify individuals or applications that violate file screening policy. |
You can create report tasks, which are used to schedule one or more periodic reports, or you can generate reports on demand and optionally display the reports immediately. For on-demand reports, as with scheduled reports, current data is gathered before the report is generated.
Most of the reports have configurable report parameters, which determine the content that the report includes. The parameters vary with the type of report. For some reports, report parameters can be used to select the volumes and folders on which to report, set a minimum file size to include, or restrict a report to files owned by specific users.
To configure the default parameters for each report, use the Configure options action, which is available when you select the main File Server Resource Manager node. This action opens the File Server Resource Manager Options dialog box. The default parameters are used in the incidental reports that are generated automatically during quota and file screen notifications. You can edit the default parameters for scheduled reports and reports generated on demand.
Important
Before you run a File Screen Audit report, in the File Server Resource Manager Options dialog box, on the File Screen Audit tab, verify that the Record file screening activity in the auditing database check box is selected.
Regardless of how you generate a report, or whether you choose to view the report immediately, the report is saved on disk, using the file formats that you specify. By default, reports are saved in Dynamic HTML (DHTML) format. You can also save reports in HTML, XML, DSV, and text formats.
Scheduled reports, on-demand reports, and incident reports are saved in separate folders within a designated report repository. By default, the reports are stored in subdirectories of the %Systemroot%\StorageReports\ folder. To change the default report locations, use the Configure options action.
To generate a set of reports on a regular schedule, you schedule a report task. The report task specifies which reports to generate and what parameters to use, which volumes and folders to report on, how often to generate the reports, and which file formats to save them in.
Note
To minimize the impact of report processing on server performance, generate multiple reports on the same scheduled report task, so that the data is only gathered once. To quickly add reports to existing report tasks, under Storage Reports Management, select the Add or remove reports for a report task action. This action allows you to quickly add or remove reports from all existing report tasks, and to edit the report parameters. To change schedules or delivery addresses, you must edit individual report tasks.
The schedule a report task |
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If you want to deliver copies of the reports to administrators by e-mail, on the Delivery tab, click Send reports to the following administrators, and enter each e-mail account. Use the format account@domain; use semicolons to separate multiple accounts.
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During daily operations, you may want to generate reports on demand to analyze different aspects of current disk usage on the server. Use the Generate reports now action to generate one or more reports. Before the reports are generated, current data is gathered.
When you generate reports on demand, the reports are saved in the reports repository, but no report task is created for later use. You can optionally view the reports when they have completed.
Note
If you choose to open the reports immediately, you must wait while the reports are generated. Processing time varies, depending on the types of reports and the scope of the data.
To generate reports immediately |
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