AZ-800 Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure Questions and Answers

The Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure curriculum explains that AD DS clients and DCs are site-aware and their placement is governed by site and subnet objects. To place a new RODC in a specific datacenter and ensure it belongs to a new site, you must first create the site and associate the correct IP subnet. The guide states that “subnet-to-site mapping determines the site membership of domain controllers and clients,” ensuring Server1 is in RemoteSite1 after promotion. Next, to control replication, the guidance under “Configure sites, subnets, and site links” specifies that inter-site replication schedules and costs are configured on site links; adjusting the site link gives you granular control over when the hub site (your existing site) replicates with RemoteSite1. Finally, to meet the principle of least privilege and allow a non-Domain Admin to install an RODC, the module “Deploy and manage RODCs” describes pre-staging (pre-creating) an RODC account and delegating installation to a designated user. It notes that “an RODC can be pre-created and an installer account assigned so that a local administrator at the branch can run the AD DS installation wizard without requiring domain-wide administrative rights.” With these three steps—site/subnet, site link, and pre-created RODC with delegated installer—User1 can promote Server1 to an RODC in RemoteSite1 while you retain control of replication and adhere to least privilege.

 Yes

 Yes

 No

The Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure materials describe how Azure AD Connect filtering and sign-in methods affect user capabilities. Under Domain/OU filtering, it states that when “Sync selected domains and OUs” is configured, only objects in the selected OUs are synchronized to Azure AD. In the exhibit, OU1 is selected and OU2 is not; therefore User1 (in OU1) is synchronized, and User2 (in OU2) is not synchronized and will not exist in Azure AD for group membership.

For sign-in, the guide explains Pass-through Authentication (PTA): “When you enable Pass-through Authentication and disable Password Hash Synchronization, the user’s sign-in to Microsoft 365 is validated against on-premises Active Directory by the PTA agent contacting domain controllers.” Thus, when User1 signs in to Exchange Online, authentication is performed by on-premises AD DS via PTA.

Regarding Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR), the hybrid password management section specifies: “If Password writeback is enabled in Azure AD Connect, synchronized users can reset or change their passwords in Azure AD and the change is written back to on-premises Active Directory.” Because the configuration shows Enable Password writeback and User1 is synchronized, User1 can use SSPR.

Finally, since User2 is not synchronized (OU2 excluded), User2 does not exist in Azure AD and cannot be added to Group1 in the tenant.

In the Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure materials for file services, Microsoft emphasizes using File Server Resource Manager (FSRM) to control which file types users can store on shares. FSRM provides File Screening Management that “controls the types of files that users can save” on a path by matching file groups (extensions) and applying either active screening (block) or passive screening (allow but report). The guides further note that you can “create file screen templates to standardize settings and apply them to multiple folders or servers,” minimizing repeated administration across many file servers.

To meet the requirement “block users from uploading video files that have the .mov extension… All other types of files must be allowed,” you create a File Screen with Active screening on the shared folders (or their parent paths) using a File Group that contains *.mov. This directly prevents writes of the specified extension while permitting other files.

By contrast, Dynamic Access Control (DAC) central access policies/rules govern authorization based on claims and resource properties, not file extensions. A DLP policy targets Microsoft 365 workloads and sensitive information types rather than enforcing extension-based blocking on Windows Server SMB shares. Therefore, the least-effort and purpose-built solution is an FSRM file screen.

The AZ-800 materials emphasize Windows Admin Center (WAC) as the unified, browser-based management tool for Windows Server features including Storage Replica. The guidance explains two common installation modes: desktop mode (install WAC on a management workstation) and gateway mode (install on a management server). In either case, WAC remotely manages target servers (Server1/Server2) over WinRM/PowerShell—WAC does not need to be installed on the source or destination file servers to configure replication partnerships, volumes, or test failover. Best practice in the study content is to install WAC on a management computer and add the servers as managed nodes, then use the Storage Replica tool in WAC to create a partnership, select source/target volumes, and monitor replication health. Installing WAC on a domain controller is discouraged, and installing it directly on the file servers is unnecessary. Consequently, to configure Storage Replica between Server1 and Server2, you should install Windows Admin Center on the client management computer (CLIENT1) and use it to manage and configure the replication on both servers remotely.

The Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure materials explain that group Managed Service Accounts (gMSAs) rely on the Key Distribution Service (KDS) to generate and distribute the managed password. Therefore, the first step in a new forest (or where no key exists yet) is to create a KDS root key: Add-KdsRootKey. The guide states that “the KDS root key is required once per forest before any gMSA can be created or used,” and without it, password material cannot be issued.

Next, you create the gMSA in Active Directory using New-ADServiceAccount. When creating the account, you specify the principals that are allowed to retrieve the managed password (for example, the computer account of Server1 or a group). The study content notes: “Use New-ADServiceAccount with -PrincipalsAllowedToRetrieveManagedPassword to authorize the host computers that will run the service.” This removes the need to separately run mapping cmdlets.

Finally, on the target server, you install the gMSA locally using Install-ADServiceAccount. The documentation emphasizes: “After the account is created in AD, the host computer must install the gMSA so the Local Security Authority can obtain and maintain the password automatically.”

Because authorization is granted at creation time, Add-ADComputerServiceAccount is not required in this minimal, correct sequence.

In the Windows Server hybrid core curriculum, trust selection is based on domain/forest boundaries and adjacency. The guidance explains that parent/child domains in the same forest already have implicit, two-way transitive trusts. When authentication frequently crosses nonadjacent domains inside the same forest, you can create a shortcut trust “to optimize name-crack and referral time between domains that otherwise authenticate through multiple hops.” In the scenario, contoso.com (forest root) and sub.west.contoso.com (a grandchild) are nonadjacent domains in the same forest. They already trust through west.contoso.com, so the only additional trust that makes sense—and matches the diagram—is a shortcut trust to shorten the path.

