Storage Reports Management

Storage Reports is a node on the file server management console that enables system administrators to schedule periodic storage reports that allow the identification of trends in disk usage, look out for any attempts made to save unauthorized files, and generate random reports on demand.

The following are the four ways in which you can use Storage Reports:

1. Scheduling a report on a particular day and specific time to generate a list of recently accessed files. Information from these files can help in monitoring weekly storage activities and help in planning on a suitable day to put the server on a downtime for maintenance
2. The report can be used at any given time to identify duplicate files in storage volumes of a particular server. Removing duplicate copies frees up more space.
3. A customized file by group report can be used to identify how volumes are distributed across different file groups
4. Run individual file reports to understand how users use shared resources on the network

The article will explore:

• Setting a report schedule
• Generating on-demand reports

Setting a Report Schedule

A regular report schedule is done via a report task which specifies the kind of report to be generated and what parameters to use. The parameters are the volume and folder used for reporting, the frequency of report generation, and the file format used. By default, all scheduled reports will be saved using the default parameters. They can also be configured in File Server Resource Manager options. There is also an option of using E-Mails to send reports to several Administrators.

When setting up a reporting schedule, it is critical to configure the report to gather as much information as possible on a single schedule to reduce the impact likely to affect server performance. This can be achieved by using the Add or Remove Reports for a Report Task action. The process gives room for editing or adding different report parameters. Changing the schedules or delivery address, one must edit the report tasks individually.

Scheduling a Report Task

1. Click on Storage Reports Management Console
2. Right click on Storage Reports Management and click Schedule a New Report Task (alternatively, you can select Schedule a New Report Task from the Actions panel). You should now be seeing the Storage Reports Task Properties dialog box
3. The following steps are taken when selecting the folder and volume to be used:
   • Click Add found under Scope
   • Browse to the volume or folder that you want to use and click OK to add it as one of the paths.
   • You can add many volumes as necessary (Removing a volume is by clicking on the path and click Remove
4. Specifying Storage Report type:
   • Under Report Data, choose all the reports that should be included. All reports generated for a scheduled report task are included

Editing the report parameters:

• Click on the report label and click Edit Parameters
• In the Report Parameters dialog box, enter the parameter values and then click OK
• Use the Review Selected Reports to see a list of all parameters for a particular report
• Click close

5. Storage Reports Saving Format:
   • Under Report formats, select one of the formats to be used for scheduled reports. All reports use the Dynamic HTML. Other formats include XML, HTML, CSV, and TEXT.
6. Setting up the E-mail for delivery:
   • On the Delivery tab, select Send Reports to the Following Administrators check box. Enter the name of the account to receive the reports.
   • The email format should be account@domain. Use semicolons to separate multiple email addresses
7. Report Scheduling:

On the Schedule tab, click on Create Schedule and then click New. The default time is set at 9.00 am, which can be modified.

• To specify the reporting frequency, select an interval by picking from the Schedule Task drop-down list. Reports can be generated at once or using periodic timelines. A report can also be generated at system startup or when the server has been idle for some time.
• Additional scheduling information can be modified in Schedule Task options. The options can be changed depending on the intervals chosen.
• To specify time, you can type or select the value in the Start time box
• Advanced options give access to more scheduling options

8. Save the schedule by clicking OK

Storage Report tasks are added to the Storage Reports Management node and are identified by report type and schedule.

Generating On-Demand Reports

On Demand Storage Reports are obtained by using the Generate Reports Now option. On-demand, reports are used to analyze disk usage on the server.  On-demand, Storage Reports are also saved in their default location.

Generate Reports Immediately

1. Click on Storage Reports Management node
2. Right click on Storage Reports Management and then click on Generate Reports Now (Alternatively, choose Generate Reports Now from the Actions panel) to open the Storage Reports Task Properties dialog box
3. Selecting the volumes and folders to use:
   • Under Scope click on Add
   • Browse the folders and select by clicking on the desired folder and click OK.
4. To specify the nature of the report:
   • Under Report Data, select the report(s) you want to be included

Editing report parameters:

• Click on the report label and click on Edit Parameters
• In Report Parameters, you can edit the parameters as needed, then click OK
• You can view a list of selected parameters by clicking on Review Selected Reports, then click

5. Specify saving format:
   • Under Report Formats, you can choose to use the default Dynamic HTML or use the CSV, XML, HTML, and TEXT formats.
6. Using an E-mail address to send Storage Reports:
   • On the Delivery tab select, the option Send reports to the following administrators. Then enter the administrative account by using the format account@domain. Remember to use a semicolon when adding more than one account.
7. To get all the data and generate reports, click OK to open the Generate Storage Reports dialog box.
8. Choose how you want to generate on-demand reports:
   • You can view the reports immediately or wait for the entire report to be generated before being displayed.
   • To view reports later, click on Generate Reports in the background.

Conclusion

All Storage Reports tasks are added to the Storage Reports Management node. They can be viewed by their status, the last run time, and the output of every run, and the next scheduled run time.

Prevent Unauthorized Access to Windows Server Storage Reports!

Get your free edition of the easiest and fastest NTFS Permission Reporter now!