By default, cloud computers in the same office network cannot share files with each other. Mounting a Network Attached Storage (NAS) file system gives all cloud computers in that office network access to a shared storage space — useful for sharing files, storing logs, and backing up data.
Windows cloud computers support two mounting methods:
| Method | When to use |
|---|---|
| Automatic | Mount a new shared storage NAS to all Windows cloud computers in an office network at once. The system handles the mount automatically whenever a cloud computer starts or restarts. |
| Manual | Mount an existing NAS file system to a specific drive on a single cloud computer — for example, when a cloud computer missed the automatic mount, or when you want to use a different drive letter. |
The term *office network* in this document was formerly known as *workspace*. A basic office network corresponds to a basic workspace, and an advanced office network corresponds to a standard workspace.
Limitations
Shared storage NAS can only be created in advanced office networks. Basic office networks do not support this feature. If your cloud computer is in a basic office network, migrate it to an advanced office network before creating a shared storage NAS. For migration steps, see Migrate cloud computers across workspaces.
Encryption can only be enabled when you create the NAS file system. Once enabled, it cannot be disabled. Decide whether you need encryption before creating the file system.
Billing
General-purpose NAS file systems are billed based on storage type, peak hourly storage capacity, and storage duration. For details, see Billing of General-purpose NAS.
Automatically mount a NAS file system
The automatic mount works by creating a shared storage NAS for your office network. After creation, the system automatically mounts the NAS file system to every new, started, or restarted Windows cloud computer in that office network — no manual steps required on each machine.
Shared storage NAS created through the Elastic Desktop Service console are General-purpose NAS file systems by default, using the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. For more information, see General-purpose NAS.
Step 1: Create a shared storage NAS
Log on to the NAS console and follow the on-screen instructions to activate the File Storage NAS service. If the File Storage NAS service is already activated, skip this step.
Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Networks & Storage > NAS File Systems.
In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.
On the NAS File Systems page, click Create NAS File System.
In the Create NAS File System panel, configure the following parameters.
Parameter Description Name A name for the shared storage NAS. Must be 2–128 characters, start with a letter, and can contain digits, underscores ( _), and hyphens (-). Cannot start withhttp://orhttps://.Office Network The office network to which the NAS file system will be mounted. If your cloud computer is in a basic office network, first migrate it to an advanced office network. For migration steps, see Migrate cloud computers across workspaces. Description (Optional) A description for the shared storage NAS. Encryption type Select None to disable encryption, or NAS-managed Key to enable it. When NAS-managed Key is selected, each file system is encrypted using a key fully managed by NAS. Encryption cannot be disabled after the file system is created. Storage type Select Capacity or Performance. By default, the capacity of a Capacity NAS file system is 10 PiB, and the capacity of a Performance NAS file system is 1 PiB. For a comparison of their performance characteristics, see General-purpose NAS. Click OK. On the NAS File Systems page, a status of Started confirms the shared storage NAS was created successfully.
Step 2: Verify the mount
After the shared storage NAS is created, connect to a Windows cloud computer in the office network.
The NAS file system is mounted to the Z: drive by default. If Z: is already in use or multiple NAS file systems are mounted, drive letters are assigned in reverse alphabetical order (for example, Y:, X:).
Access the drive to confirm the NAS file system is available.
Manually mount a NAS file system
Use manual mounting when a NAS file system was not automatically mounted to a cloud computer, or when you want to mount it to a specific drive letter.
Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Networks & Storage > NAS File Systems.
In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.
On the NAS File Systems page, find the target NAS file system and copy its mount target domain name from the Mount Target Domain column.
Connect to the Windows cloud computer, then run the following command to mount the NAS file system.
Placeholder Description Example <drive-letter>The drive letter to assign to the NAS file system y<mount-target-domain-name>The mount target domain name copied in the previous step 0bb254adc3-xxxx.cn-hangzhou.nas.aliyuncs.comnet use <drive-letter>: \\<mount-target-domain-name>\myshareReplace the placeholders with your actual values: Example:
net use y: \\0bb254adc3-xxxx.cn-hangzhou.nas.aliyuncs.com\myshareAfter the command runs successfully, the NAS file system appears as a drive on the cloud computer. You can read from and write to it like a local disk.
If the cloud computer is in an Active Directory (AD) office network and the SMB Access Control List (ACL) feature is enabled for the NAS file system, the NAS file system is automatically mounted using the credentials of an AD domain user. For information about enabling the SMB ACL feature, see Join the mount target of an SMB file system to an AD domain.