For cross-forest connectivity, the material states that trusts across different forests are not implicit. To enable authentication between contoso.com and fabrikam.com, you use either:

a Forest trust (created between forest root domains; transitive across the forests and best when ongoing collaboration is required), or

an External trust (nontransitive, domain-to-domain; used when a full forest trust is not possible or not desired).

Therefore, Trust1 = Shortcut trust only (intra-forest, nonadjacent domains) and Trust2 = Forest trust or external trust only (inter-forest trust options).

In the NPS/RADIUS section of Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure, a RADIUS client is defined as a network access server (NAS) such as a VPN server, wireless AP, or switch. The guide states: “Each VPN server that forwards connection requests to NPS must be configured as a RADIUS client.” User counts are irrelevant to the number of RADIUS clients; the determining factor is the number of NAS devices that send RADIUS messages to NPS. The table shows Boston: 2 VPN servers, Dallas: 2, Seattle: 4—for a total of 8 VPN servers. Therefore, to enforce policies for all remote connections through NPS1, you must add each of the eight VPN servers as a RADIUS client. Options reflecting user totals (180/188) are incorrect because users are authenticated via the NAS, not directly configured as clients in NPS.

In Azure AD Domain Services (Azure AD DS), administrative tasks for the managed domain—such as DNS and Group Policy—are performed by users who belong to the AAD DC Administrators group. The AZ-800 study guidance explains that Azure AD DS does not expose traditional Domain Admins or Enterprise Admins; instead, membership in AAD DC Administrators grants rights to create and edit GPOs, manage DNS, and perform domain-joined VM administration within the managed domain. The same guidance notes that Azure AD DS provides two writable OUs by default: AADDC Computers and AADDC Users. You manage computer settings (including local security options and password policies that affect the local SAM of domain-joined Windows VMs) by linking GPOs to the AADDC Computers OU.

The Group Policy path to configure local password policy is Computer Configuration \ Windows Settings \ Security Settings \ Account Policies \ Password Policy. Because these are computer-level policies, they must be applied to computer objects, which in Azure AD DS reside under AADDC Computers. Therefore, to configure a password policy for local accounts on Azure VMs joined to the managed domain, you (1) sign in with an account in AAD DC Administrators, and (2) create/link the GPO to the AADDC Computers OU so the policy applies to those VMs.

The Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure (AZ-800) guidance for Azure AD Password Protection states that enforcement occurs on writable domain controllers: “Deploy the DC agent to every writable DC in each domain where you want password policies evaluated.” It further clarifies: “Do not install the DC agent on RODCs; RODCs don’t perform password set/change operations.” Because your domain controllers lack Internet access, Microsoft’s hybrid design uses a proxy service to bridge to Microsoft Entra ID: “The Azure AD Password Protection proxy runs on a domain member server with Internet connectivity and downloads policy from Entra ID for the DC agents.” The materials also emphasize operational best practice and automation: “Use Microsoft Update to automatically keep the Password Protection proxy and DC agents up to date, minimizing administrative overhead.” Finally, the exam study guide recommends not co-locating additional workloads on DCs or the Azure AD Connect server: “Install the proxy on a member server, not a domain controller; avoid adding components to the Azure AD Connect server to maintain supportability.”

Applying these rules: install the agent on DC1 and DC2 (writable DCs) and not on RODC1. Place the proxy on an Internet-connected member server—Server2 (already an Application Proxy connector)—to meet enforcement, automatic updates, and minimal administrative effort.

In the Windows Server container topic of Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure, Microsoft states the behavior of the two Windows container isolation modes very clearly:

Process isolation: “Windows Server containers run with process isolation and share the kernel with the host. Because the container uses the host’s kernel, the container base image must match the host OS version (including build) for the container to start.”

Hyper-V isolation: “With Hyper-V isolated containers, each container runs inside a lightweight virtual machine that has its own kernel, providing kernel-level isolation. Hyper-V isolation removes the requirement for the container image version to match the host, allowing older or different Windows versions to run on a newer host.”

Applying those rules to Host1 (Windows Server 2022):

Image1 (Windows Server 2022) matches the host version. Therefore, it can run with process isolation (kernel shared and versions match). Hyper-V isolation is always available as well, so either process or Hyper-V isolation can be used.

Image2 (Windows Server 2019) does not match the host’s kernel version. With process isolation this mismatch prevents startup. However, Hyper-V isolation provides its own kernel boundary, so the container can run only with Hyper-V isolation.

Thus, the correct selections are: Image1 – Hyper-V isolation or process isolation; Image2 – Hyper-V isolation only.

 If User1 changes their password, the new password must have at least 10 characters. No

 If User2 changes their password, the new password must have at least seven characters. Yes

 If User3 changes their password, the new password must have at least 13 characters. No

The Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure materials explain that Account policies (Password Policy, Account Lockout Policy, and Kerberos Policy) are domain-wide and are processed only from the GPO linked at the domain root (typically the Default Domain Policy). The guide states that “password policy settings for domain user accounts are obtained from the domain account policy; GPOs linked to OUs do not change the domain password policy for user objects.” It further clarifies that OU-linked GPOs containing Account Policy settings affect only the local Security Accounts Manager (SAM) of computers whose computer objects are in that OU—not the passwords of domain user accounts. In Microsoft Entra Domain Services (managed domains), you also see the built-in AADDC Users GPO and AADDC Computers GPO; however, the same scope rules apply: domain users’ password length is determined by the domain account policy, while local accounts on member servers/workstations inherit Account Policy from the GPO that applies to the computer object’s OU.

