Troubleshooting Data Transfer from Skytap VM to Azure Blobstore

This guide provides steps to troubleshoot and resolve common problems during a Skytap to Blobstore transfer process.

Prerequisites

Before troubleshooting, ensure you have the following:

• Access to both Skytap and Azure accounts
• Necessary permissions to perform data transfers
• Azure connection string and container name

Steps to Troubleshoot

1. Verify Network Connectivity

• Ping Test: Run a ping test from the Skytap VM to the Azure Blobstore endpoint to verify connectivity
• Traceroute: Use traceroute to identify any network hops causing delays or failures
• Nslookup: Ensure that the blobstore endpoint can be resolved correctly, especially if you are utilizing an internal DNS server

2. Check Azure Connection String and Container Name

• Azure Connection String:

  1. Navigate to the Storage Account in the Azure portal
  2. Under Security + networking, click on Access keys
  3. Copy the connection string for either key1 or key2

• Azure Container Name:

  1. Navigate to the Storage Account in the Azure portal
  2. Under Blob service, click on Containers
  3. Copy the name of the container

3. Transfer Tools

• AzCopy: A command-line utility designed for copying data to and from Azure Blob Storage
• Azure Storage Explorer: A graphical tool for managing Azure storage accounts

4. Check Firewall and Security Settings

• Firewall Rules: Verify that the necessary ports (e.g., TCP 445 for SMB) are open
• Check any other security application you may have in place

5. Logs and Error Messages

• Guest OS Logs: Check VM Guest OS logs for network or application errors
• Azure Logs: Review Azure Storage logs for any access or transfer errors

6. Test with Smaller Data Sets

If large transfers fail, test with smaller data sets to isolate the issue

• Small File Transfer: Try transferring a small file to see if the issue persists
• Incremental Transfer: Transfer data incrementally to identify any specific data causing issues
• Local Data Transfer: If you are transferring data that is NFS-(or similar) mounted, try transferring local data

7. VPN or ExpressRoute

For secure and reliable transfers, consider using VPN or ExpressRoute

• VPN: Set up a VPN connection between Skytap and Azure for secure data transfer
• ExpressRoute: Use ExpressRoute for a dedicated, high-bandwidth connection

Additional Resources

• Skytap Connectivity Checker
• Azure Storage Explorer
• AzCopy Documentation

If problems persist, please contact Skytap Support for assistance.