AZ-802: Administering Windows Server Certification Course

Decide that a practice lab is optional; you can learn from the course and practice on simulations available 24/7, or set up a time-consuming lab for hands-on work.

Download the Windows Server 2022 ISO from the provided link, use save link as to download, and save the ISO to your desktop for setup.

Create an external virtual switch in Hyper-V to connect virtual machines and provide internet access, using Hyper-V manager and the virtual switch manager.

Disable large send offload version 2 on the Hyper-V virtual Ethernet adapter to fix slow or lost internet. Open device manager, locate the Hyper-V adapter, and disable setting in advanced.

Set up a Windows Server 2022 virtual machine with Hyper-V, allocating 4 GB RAM, a 127 GB dynamic drive, and installing the desktop experience from an ISO.

Create and configure a second Windows Server 2022 virtual machine in Hyper-V, including memory, dynamic disk, external switch, ISO installation, and join to a workgroup with a custom name.

Set up a personal lab with Microsoft 365 and Azure, sign up for a free Office 365 E5 trial, and learn to activate Microsoft 365 E5 while navigating regional availability.

Create and manage a free Microsoft 365 trial account to explore Microsoft 365 and Azure services, verify with a phone number, and learn licensing, activation, and cancellation steps.

Discover how to add an Azure subscription by starting a free trial, obtaining $200 credit for 30 days, and accessing subscriptions to run Azure virtual machines for hands-on activities.

Master PowerShell fundamentals for server administration, including the verb-noun command model, IntelliSense, core cmdlets like Get-Service and Stop-Service, and basics of piping, formatting, and modules.

Explore how domains, trees, and forests organize Active Directory, from single-domain setups to multi-domain structures with trust relationships and global catalog sharing.

Understand how Active Directory partitions drive replication across domain controllers and forests, including config, schema, domain, and application partitions, plus the global catalog for cross-domain object lookup.

Install Active Directory Domain Services on Windows Server 2022 and promote it to a domain controller for a new forest, configuring DNS and using Active Directory users and computers.

Join NYC server one to the exam lab practice domain by configuring DNS to the domain controller, changing the computer name, and using domain credentials, then verify in Active Directory.

Log in to Azure and deploy a Windows Server 2022 VM as a domain controller. Install Active Directory and promote it to a new forest named exam lab practice azure.com.

Discover how a read-only domain controller enables local password caching, pass-through authentication from remote offices, and optional dns use while avoiding writeable replication.

Learn how to pre-stage a read-only domain controller (RODC) and deploy RODCs using remote or local installation, configure password replication, DNS, and global catalog settings.

Promote NYC server one to an additional domain controller by installing Active Directory Domain Services, adding it to the existing domain, enabling global catalog, and verifying two domain controllers.

Master PowerShell remoting with WinRM by ensuring the service runs, opening ports 5985/5986, and authenticating for remote sessions using Get-Process, Invoke-Command, and Enter-PSSession.

PowerShell is its own scripting environment. Learn variables, get-variable, and read-host prompts, and use the integrated scripting environment (ISE) to write, run, format, and save server administration scripts.

Explore five fsmo roles in Active Directory: forest level domain naming and schema masters, domain level rid master, infrastructure master, and pdc emulator master, with writeable and read-only copies.

Learn how to identify and manage FSMO operation master roles across domain controllers using Active Directory tools, transfer roles with the graphical tool or PowerShell, and seize roles when needed.

Learn how to quickly redo simulations after completing an assignment by accessing the summary, returning to the assignment, and opening the instructions to access the simulation link.

Learn how domain and forest trusts enable cross-domain resource sharing and authentication, including two-way transitive trusts, one-way directional trusts, shortcut trusts, realm trusts, and forest trusts.

Configure and manage forest and domain trusts using Active Directory, ensure domain controller connectivity and DNS resolution via conditional forwarders, and set outgoing and incoming trusts, transitive or not.

Discover how Active Directory uses sites and site links to manage intra-site and inter-site replication across multiple locations, and how the knowledge consistency checker and bridgehead servers support redundancy.

Configure Active Directory sites, subnets, and site links to optimize replication and DNS mapping across New York, Dallas, and Birmingham.

Test and monitor AD DS replication between domain controllers using Active Directory Sites and Services; verify replication with rep admin and Dxdiag, and ensure DNS points correctly for seamless replication.

Enable a global catalog server to replicate a subset of the domain partition across every domain in your forest to support search. Ensure global catalog servers are domain controllers.

Explore how active directory domain services use user accounts as identities and organizational units to containerize and organize objects by site or department, with GPOs applying down the OU tree.

Learn to create organizational units and users in Active Directory using ADUC and ADAC, manage accounts, and delegate OU permissions, including UPN and pre-Windows 2000 logon names.

Explore AD DS groups by type and scope, including distribution vs security groups and global, domain local, and universal scopes, and how they grant permissions.

Create and manage security groups in Active Directory across multi-domain forests, using global, domain local, and universal groups to streamline permissions.

Enable universal group membership caching on a site to cache the universal group membership list on local domain controllers. This speeds authentication when global catalogs are remote.

Learn to manage Active Directory with PowerShell by creating organizational units, users, and groups, using get-command and online docs, prompting for passwords, and validating changes in Active Directory.

Learn how group managed service accounts (gMSA) let Active Directory reset passwords for services across multiple servers, using Kerberos and a KDS root key with PowerShell to create and deploy.