Applying these rules to the scenario:

User1 is a domain user under AADDC Users OU. Even if that OU GPO set 10 characters, it does not override the domain account policy → No.

User2 is a local user on Server1. The computer object (typically under AADDC Computers) receives its Account Policy from the AADDC Computers GPO, which sets minimum length = 7 → Yes.

User3 is a domain user under OU1 with GPO1. OU-level Account Policy (e.g., 13 characters) does not affect domain user passwords → No.

 A secondary DNS zone for contoso.com can be added to Server3.: Yes

 If you add a DNS record to contoso.com, the record will replicate to Server2.: Yes

 If you add a DNS record to east.contoso.com, the record will replicate to Server1.: Yes

The replication and availability of DNS data in a Windows Server environment are dictated by the zone type and its replication scope. According to official documentation, Active Directory-integrated zones provide high availability and multi-master replication.

Secondary Zone Availability: A secondary zone is a read-only copy of a DNS zone hosted on another server (the master). Standard DNS protocol allows any DNS server, regardless of its role as a Domain Controller, to host a secondary zone for any reachable primary zone. Since Server3 is a member server, it can host a secondary zone for contoso.com to provide local name resolution.

Replication of contoso.com: The properties for the contoso.com zone on Server1 show the replication scope is set to "All DNS servers in this domain". Since Server1 and Server2 are both domain controllers in the contoso.com domain, any record added to this zone will automatically replicate between them through the Active Directory replication process.

Replication of east.contoso.com: The properties for the east.contoso.com zone on Server3 show the replication scope is set to "All DNS servers in this forest". In Active Directory, the forest-wide replication scope stores the DNS zone in the ForestDnsZones partition. This partition is replicated to every domain controller that runs the DNS Server service throughout the entire forest. Because Server1 is a domain controller within the same forest (contoso.com root), it will receive the replicated records from the east.contoso.com zone.

To use Azure File Sync to replicate the contents of C:\app on SRV1 to an Azure file share named sharel1, with the source files located in \\dc1.contoso.com\install, follow these steps:

Step 1: Prepare Windows Server for Azure File Sync Ensure that SRV1 meets the prerequisites for Azure File Sync, such as having a supported version of Windows Server and PowerShell 5.1 or later1.

Step 2: Deploy the Storage Sync Service In the Azure portal, deploy the Storage Sync Service in the same region as your Azure file share1.

Step 3: Create an Azure File Share Create an Azure file share named sharel1 in your storage account1.

Step 4: Install the Azure File Sync Agent Download and install the Azure File Sync agent on SRV11.

Step 5: Register SRV1 with the Storage Sync Service After installing the agent, register SRV1 with the Storage Sync Service using the Azure portal1.

Step 6: Create a Sync Group and Server Endpoint In the Azure portal, go to your Storage Sync Service and create a new sync group. Add a server endpoint with the path C:\app on SRV12.

Step 7: Configure Cloud Endpoint Add the Azure file share sharel1 as the cloud endpoint to the sync group2.

Step 8: Initiate the Sync Process The initial sync will start automatically after the cloud endpoint and server endpoint are added to the sync group. Ensure that the Azure File Sync agent is running on SRV11.

Step 9: Monitor the Sync Status Monitor the sync status in the Azure portal to ensure that the files are being replicated correctly from C:\app on SRV1 to the Azure file share sharel11.

Note: Make sure that the network connectivity between SRV1 and the Azure file share is established and that the necessary ports are open. Also, verify that the SMB security settings allow for the required SMB protocol version and authentication methods1.

By following these steps, you should be able to replicate the contents of C:\app on SRV1 to the Azure file share sharel1 using Azure File Sync. Ensure that you have the necessary permissions to perform these actions and that SRV1 is properly configured to communicate with Azure services.

To manage SRV1 remotely using PowerShell, you’ll need to set up PowerShell Remoting. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Enable PowerShell Remoting on SRV1 On SRV1, run the following command to enable PowerShell Remoting:

Enable-PSRemoting -Force

This command configures the computer to receive PowerShell remote commands that are sent by using the WS-Management technology.

Step 2: Configure the TrustedHosts List (If Needed) If you’re managing SRV1 from a computer that is not part of the same domain, you’ll need to add the managing computer’s name to the TrustedHosts list on SRV1:

Set-Item wsman:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts -Value "ManagingComputerName" -Concatenate -Force

Replace “ManagingComputerName” with the name of your managing computer.

Step 3: Start a Remote Session From your managing computer, start a remote session with SRV1 using the Enter-PSSession cmdlet:

Enter-PSSession -ComputerName SRV1 -Credential (Get-Credential)

This command prompts you for credentials and then starts a remote session with SRV1.

Step 4: Run Remote Commands Once the remote session is established, you can run any PowerShell command as if you were directly on SRV1. For example:

Get-Service

This command gets the status of services on SRV1.

Step 5: Exit the Remote Session When you’re finished, exit the remote session:

Exit-PSSession

Note: Ensure that both the managing computer and SRV1 are properly configured to communicate over the network, and that any firewalls allow for the necessary ports (default is 5985 for HTTP and 5986 for HTTPS) to be open for WS-Management traffic12.

By following these steps, you should be able to manage SRV1 remotely using PowerShell. Make sure you have the appropriate administrative privileges to perform these actions.

One possible solution to prevent domain users from saving executable files in a share named \SRVl\Data is to use file screening on the file server. File screening allows you to block certain files from being saved based on their file name extension. Here are the steps to configure file screening:

On the file server, open File Server Resource Manager from the Administrative Tools menu.

