Volume-Based NTFS Quota Management in Windows Server 2008



Quotas can be enabled and configured at the volume level and applied to user and group objects. This quota management included with Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003. Quotas enabled at the volume will be calculated based on all files saved to the volume by a particular user who is not part of the server administrators group. Volume quotas can only be enabled on NTFS (New Technology File System) volumes and cannot be applied to any lower level, such as a subfolder. The key to a successful implementation of quotas on a volume is setting the correct file permissions for the complete volume and folders and to restrict the data transferred to a volume for an end user by a third party, such as a desktop or server administrator.

The quota management features available in the File Server Resource Manager (FSRM) are different from the features included with NTFS volume quotas.

NOTE: Prior to the release of FSRM, organizations used to depend on NTFS quotas or third-party products to provide their quota storage management capabilities; however, FSRM has effectively replaced the use of NTFS quotas. The coverage of NTFS quotas in this part is merely to describe the process and use of NTFS quotas; however, most organizations should consider using FSRM quotas and should avoid using NTFS quotas or both types as they are not complementary to each other.

To enable quotas for an NTFS volume, do the following steps:

1. Log on to the Windows 2008 system with an account with administrator privileges.

2. Click Start and then All Programs and then Administrative Tools and then select Server Manager.

3. In the Tree pane, double-click the Storage node, and select Disk Management.

4. In the tasks pane, scroll down to locate the desired volume, right-click the volume, and select Properties.

5. Select the Quota tab and check the Enable Quota Management check box.

6. Enter the appropriate quota limit and warning thresholds and decide whether users will be denied write access when the limit is reached.

7. Click OK to complete the quota configuration for the NTFS volume.

8. A window opens prompting you to confirm the enabling of quotas; click OK to enable the quota and scan the volume to update quota statistics.

9. After you configure quotas, open the properties of the volume, select the Quota tab, and click the Quota Entries button to review the existing quotas based on data already stored on the volume.