Install SMB on AWS

Set up SMB in AWS for secure and efficient file sharing and access control, integrating seamlessly with your cloud resources.

Prerequisites: Install AWS Managed Microsoft AD

Set up AWS Managed Microsoft AD for centralized user and resource management in your AWS environment.

Procedure

1. Access the AWS console:

   1. Go to the Directory Service page.

   2. Click Set up directory.

   
2. Select directory type:

   1. Ensure AWS Managed Microsoft AD is selected.

   2. Click Next.

   
3. Configure directory:

   1. Select Standard Edition.

   2. Enter the Directory DNS Name and Admin password.

   3. Click Next.

   
4. Select VPC and subnets:

   1. Select the appropriate VPC and Subnets.

   2. Click Next.

   
5. Create directory:

   1. Click Create directory. The AD environment creation process takes approximately 20 to 40 minutes.

   
6. Record the IP addresses:

   1. After creating the directory, select the Directory ID, select the Networking & security tab, and note the IP addresses under DNS address. (You'll need these for configuring the Amazon Route 53 Resolver in the next section.)

   

Workflow

1. Configure Amazon Route 53 Resolver.

2. Deploy WEKA cluster using Terraform.

3. Deploy Windows client on EC2.

4. Configure SMB.

1. Configure Amazon Route 53 Resolver

Amazon Route 53 Resolver responds recursively to DNS queries from AWS resources for public records, Amazon VPC-specific DNS names, and Amazon Route 53 private hosted zones, and is available by default in all VPCs.

Procedure

1. Create a security group:

   1. In the AWS Console and go to the VPC service page.

      
   2. Select Security Groups and click Create security group.

   3. Provide a Security group name and description. Select the appropriate VPC.

   4. Create two inbound rules:

      • Rule 1: Allow DNS (TCP) traffic.

      • Rule 2: Allow DNS (UDP) traffic.

   5. Set the CIDR of the VPC as the custom source for both rules.

   6. Click Create security group.

      
2. Access Route 53 Resolver:

   1. In the AWS Console, go to the Route 53 Resolver page.

   2. Click Configure endpoints.

      
3. Set up outbound endpoint:

   1. Select Outbound only.

   2. Click Next.

      
   3. Enter an Endpoint name.

   4. Select the appropriate VPC and Security group (click the arrow to refresh if needed).

   5. Set Endpoint Type to IPv4 and Protocols to Do53.

      
   6. Select the Availability Zone and Subnet. Opt for Use an IPv4 address that is selected automatically.

   7. Click Next.

      
4. Create forwarding rule:

   1. Enter a Name for the rule.

   2. Set Rule type to forward.

   3. Input the Domain name of the Active Directory.

   4. Select the VPC and specify the Target IP addresses for both domain controllers that you noted from the Domain controller creation in step 6 Record the IP addresses, of #id-1.-install-aws-managed-microsoft-a-d.

   5. Click Next.

      
5. Review and submit:

   1. Review the entries.

   2. Click Submit to finalize the configuration.

Related information (AWS documentation)

Resolving DNS queries between VPCs and your network in AWS

2. Deploy WEKA cluster using Terraform

Automating the deployment with Terraform ensures consistent and efficient setup, allowing you to quickly provision and manage your WEKA infrastructure within AWS.

Procedure

1. Deploy WEKA using Terraform. For details, see WEKA installation on AWS using Terraform.

Sample template

This template deploys a cluster with SMB gateways. Customize the AWS account-specific fields to suit your environment.