In the left pane, expand File Screening Management and click on File Groups.

Right-click on File Groups and select Create File Group.

In the File Group Properties dialog box, enter a name for the file group, such as Executable Files.

In the Files to include box, enter the file name extensions that you want to block, such as .exe, .bat, .cmd, .com, .msi, .scr. You can use wildcards to specify multiple extensions, such as *.exe.

Click OK to create the file group.

In the left pane, click on File Screen Templates.

Right-click on File Screen Templates and select Create File Screen Template.

In the File Screen Template Properties dialog box, enter a name for the template, such as Block Executable Files.

On the Settings tab, select the option Active screening: Do not allow users to save unauthorized files.

On the File Groups tab, check the box next to the file group that you created, such as Executable Files.

On the Notification tab, you can configure how to notify users and administrators when a file screening event occurs, such as sending an email, logging an event, or running a command or script. You can also customize the message that users see when they try to save a blocked file.

Click OK to create the file screen template.

In the left pane, click on File Screens.

Right-click on File Screens and select Create File Screen.

In the Create File Screen dialog box, enter the path of the folder that you want to apply the file screening to, such as \SRVl\Data.

Select the option Derive properties from this file screen template (recommended) and choose the template that you created, such as Block Executable Files.

Click Create to create the file screen.

Now, domain users will not be able to save executable files in the share named \SRVl\Data. They will be able to save other files to the share.

TASK 2

???? Objective: Configure DC3 to replicate with DC1 and DC2 only between 8:00 PM and 6:00 AM.

Step-by-Step Guide: Replication Scheduling for DC3

✅ Step 1: Promote DC3 to a Domain Controller (if not already done)

Use Server Manager or PowerShell to install the Active Directory Domain Services role and promote the server as a domain controller.

Example PowerShell command to install the AD DS role:

powershell

Copy

Install-WindowsFeature AD-Domain-Services

To promote:

powershell

Copy

Install-ADDSDomainController -DomainName "contoso.com"

✅ Step 2: Open Active Directory Sites and Services

Log in to DC3 or another DC with administrative tools.

Open Active Directory Sites and Services (dssite.msc).

✅ Step 3: Locate the Site

In the left pane, expand the Sites container and find the site that contains DC3.

Expand the site to find Servers.

Under Servers, select DC3.

✅ Step 4: Configure Replication Connection Objects

Expand DC3 and click on NTDS Settings.

In the right pane, you’ll see connection objects to other domain controllers (these represent replication partners).

✅ Step 5: Adjust the Replication Schedule for Each Connection

For each connection object to DC1 and DC2:

Right-click the connection object and select Properties.

Click the Change Schedule button.

✅ Step 6: Set the Replication Schedule

In the schedule window, you’ll see a grid of hours.

Clear all hours except the time window of 8 PM to 6 AM (in 1-hour blocks).

Select 8 PM to 6 AM (10 hours total) for all days.

Click OK to save.

✅ Step 7: Verify and Document

Ensure that both connection objects (to DC1 and DC2) have the updated schedule.

Document your configuration as part of your environment’s change control.

To create an AD DS site named Site2 that is associated to an IP address range of 192.168.2.0 to 192.168.2.255, you can follow these steps:

On a domain controller or a computer that has the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) installed, open Active Directory Sites and Services from the Administrative Tools menu or by typing dssite.msc in the Run box.

In the left pane, right-click on Sites and select New Site.

In the New Object - Site dialog box, enter Site2 as the Name of the new site. Select a site link to associate the new site with, such as DEFAULTIPSITELINK, and click OK. You can also create a new site link if you want to customize the replication frequency and schedule between the sites. For more information on how to create a site link, see Create a Site Link.

In the left pane, right-click on Subnets and select New Subnet.

In the New Object - Subnet dialog box, enter 192.168.2.0/24 as the Prefix of the subnet. This notation represents the IP address range of 192.168.2.0 to 192.168.2.255 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. Select Site2 as the Site object to associate the subnet with, and click OK.

Wait for the changes to replicate to other domain controllers. You can verify the site and subnet creation by checking the Sites and Subnets containers in Active Directory Sites and Services.

Now, you have created an AD DS site named Site2 that is associated to an IP address range of 192.168.2.0 to 192.168.2.255. You can add domain controllers to the new site and configure the site links and site link bridges to optimize the replication topology.

TASK 3

???? Objective:

Create a user named Admin1 in contoso.com.

Admin1 must be able to back up and restore files on SRV1.

Follow the principle of least privilege.

Step-by-Step Guide

✅ Step 1: Create the User Account

Log in to a Domain Controller (e.g., DC1) with appropriate admin rights.

Open Active Directory Users and Computers (dsa.msc).

In the contoso.com domain:

Right-click the Users container or another OU where you want to create the account.

Select New > User.

Enter the following:

First name: Admin1

User logon name: Admin1

Click Next and set a password (ensure it meets the domain’s password policy).

Configure password options (e.g., User must change password at next logon, if required).

Click Finish.

✅ Step 2: Grant Backup and Restore Rights on SRV1

By default, Backup Operators have the ability to back up and restore files (without giving full admin rights).

Log in to SRV1 (the target server).

Open Computer Management (compmgmt.msc).

In the left pane, expand:

System Tools > Local Users and Groups > Groups.

Find and double-click the Backup Operators group.

Click Add.

In the Select Users, Computers, Service Accounts, or Groups window:

Type Admin1.

Click Check Names to resolve the user.

Click OK to add Admin1 to the group.

Click OK again to close the Backup Operators group properties.

✅ Step 3: Verify Access

Log in as Admin1 on SRV1 and test performing backup and restore operations using tools like Windows Server Backup.