Explore hosting on-premises and cloud Active Directory with Azure AD Domain Services, create a managed ad ds instance, configure a virtual network, and enable synchronization from Azure AD.

Create a Windows Server VM, join it to Azure AD DS, configure DNS, enable RDP, and complete a password reset to log in with domain credentials.

Grant admin rights by adding a user to the AAD DC administrators group in Azure AD DS. Use portal.azure.com to add yourself as a member, then refresh to confirm.

Learn how group policy objects (GPOs) in Active Directory deploy settings and software, manage security, and flow from site to domain to OU levels, with inheritance and enforced policies.

Learn to create and link GPOs in Active Directory using the Group Policy Management Console, apply domain and OU policies, and use starter GPOs, scope, and filtering.

Deploy defaults with group policy preferences, including power options and printers, while allowing user changes; use item level targeting to apply these only on eligible machines.

Demonstrates installing the group policy management console in Azure AD DS and reviewing GPOs for computers and users. Shows that Azure AD DS policy concepts mirror on-premises Active Directory.

Learn to remove Active Directory from a domain controller by demoting it, then install Windows Admin Center and convert the server to a member server joined to the domain.

Deploy a Windows Admin Center gateway server to manage on-premises and cloud resources from a central gateway. Learn installation steps, port and certificate configurations, and initial web access.

Connect to Windows Admin Center, add and manage target servers and Azure virtual machines via browser, leveraging hybrid connectivity for centralized administration.

Learn to connect to remote Windows servers via Windows Admin Center and PowerShell remoting, configure winrm on port 5985 or 5986, and run remote commands like get-process and get-service.

Understand the second hop remoting problem in PowerShell and how CredSSP caches credentials on an intermediate server. Compare Kerberos delegation, which avoids cached credentials and supports cross-domain use.

Configure JEA for PowerShell by creating role capabilities and a restricted session configuration to control visible commands, external commands, and transcripts.

Discover how Azure Arc provides a single pane of glass to manage on-premise and Azure Windows servers from the portal, including onboarding with a script and agent.

Deploy Azure Arc guest policies to on-premise and Azure servers by assigning a policy or initiative, enabling remediation, and enforcing secure communication on Windows web servers with a system-assigned identity.

Learn to deploy Azure Arc extensions on on-prem servers with the custom script extension, adding Log Analytics and SQL Server agents, via a storage account.

Install Hyper-V on Windows Server and enable nested virtualization by exposing virtualization extensions. Manage via Hyper-V manager to create virtual switches and configure VM storage.

Enable Hyper-V enhanced session mode to let a VM access local host resources such as audio, printers, drives, and clipboard via VM Connect.

Learn to remotely administer virtual machines using PowerShell direct, Hyper-V CLI (HVC), and PowerShell remoting, with session management, process and service checks, and file operations.

Configure Hyper-V virtual machine memory with minimum and maximum allocations and enable dynamic memory. Use memory buffer and memory weight to ensure reliable start and handle memory conflicts.

Explore Hyper-V integrated services that enable secure host–guest communication, selective data exchange, time synchronization, heartbeat, and backup, with optional guest services for VM management and security.

Discover discrete device assignment (DDA) in Hyper-V, pass a PCIe device to a VM via PowerShell, and manage configuration, dismounting, and the add VM assigned device command.

Learn to group Hyper-V virtual machines with PowerShell using VM collection groups and a management collection group, enabling bulk actions like starting or stopping all VMs.

Explore virtual machine CPU groups in Hyper-V to precisely allocate virtual CPUs across cores, with NUMA-aware memory and performance considerations, using get topology, get groups, and create group commands.

Explore hypervisor scheduling types in Hyper-V, including classic, core, and root schedulers, and how partitions, virtual CPUs, and NUMA affect virtual machines. Apply bcdedit /set hypervisor scheduler type and reboot.

Learn to create and revert Hyper-V checkpoints using differencing disks, understand production vs standard checkpoints, and merge checkpoints to restore performance.

Enable Hyper-V replica for high availability between NYC server one and NYC DC one, configure Kerberos authentication, firewall rules, initial copy options, and 30-second replication frequency.

Explore virtual hard disks in Hyper-V, including VHD and VHDX formats, and compare fixed, dynamically expanding, and differencing disks, with hands-on creation and management using PowerShell.

Configure Hyper-V virtual network adapters with VLANs and bandwidth management, enabling VM queuing, IPsec offloading, NIC teaming, and features like MAC address spoofing and port mirroring.

Enable NIC teaming in Hyper-V to combine physical and virtual NICs for improved performance and redundancy, then configure and connect the team to switches via server manager.

Explore Hyper-V virtual switches, including external, private, and internal types, linking virtual machines to physical NICs, the internet, or the Hyper-V host, with VLAN options.

Learn to manage Azure virtual machine storage, including OS and temporary disks, data disks, and choosing between unmanaged and managed disks with encryption, caching, and resizing options.

Resize azure virtual machines to match workloads using the pricing calculator to compare sizes and costs, then resize in the portal via the size blade, noting restart or live migration.

Connect to Azure virtual machines via RDP for Windows or SSH for Linux, enable just-in-time access, and use a bastion to secure external access with HTTPS.

visualize Azure networking with vnets, subnets, and vnic connections, and control traffic using NSGs, vnet peering, hub-and-spoke architectures, firewall, VPN gateway, express route, and load balancer.

Create and manage Azure virtual networks and subnets with unique address spaces, and apply a network security group to control inbound and outbound traffic, including RDP access.