provider "aws" {
}

module "deploy_weka" {
  source                                     = "weka/weka/aws"
  get_weka_io_token                          = "<redacted>"
  key_pair_name                              = "support_id_rsa"
  prefix                                     = "weka"
  cluster_name                               = "smb"
  cluster_size                               = 6
  instance_type                              = "i3en.3xlarge"
  sg_ids                                     = ["sg-08dc1e5a81c60cc91"]
  subnet_ids                                 = ["subnet-039f34922f4c68144"]
  vpc_id                                     = "vpc-070a0caa470a438bd"
  alb_additional_subnet_id                   = "subnet-0000ec8d70e9582d0"
  assign_public_ip                           = true
  set_dedicated_fe_container                 = false
  secretmanager_create_vpc_endpoint          = true
  tiering_obs_name                           = false
  smb_protocol_gateway_fe_cores_num          = 2
  smb_protocol_gateway_instance_type         = "c5n.9xlarge"
  smb_protocol_gateway_secondary_ips_per_nic = 1
  smb_protocol_gateways_number               = 3
  smb_setup_protocol                         = true
  smb_domain_name                            = "weka.local"
  smb_cluster_name                           = "smb"
}
output "deploy_weka_output" {
  value = module.deploy_weka
}

1. Note the cluster's placement group name from the Terraform output.

3. Deploy Windows client on EC2

By setting up a Windows client in your AWS environment, you can manage and interact with your domain services directly within the cloud, streamlining administration and enhancing your infrastructure's flexibility.

Procedure

1. Launch the Windows instance:

   1. Go to the EC2 service page in the AWS Management Console.

   2. Click Launch Instances.

   3. Configure the following:

      • Name: Enter a descriptive name for the instance.

      • AMI: Select Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Base.

      • Instance type: Select an appropriate instance type. Example: c5n.9xlarge.

      • Key pair: Select an existing key pair or create a new one.

   4. Network settings:

      • Click Edit.

      • Select the appropriate VPC, Subnet, and Security Group. Ensure the instance is accessible through RDP.

      • Select the same Availability Zone used for the WEKA cluster.

   5. Expand Advanced Details and select the Placement Group that matches the WEKA cluster.

   6. Click Launch Instance.

   

   
2. Connect to the Windows instance:

   1. On the Instances page, click on the link for your newly created instance.
   2. Select the checkbox next to the instance and click Connect.

      
   3. Select the RDP tab and click Get Password.

      
   4. Upload or paste your private key into the provided text box, then click Decrypt Password. The instance password will be displayed.

      
3. Log in to the Windows client:

   1. Use the RDP client to log into the Windows instance using the RPD credentials.

4. Install required features:

   1. Open Windows PowerShell and execute the following commands to install necessary features:

      Install-WindowsFeature RSAT-ADDS
      Install-WindowsFeature RSAT-DNS-Server

5. Join the domain:

   1. Select the Start menu and open Control Panel.

   2. Select System and Security > System > See the name of this computer.

      
   3. Click Change Settings.

      
   4. In the Computer Name tab, click Change….

      
   5. In the Member of section, select Domain and and enter your domain name. Example: weka.local.

      
   6. Click OK and enter the domain credentials:

      • Username: The user name defined during the creation of the AWS Managed Active Directory service.

      • Password: The password used during the creation of the AWS Managed AD.
   7. Click OK to join the domain.
6. Restart the instance:

   1. Go to the Start menu and select Restart to apply the changes.

4. Configure SMB

Configure a WEKA SMB cluster to enable file sharing between WEKA and Windows clients, ensuring proper integration and secure access.

You can configure the SMB cluster using one of the following approaches according to your preferences:

• Configure SMB using RFC2307: Use this approach when you need consistent UID/GID mappings across UNIX/Linux and Windows systems, managed through Active Directory.

• Configure SMB using RID mapping: Use this approach for automatic UID/GID generation in simpler environments with minimal UNIX/Linux integration.

Configure SMB using RFC2307

1. Create DNS records:

   1. Log in to the Windows client: Use RDP to connect, logging in with [e-mail] and the corresponding password.

   2. Open DNS management: Go to Start → Windows Administrative Tools → DNS.

   3. Connect to the Domain Controller: Select The following computer, enter the IP address of the domain controller, and click OK.

   4. Configure DNS:

      1. In the weka.local Forward Lookup Zone, click View → Advanced.

      2. Select Action → New Host (A or AAAA).

      3. Enter the name (matching the WEKA SMB Cluster name), IP address, and set TTL to 0. Click Add Host. Ensure the hostname is 15 characters or fewer.