Since Backup Operators can back up and restore data but do not have full administrative privileges, this follows the least privilege principle.

✅ Additional Notes

If you prefer using PowerShell, you can add the user to the group like this on SRV1:

Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Backup Operators" -Member "contoso\Admin1"

To meet the requirement that VM3 be configured for per-folder quotas, the Windows Server file services module directs you to install File Server Resource Manager (FSRM). The course content explains: “FSRM provides quota management, file screening, and storage reporting. Quotas can be applied to volumes and to specific folders, enabling administrators to control the space consumed.” None of the other features listed deliver folder-level quota capability: Enhanced Storage and Windows Standards-Based Storage Management relate to storage management/SMI-S, and iSNS Server concerns iSCSI discovery services. Therefore, the first step is to install FSRM on VM3; after installation, you can create per-folder quota templates and assignments to enforce the desired limits.

The Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure content notes that Microsoft Entra Connect cloud sync uses lightweight agents and supports synchronizing specific OUs from multiple forests into a single tenant. The guide highlights that cloud sync “is designed for multi-forest or cross-organization scenarios and allows scoping to selected OUs and groups,” enabling granular onboarding of just the identities you need. The requirement says “the users in the Marketing OU (in Fabrikam’s forest) must have access to storage1.” Granting access to Azure Files using Entra-based authorization requires that those users exist in the same Entra tenant. Cloud sync enables importing only the Fabrikam Marketing OU into A. Datum’s tenant without establishing full trust for all users. Azure AD Connect in active or staging mode would target the A. Datum forest and isn’t intended for selectively bringing in a separate partner forest OU; AD FS is a federation solution and does not create tenant objects for ACLs on Azure resources like Azure Files. Therefore, implement Microsoft Entra Connect cloud sync and scope it to the Marketing OU to meet the requirement.

According to the Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure (AZ-800) exam study materials, Azure DNS Private Resolver allows bidirectional name resolution between on-premises environments and Azure private DNS zones. The Private DNS Resolver consists of inbound endpoints (to resolve queries from on-premises to Azure) and outbound endpoints (to resolve queries from Azure to on-premises DNS servers). For name resolution to work, private DNS zones must be linked to the virtual network associated with the resolver’s hub network.

In this scenario, the planned configuration specifies:

A Private DNS Resolver named Private1 created in the West US region and linked to VNet1.

An inbound endpoint in SubnetB.

The requirement is to identify which private DNS zones will be available for name resolution through this resolver.

From the details given, only Zone1.com and Zone2.com are linked to VNet1, allowing them to participate in name resolution using the resolver. Zone3.com is not linked to VNet1 (either unlinked or linked to another virtual network), and therefore it cannot be resolved through the DNS Resolver in VNet1.

As emphasized in Microsoft’s hybrid infrastructure documentation:

“Private DNS zones must be linked to the same virtual network that contains the Private DNS Resolver or to peered virtual networks for name resolution to succeed.”

Hence, only Zone1.com and Zone2.com are available for name resolution through the Private DNS Resolver.

✅ Correct Answer: C. Zone1.com and Zone2.com only

The exam materials state that Azure Automation runbooks can be authored in PowerShell and Python (along with Graphical and PowerShell Workflow where noted). The module on “Automate management in hybrid environments” specifies: “Runbooks support PowerShell for Windows-based automation and Python for cross-platform scenarios.” It further explains that these languages integrate with Automation Accounts, modules/packages, credentials, and managed identities to run tasks on Azure or hybrid resources through the Hybrid Runbook Worker. Languages such as Java, JavaScript, or Bicep are not runbook languages (Bicep is used for ARM template deployments, not runbook execution). Accordingly, Task1 can be implemented in PowerShell and Python.

Disk1 (three-way mirror): 2 disks; Disk2 (parity): 1 disk

\In the Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure materials on Storage Spaces resiliency, Microsoft describes how each resiliency type determines simultaneous disk-failure tolerance. The guide explains that mirror spaces keep multiple copies of data: “Two-way mirror writes two copies and can sustain a single disk failure; three-way mirror writes three copies and can sustain the loss of any two disks without data loss.” It also differentiates parity spaces, which stripe data with parity information: “Parity provides capacity efficiency comparable to RAID-5 and tolerates a single disk failure (use dual parity to withstand two failures).”

Applying these to SSPace1:

Disk1 uses a three-way mirror across eight physical disks. By definition, a three-way mirror survives two concurrent disk failures and remains online, satisfying the “always available” requirement.

Disk2 is configured as parity across twelve physical disks. Standard parity (single parity) is equivalent to RAID-5 and survives one disk failure; only dual parity would allow two, but the configuration provided specifies parity (not dual parity).

Therefore, the maximum simultaneous physical disk failures while maintaining availability are 2 for Disk1 and 1 for Disk2.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation with all Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure documents: =

In the Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure study materials, Automanage for Azure VMs is described as a service that “onboards supported Azure virtual machines into a curated set of best-practice services automatically.” The guide notes that Automanage supports Azure IaaS VMs running Windows Server (2012 R2 and later) and common Linux distributions (for example Ubuntu/RHEL), while unsupported operating systems such as Windows client SKUs or older Windows Server releases are excluded. The same content emphasizes that Automanage targets “only supported Azure VMs” and does not extend to machines that don’t meet OS prerequisites.

Given the scenario, Server1 (supported Linux server) and Server2 (supported Windows Server) meet Automanage prerequisites, whereas the remaining Azure VMs are not in the supported matrix (client OS or an older/unsupported server release). Therefore, enabling Automanage on Server1 and Server2 only satisfies the technical requirement to “use Azure Automanage on all supported Azure virtual machines.”

