Newbie: Want to use File Share to store app and support files for execution

Your approach to using Azure File Share to store and share application files among multiple users makes sense. Mounting the file share on each user's PC and running the application from there is a common practice for shared resources.

Regarding the issue with enabling Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) authentication for your file shares, the error message "Operation is not supported on this platform" can occur for several reasons. Here are a few things to check:

1. PowerShell Version: Ensure you are using PowerShell 5.1 or later, as the Join-AzStorageAccount cmdlet requires this version.
2. Domain Account Type: Since you are using ComputerAccount for DomainAccountType, make sure that the account you are trying to create is allowed in your Active Directory and that the organizational unit (OU) specified in OrganizationalUnitDistinguishedName exists and is accessible.
3. Permissions: Verify that the credentials you are using have the necessary permissions to create a computer account in the specified OU. You may need domain admin privileges for this operation.
4. Network Connectivity: Ensure that the machine where you are running the script has proper network connectivity to the Active Directory Domain Services.
5. Environment: If you're running the script from a non-domain-joined machine, it may not have the necessary context to perform the operation.

If you continue to face issues, you might want to consider using the Debug-AzStorageAccountAuth cmdlet to perform basic checks on your AD configuration, which could provide more insight into the problem.

References:

• Enable Active Directory Domain Services authentication for Azure file shares
• Mount SMB Azure file share on Windows

Hello @Mark Siminski,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Platform. Thank you for reaching out & hope you are doing well.

Hosting shared app files on Azure File Shares is a common and valid solution for multi-user access. If Join-AzStorageAccount is failing, it's often because the command is being executed in an unsupported environment. The join process needs to be performed on a domain-joined Windows machine, rather than in Azure Cloud Shell or on a non-domain PC.

Here’s how to proceed:

Run the command on a domain-joined Windows computer (not Cloud Shell) with network access to your domain controllers, using Windows PowerShell 5.1 as Administrator.

Make sure you have the latest versions of Az PowerShell, AzFilesHybrid modules, and RSAT tools installed.

Your Azure account should have Owner/Contributor rights on the storage account, and your AD account must be able to create computer objects in the target OU.

Use this command (replace with your details):

Join-AzStorageAccount `
  -ResourceGroupName "<rg>" `
  -StorageAccountName "<storageaccount>" `
  -SamAccountName "<15-char-sAM>" `
  -DomainAccountType ComputerAccount `
  -OrganizationalUnitDistinguishedName "OU=<ou>,DC=contoso,DC=com"

1. If you still see errors, try:

Debug-AzStorageAccountAuth -ResourceGroupName "<rg>" -StorageAccountName "<storageaccount>" -Verbose

This will show troubleshooting steps.

Easier option: If your users and devices are Microsoft Entra joined (or hybrid), you can use Entra Kerberos for Azure Files. This lets you skip the storage join step and simplifies access.

Refer the below links for more information:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/files/storage-files-introduction
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/files/create-classic-file-share?tabs=azure-portal
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/azure/azure-storage/files/connectivity/files-troubleshoot?tabs=powershell

Kindly let us know if the above helps or you need further assistance on this issue.

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