How can I connect to Board's Azure File Share to upload or download files?
You can use the Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer app using the SAS URI found in the "SHARED STORAGE" section of the Instances Admin Portal to connect to Board's Azure File Share. Alternatively, to perform scheduled file upload tasks, you can use the free downloadable AzCopy command line tool here: Download AzCopy.
The storage will be accessible from the Board platform like a standard legacy hard drive. We assign a drive letter of Z: where Board data reader can load files.
We also assign an environment variable called “BSS” (Board Shared Storage) that you can use — referred to as %BSS% in the DataReader procedure, etc.
In order to access it from your local network, you can use AzCopy or the Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer app and a shared access signature (SAS).
The SAS is a URI that encompasses all of the information necessary for authenticated access to a storage resource in its query parameters.
To access storage resources with the SAS, you only need to pass the SAS at the command line tool.
After the setup of the Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer app, a wizard will ask you to sign in to your Azure account.
In the Admin portal, it is possible to download SAS URI and all information required to use it from AzCopy or the Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer app. The default quota of the Shared Storage is 500GB.
Note, when using the SAS URI from a bat file, in order to schedule automatically download/upload, you must substitute the character “%” with “%%”.
Accessing the Shared Storage through Microsoft Storage Explorer
Step 1: Navigate to the Administration Portal.
Step 2: Copy the SAS URI.
Step 3: Open the Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer and click the Plug icon for “Open Connect Dialog.”
Step 4: Select the “File Share” option.
Step 5: Paste the SAS URI into the bottom box of the Connection Info popup.
Step 6: Rename the Display Name to identify the connection.
Step 7: Click NEXT to finalize the connection.
Using Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer
Once connected, you can use the top toolbar to upload or download files to the shared storage.