The AZ-800 materials explain that enabling Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) sign-in to Windows Server running as an Azure VM is done by deploying the Azure AD Login for Windows VM extension. The study guide states that “for Azure VMs, Microsoft Entra sign-in is enabled by installing the AADLoginForWindows extension; once installed, Entra users and groups granted ‘Virtual Machine User/Login’ roles can sign in using Entra credentials.” The required operation is performed from Azure PowerShell with Set-AzVMExtension, providing the publisher Microsoft.Azure.ActiveDirectory, type AADLoginForWindows, and the target VM. Other options are not applicable: Set-AzVM changes VM properties but does not install extensions; New-ADComputer and Add-ADComputerServiceAccount are AD DS cmdlets unrelated to enabling Entra login on an Azure VM. Therefore, to meet the plan “Enable Microsoft Entra users to sign in to Server1,” you must run Set-AzVMExtension to install the AAD Login extension on Server1.

In the Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure objectives for managing Hyper-V, enabling nested virtualization is the required step when you must “run virtual machines inside a virtual machine.” The referenced guidance states that Hyper-V on a VM is supported only when the host exposes hardware virtualization features to the guest. The prescriptive step is: “Turn off the VM and run Set-VMProcessor -VMName <VMName> -ExposeVirtualizationExtensions $true to enable nested virtualization.” The module further notes that this action “passes through Intel VT-x/AMD-V to the guest so the guest OS can install the Hyper-V role and create VMs.” It also clarifies that “the setting is applied on the parent host for the target VM and requires the VM to be powered off before the change is committed.”

Because the technical requirement says “Ensure that you can run virtual machines on VM1”, VM1 must be able to host Hyper-V while itself running as a VM on Server2. The first and essential cmdlet is therefore Set-VMProcessor with the -ExposeVirtualizationExtensions switch set to $true against VM1. Other optional settings (for example, MAC spoofing on the vNIC or static memory) may be configured later if needed, but exposing virtualization extensions is the enabling prerequisite that satisfies the requirement.

In the AZ-800 “Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure” objectives for Active Directory, server promotion is governed by forest/domain administrative roles. The materials state that promoting a member server to a domain controller in a given domain requires membership in either the Enterprise Admins group or the Domain Admins group of the target domain. The Configuration and Domain naming contexts that DCPromo touches (NTDS settings, SYSVOL/DFS-R readiness, DC computer account, and associated service SPNs) are protected so that “Enterprise Admins have full rights forest-wide, and Domain Admins have full rights within their respective domain.”

In this case, the requirement is to promote Server1 to a domain controller in canada.contoso.com. From the identities table:

Contoso\Admin1 is a member of Enterprise Admins (forest-wide authority).

Canada\Admin3 is a member of Canada\Domain Admins (authority within canada.contoso.com).

Contoso\Admin2 is Domain Admins (contoso.com) only, which does not grant administrative authority in the canada.contoso.com child domain.

Therefore, the users who can currently perform the required task for Server1 are Admin1 and Admin3.

In the Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure materials under Hyper-V management, Microsoft specifies that Enhanced Session Mode changes VMConnect from a raw console attach to a connection that uses Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to the guest. The guide states that Enhanced Session Mode “uses RDP to establish the VMConnect session so the user must supply credentials for a logon to the guest operating system,” and further that it “prevents a second administrator from inheriting an already signed-in console session” because the connection is treated as a new interactive sign-in. In contrast, the default basic console session “attaches directly to the active console without prompting for credentials,” which is exactly the current problem described for VM2.

The same objective area clarifies that other options do not meet the requirement: Guest Services integration only enables file copy and certain host-guest interactions; Credential Guard protects secrets inside Windows by isolating LSASS but does not affect Hyper-V console connection behavior; Shielded VMs provide fabric-level protections and encryption but are not required merely to force credential prompts for VMConnect.

Therefore, to force users to provide credentials when they connect to VM2 and to eliminate inherited console sessions, you should enable Enhanced Session Mode on the Hyper-V host (and ensure the guest supports RDP).

Server1 - Set-Item

Server4 - Enable-PSRemoting

In Windows Server AD DS, group scope determines which groups/accounts can be members. The AZ-800 study materials summarize: “Domain Local groups can include accounts, Global groups, and Universal groups from any domain and Domain Local groups from the same domain only. Global groups can include accounts and other Global groups from the same domain only. Universal groups can include *accounts, Global groups, and Universal groups from any domain.” In addition, distribution vs. security does not change the scope membership rules; it only affects whether the group can be assigned permissions.

Applying the rules: Group3 is a Domain Local security group in contoso.com. Therefore it can contain Universal (Group1), Global from any domain (Group2 in contoso.com and Group4/Group5 in canada.contoso.com), but cannot contain a Domain Local from another domain (Group6 in canada.contoso.com). Hence: Group1, Group2, Group4, and Group5 only.

Group5 is a Global distribution group in canada.contoso.com. A Global group can only contain accounts or Global groups from the same domain. From the list, only Group4 (Global distribution, canada.contoso.com) fits. It cannot contain Group1 (Universal), Group2 (Global but different domain), or Group6 (Domain Local). Therefore: Group4 only.

No

Yes

Yes

In Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure, Microsoft states that the domain password policy for domain user accounts is determined by the GPO that wins at the domain root (commonly the Default Domain Policy). GPOs linked to OUs do not change the domain password policy for user accounts in those OUs; they only affect local accounts on computers within those OUs unless Fine-Grained Password Policies (PSOs) are used and scoped to users/groups. The case shows Default Domain Policy in contoso.com sets Minimum password length = 10. Therefore, both Admin1 (a domain user in Contoso\OU1) and User1 (in Contoso\OU3) fall under the 10-character minimum; the OU-linked GPO1 (14) does not override the domain password policy for their domain accounts → Admin1: No, User1: Yes.

