[Resolved] Data drive not accessible

[Resolved] Data drive not accessible

Version:  2022-12-12
Updated: 2022-12-13

TL;DR

TL;DR: Some myDRE Workspaces experienced an issue regarding the availability of the data drive. It has been resolved, the workaround is no longer needed. We apologise for any inconvenience this might have caused you.

What happened?

On 2022-12-12 at 09:21 (Amsterdam Time Zone) we received the first report of a user not being able to access the data drive (Z:) and inbox drive (I:). In the following hour, we noticed an increase in support tickets regarding the same issue. The issue looks like the screenshot below:


Cause

Traffic requests are directed to a proxy server, which evaluates the request and performs the required network transactions. For your myDRE Workspace this means that the connection to your Z: and I: drive and the connection to any domains on the allowlist was disrupted. According to the logs the proxy service went into an unhealthy status on 2022-12-11 at 09:23. The alerting mechanism showed unexpected behaviour, resulting in a delay for anDREa's monitoring team to notice the unhealthy status before user reports came in.

Resolution

As this issue impacted the availability of data on the data drive, resolving this issue had the highest priority. On 2022-12-12 at 11:41, we posted a workaround to regain access to the data drive and notified the local Support Team members that a workaround is available. The issue has been resolved as of 2022-12-12 at 12:37, as confirmed by the local Support Team members. After this, the workaround was no longer needed. Manual restarting of the proxy service resulted in the access to the data drives again and the proxy service returned to a healthy status.

Impact

Between 2022-12-11 at 09:23 and 2022-12-12 at 12:37 Workspaces could have been affected by this issue. On our ticketing system, we received 10 tickets (between 2022-12-12 09:21 and 15:18) across different tenants regarding this issue. Random sample tests showed that not all Workspaces were affected.

Next steps

The first thing that needs to be addressed is the improvement of the alerting mechanism that sends out a notification if the proxy service goes into unhealthy status. This will enable us to act faster in case the issue should re-occur. Secondly, we will address the stability of the proxy service.

Workaround (not needed anymore as of 2022-12-12 at 12:37)

Performing the procedure below will disable the proxy, which also means that anything using domain allowlisting will not be available. Data will be accessible, however we are working hard on a resolution.
  1. In the VM, go the the Start menu and navigate to Settings.
  2. Go to Network & Internet.
  3. Go to Proxy.
  4. Put the proxy on Off.

  1. Open File Explorer and go to Windows (C:).
  2. Open the folder Scripts and run the script with Windows Powershell.

  1. After this the Z: drive will be visible again.

Event log - real time updates

2022-12-12 @ 12:37
The issue should be resolved and Z: and I: drive should be available again. It might be necessary to restart the VM.
2022-12-12 @ 11:14
Workaround posted and local Support Team members notified; we're actively investigating the cause and the resolution.
2022-12-12 @ 10:51
Local Support Team members have been informed by anDREa regarding the issue at hand.
2022-12-12 @ 09:21
Issue first reported by a single user, increase in tickets regarding the same issue after 10:00.

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