Use CloudBerry Drive to create a local mapped network drive to Azure Blob Storage
Use CloudBerry Drive to create a local mapped network drive directly to a Microsoft Azure Blob Storage account. This way, files in the Azure Blob Storage can be directly worked on from Windows Explorer and are accessible by other applications that can read mapped drives. Folders and files can be dragged and dropped to the mapped network drive and instantly saved in the Azure Blob Storage container without having to directly access the Azure Portal.
“Using CloudBerry Drive, you can mount your Microsoft Azure account as a network drive to your Windows computer and use it just like any other hard drive.” — CloudBerryLab.com
These instructions assume that a Microsoft Azure Blob Storage Account has already been created. Retrieve the Azure Blob Storage Acccount name and an access key, for use in configuring CloudBerry Drive on a local client machine. We found this very simple to install and it worked seamlessly with Azure Blob Storage.
A. To Configure Access to Azure Storage Account:
1. Find the CloudBerry Drive icon in the system tray (after installation)
2. R-click for Context Menu > Options > Storage Account > Add
3. Select Azure Blob from the Storage Provider drop-down list.
4. Type a Display Name; Add Microsoft Storage Account name; paste in Microsoft Azure access key> OK
5. The Azure account will be displayed in the list of accounts.
B. Mounting Azure Blob Storage Account as Network Drive to VDI (W10)
1. Options > Mapped Drives > Add
2. . From the Storage Account drop-down menu, select the Azure Blob Storage Account and specify the rest of the Azure drive settings. In the Path field, click Browse button to specify the full path to the Microsoft Azure Blob Storage container.
3. The Azure Blob Storage Account is now in the list of mounted drives.
4. Reboot the computer. Access the Azure Blob Storage directly from Windows Explorer and other applications.
Originally published at https://arlanblogs.alvarnet.com on Dec 10, 2016.