For member servers and local accounts, the documentation explains that password policy settings in a GPO linked to the OU containing the computer apply to that computer’s local Security Accounts Manager (SAM). In the scenario, Server1 resides in Member Servers and GPO2 linked to Member Servers specifies Minimum password length = 8. Thus, when Admin1 creates a local account on Server1, the enforced minimum is 8 characters → Yes. This approach follows least privilege and standard precedence: domain-level for domain accounts, OU-linked GPOs for local accounts, unless PSOs are explicitly defined.

In the Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure materials (hybrid security and IaaS management), Just-In-Time (JIT) VM access from Microsoft Defender for Cloud is the prescribed way to require approval-based, time-bound Remote Desktop access to Azure VMs. The guide explains that JIT “locks down inbound traffic to management ports (for example, TCP/3389) and opens them only on request, for a limited time and only from approved source IPs.” Administrators request access; upon approval, Defender for Cloud creates a temporary NSG rule that expires automatically—you specify the maximum allowed window (e.g., 2 hours) and the ports. This matches the requirement: “Ensure that server administrators request approval before they can establish a Remote Desktop connection to an Azure virtual machine. If the request is approved, the connection must be established within two hours.” Alternatives don’t meet this: PIM governs Azure roles, not VM RDP port exposure; Azure Bastion provides secure RDP/SSH over TLS without public IPs but doesn’t provide approval/time-boxed gating; the Remote Desktop extension is for classic Cloud Services and not for policy-driven approval windows. JIT is the least-privilege, policy-enforced solution aligned with the exam’s hybrid security objectives.

The Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure materials explain that Azure AD Password Protection for on-premises AD uses two components: the DC agent and the proxy service. The DC agent is installed on every domain controller because it “intercepts password set/change operations locally on the DC and evaluates them against the forbidden-password policy.” The guidance further states that to ensure consistent enforcement “the DC agent should be deployed to all DCs in the forest, since password changes may occur on any DC.” The proxy service is installed on member servers (not necessarily DCs) and “relays policy downloads and telemetry to Azure AD on behalf of DCs,” which satisfies environments where “domain controllers must not directly contact Internet endpoints.” Finally, configuration of the global and custom banned password lists is performed in Azure AD, where administrators “define tenant-wide custom banned terms; DCs obtain the policy via the proxy and cache it for local enforcement.”

Given Fabrikam’s requirement to prevent DCs from accessing the Internet, the proxy must run on non-DC servers (VM1 and VM2). To guarantee enforcement wherever a password is changed, the DC agent must be on all domain controllers. The custom banned password list is configured in the Azure AD tenant and then distributed to on-premises DCs via the proxy.

In the Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure materials (AZ-800), Microsoft explains that Group Managed Service Accounts (gMSAs) are designed for services running on multiple servers and “provide automatic password management, simplified SPN management, and the ability to delegate the management to other administrators.” The guidance further states that before you can create any gMSA, “the domain must have a KDS root key so that the Key Distribution Service can generate and rotate strong, unique passwords for gMSAs on a schedule.” After the KDS root key is created, “use New-ADServiceAccount to create the gMSA and grant the computers (e.g., web servers) permission to retrieve the account password.” For IIS, the course notes specify that a gMSA can be used for app pools: “Configure the IIS application pool identity to a custom account and specify the gMSA name (ending with ‘$’) without a password; the password is managed automatically by AD and rotates by policy (for example, every 30 days).”

Mapping these requirements to the scenario: Webapp1 runs on WEB1 and WEB2 and must use the same service account with an automatic 30-day password change. Therefore, the correct sequence is: create the KDS root key, create the gMSA, and then set the IIS application pool to run under that account. This fulfills the security requirement while allowing both web servers to share the same, automatically-rotated credentials.

In Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure, Microsoft states that high availability for DHCP on Windows Server is achieved by using DHCP failover rather than the legacy split-scope (80/20) model. The guidance explains that DHCP failover “synchronizes lease data between two DHCP servers and can be configured in Load Balance or Hot Standby mode on a per-scope basis,” and that you enable it on each DHCP scope to create a partner relationship that automatically replicates scope configuration and active leases. This meets the requirement to keep address assignment available if one DHCP server is down.

The same materials further note that DHCP broadcasts do not traverse routers; therefore, when the partner server is reachable across a routed boundary (another site/subnet), you must configure the router as a DHCP relay (IP helper) to forward DHCPDISCOVER messages to the remote DHCP server(s). The text emphasizes: “When clients and DHCP servers are on different subnets, configure a relay agent on the router to forward requests to the DHCP server IP addresses.”

Applying this to Fabrikam: create DHCP failover between DHCP1 (Scope1) and DHCP2 (Scope2) (E) and configure the routers in New York and Seattle as DHCP relays that forward to both DHCP servers (B). You do not use Failover Clustering for DHCP here, and you do not create extra 25% scopes; those are split-scope practices superseded by DHCP failover.

Within the hybrid governance section of Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure, Microsoft specifies that Azure Arc–enabled servers are the mechanism to bring on-premises and multi-cloud servers under Azure control to apply Azure Policy (Guest Configuration) and Defender for Servers. The prerequisite is installing the Azure Connected Machine agent (Azure Arc agent) on each server: “To manage servers with Azure Policy and configuration management, install the Connected Machine agent to onboard them to Azure Arc; once connected, you can assign Azure Policy guest configuration and monitor compliance just like Azure VMs.” Hybrid Azure AD Join is unrelated to Azure Policy assignment; the Azure Monitor agent provides telemetry but does not onboard to Arc for policy governance; a hybrid runbook worker is for Automation runbooks, not for enforcing Azure Policy. Therefore, to “use Azure Policy to enforce configuration management policies on the servers in Azure and on-premises,” deploy the Azure Connected Machine agent to all servers to Arc-enable them and then assign the desired policies.