   5. Add DNS records: Repeat the process for all three SMB protocol gateways.

   6. Validate DNS configuration:

      1. Ping smbtest.weka.local to confirm connectivity.

      2. If ping fails, verify the security group configuration:

         • Ensure the Windows client and WEKA backend are in the same security group or have appropriate inbound rules for ping and SMB protocols.

         • Simplify by adding an All Traffic rule from the security group containing the Windows client to the WEKA backend security group.

2. Join the WEKA SMB cluster to Active Directory:

   1. Retrieve the WEKA password from Secrets Manager using the AWS CLI command listed in the Terraform output, or access it through the AWS Console.

   2. In the WEKA GUI, select Manage > Protocols.

   3. Select SMB from the left menu.

   4. Select the Configurations tab. The SMB Cluster configuration dialog opens. It includes the details about the AD Domain you have just set up.

   5. Click Join.

   6. Enter the username and password used when you created the AD Domain.

   7. Click Join.

3. Create an SMB share in WEKA:

   1. In the WEKA GUI, go to the Shares tab, then click Create.

   2. Set Name to test, Filesystem to default, Path to /, and enable ACLs. Click Save.

4. Set UID and GID for the Admin user:

   1. In the Windows Client RDP session:

      1. Select Start → Windows Administrative Tools → Active Directory Users and Computers.

      2. Click View → Advanced Features.

      3. Select the Users folder under the weka OU. Right-click the Admin user and select Properties.

      4. On the Attribute Editor tab, set uidNumber and gidNumber to 0, then click OK.

5. Connect and configure the SMB share:

   1. Connect to the SMB share: Use File Explorer to connect to smb://weka.local/.

6. Configure share permissions:

   1. Right-click the Test share, select Properties, then go to the Security tab.

   2. Click Edit to modify permissions. In this example, give Everyone full control by checking Allow for Full Control. Click OK, then Yes on the confirmation prompt.

7. Test the share:

   1. Access the share and create a new folder or copy a file to verify functionality.

Configure SMB using RID mapping

1. Configure WEKA SMB Cluster:

   1. Log in via SSH to a protocol gateway.

   2. Run weka user login.

   3. Identify the container IDs of the protocol gateway frontend containers using weka cluster container -F container=frontend0.

   4. Execute the following command, replacing placeholders with your environment specifics:

      weka smb cluster create wekasmb weka.local .config_fs --encryption enabled --container-ids 12,13,14 --idmap-backend rid

   5. Wait until the status indicators turn green.

2. Create DNS Records:

   1. Log in to the Windows Client via RDP using [e-mail] and the corresponding password.

   2. Go to Start → Windows Administrative Tools → DNS.

      1. Select The following computer, enter the IP address of a domain controller, and click OK.

   3. In weka.local Forward Lookup Zone, click View → Advanced.

   4. Select Action → New Host (A or AAAA).

   5. Enter the name (matching the WEKA SMB cluster name), IP address, and set TTL to 0. Click Add Host (hostname must be 15 characters or fewer).

   6. Repeat for all three SMB protocol gateways.

   7. Validate by pinging smbtest.weka.local. If ping fails, check the security group configuration to allow ping and SMB protocols.

3. Join WEKA SMB Cluster to Active Directory:

   1. In the WEKA GUI, click Join.

   2. Enter Admin as the username and the AD password, then click Join.

4. Create an SMB Share in the WEKA Cluster:

   1. In the WEKA GUI, go to the Shares tab and click Create.

   2. Set Name to test, Filesystem to default, Path to /, and enable ACLs. Click Save.

5. Set Initial SMB Share Permissions

   1. SSH to one of the protocol gateways.

   2. Mount the default filesystem:

      sudo mkdir -p /mnt/weka
      sudo mount -t wekafs default /mnt/weka
      sudo chmod 777 /mnt/weka

6. Connect and Configure SMB Share

   1. Use File Explorer to connect to smb://weka.local/.

   2. Right-click the Test share, select Properties, and go to the Security tab.

   3. Click Edit to modify permissions, granting Everyone full control. Click OK, then confirm with Yes.

   4. Access the share and create a new folder or copy a file to verify the configuration.