The exam content for Group Policy processing stresses User Group Policy loopback processing for session hosts (RDS/AVD): “In environments like Remote Desktop Session Host (or Azure Virtual Desktop), enable loopback processing on the OU that contains the session host computers so that user settings from that GPO apply when users log on to those computers, regardless of the user’s own OU.” The requirement states: “Apply GPO4 to the Azure Virtual Desktop session hosts. Ensure that Azure Virtual Desktop user sessions lock after being idle for 10 minutes. Users must be able to control the lockout time manually from their client computer.” The idle-lock is a user configuration setting that must apply when users sign in to the session hosts, not to their personal devices. Therefore, enable loopback processing (Merge/Replace) in GPO4, which is linked to the VirtualDesktops OU containing the session hosts. Using security filtering or Enforced cannot make user settings in GPO4 override the user’s own OU without loopback. Loopback ensures the AVD hosts impose the 10-minute lock for sessions, while leaving users free to set their own client device policies independently—fulfilling least-impact design.

The exam materials explain that to add a new domain controller to an existing AD DS forest in Azure, you deploy a Windows Server IaaS VM and then promote it: “To extend on-premises AD DS into Azure, provision a Windows Server VM in Azure and run AD DS to create an additional domain controller for the existing domain.” Conversely, Azure Active Directory Domain Services (Azure AD DS) provides a managed domain that is separate from and not writable by your on-premises administrators—you “do not get domain admin rights or access to DCs”—so it cannot be used to add a DC (dc3.corp.fabrikam.com) to the existing corp.fabrikam.com forest. Azure AD Application Proxy and Azure AD administrative units are unrelated to deploying DCs. Therefore, the correct implementation is to deploy an Azure virtual machine in Vnet1, install AD DS/DNS, and promote it to become DC3 in the existing domain.

In the Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure guidance for extending AD DS into Azure, Microsoft states that when you place a domain controller in an Azure virtual network you must run DNS on that domain controller and point the VNet to that DNS server: “Domain controllers in Azure IaaS should host the AD-integrated DNS zone, and the virtual network’s DNS server setting must reference those DC/DNS IPs so Azure VMs use AD DNS rather than the Azure-provided resolver.” The materials also emphasize that Azure’s default DNS cannot host or manage AD DS zones, so custom DNS is required for domain-joined workloads. Therefore, to meet the requirement you (1) install the DNS Server role on DC3 so it can host the corp.fabrikam.com AD-integrated zone (F), and (2) configure the DNS Servers setting on Vnet1 to the IP of DC3 (and any additional DCs), ensuring all Azure VMs in Vnet1 resolve the domain via AD DNS (D). Creating a public Azure DNS zone or a Private DNS zone with the same AD name is not appropriate for AD-integrated name resolution. This design also supports the security requirement of preventing domain controllers from relying on Internet-facing resolvers.

In Azure File Sync architecture (covered in Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure under “Implement and manage storage solutions”), the fundamental design points are:

Sync group – “A sync group defines a sync topology. Each sync group contains exactly one cloud endpoint (an Azure file share) and one or more server endpoints.” A server endpoint is a folder on a registered Windows Server. A server can participate in multiple sync groups so long as the server endpoints are different paths.

Storage Sync Service – “The Storage Sync Service is the top-level resource that maintains server registrations and houses your sync groups.” A Windows Server registers to one Storage Sync Service at a time, and that service can contain many sync groups and many servers.

Applying these rules to the requirement:

You have three Azure file shares: newyorkfiles, seattlefiles, and companyfiles. Because each sync group maps to one cloud endpoint, you need one sync group per share ⇒ 3 sync groups.

FS1 must sync with newyorkfiles and companyfiles; FS2 must sync with seattlefiles and companyfiles. Since one Storage Sync Service can host multiple sync groups and multiple servers, and a server must be registered to a single service, the most efficient design is a single Storage Sync Service containing all three sync groups and both servers.

The exam materials for Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure explain that when replacing private WAN links with Azure, Azure Virtual WAN (vWAN) can be used to centralize connectivity. For private connectivity, ExpressRoute integrates directly with a vWAN hub by deploying an ExpressRoute gateway in the hub. The gateway is the Azure resource that terminates ExpressRoute and enables hub-and-spoke routing to connected VNets (such as Vnet1). The guides emphasize: “In a Virtual WAN hub, use the ExpressRoute gateway to connect ExpressRoute circuits and propagate routes across the hub to your virtual networks.”

On-premises, each site (New York and Seattle) requires an ExpressRoute circuit connection provisioned via a connectivity provider. The circuit is the dedicated private connection from the customer edge to Microsoft’s edge and is what the office sites actually use; it’s then linked to the vWAN hub’s ExpressRoute gateway. The same materials note that Site-to-Site VPN is an alternative transport but is not required when ExpressRoute is mandated. Likewise, Application Gateway is a Layer-7 load balancer for HTTP/S traffic, and on-premises data gateway relates to Power BI/Power Platform hybrid connectivity, neither of which establishes network transport between offices and Azure.

Therefore, to meet the requirement “connect both on-premises offices to Vnet1 by using ExpressRoute,” configure an ExpressRoute gateway on the vWAN hub and ExpressRoute circuit connections in the offices.