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Study guide for Exam AZ-800: Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure

Purpose of this document

This study guide should help you understand what to expect on the exam and includes a summary of the topics the exam might cover and links to additional resources. The information and materials in this document should help you focus your studies as you prepare for the exam.

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Updates to the exam

Our exams are updated periodically to reflect skills that are required to perform a role. We have included two versions of the Skills Measured objectives depending on when you are taking the exam.

We always update the English language version of the exam first. Some exams are localized into other languages, and those are updated approximately eight weeks after the English version is updated. While Microsoft makes every effort to update localized versions as noted, there may be times when the localized versions of an exam are not updated on this schedule. Other available languages are listed in the Schedule Exam section of the Exam Details webpage. If the exam isn't available in your preferred language, you can request an additional 30 minutes to complete the exam.

Note

The bullets that follow each of the skills measured are intended to illustrate how we are assessing that skill. Related topics may be covered in the exam.

Note

Most questions cover features that are general availability (GA). The exam may contain questions on Preview features if those features are commonly used.

Skills measured as of June 17, 2025

Audience profile

As a candidate for this exam, you’re responsible for administering Windows Server as a workload in both on-premises and hybrid environments.

In this role, you deploy, implement, manage, and troubleshoot Windows Server in Azure as well as migrating and deploying workloads to Azure. You administer identity, security, management, compute, networking, storage, monitoring, high availability, and disaster recovery for Windows Server. You typically collaborate with architects, administrators and engineers.

You use administrative tools and technologies such as Windows Admin Center, PowerShell, Azure Arc, Azure Policy, Azure Monitor, Azure Update Manager, Microsoft Defender for Identity, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, and IaaS virtual machine (VM) administration.

As a candidate for this exam, you should have several years of experience with Windows Server operating systems.

Skills at a glance

  • Deploy and manage Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) in on-premises and cloud environments (30–35%)

  • Manage Windows Servers and workloads in a hybrid environment (10–15%)

  • Manage virtual machines and containers (15–20%)

  • Implement and manage an on-premises and hybrid networking infrastructure (15–20%)

  • Manage storage and file services (15–20%)

Deploy and manage Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) in on-premises and cloud environments (30–35%)

Deploy and manage AD DS domain controllers

  • Deploy and manage domain controllers on-premises

  • Deploy and manage domain controllers in Azure

  • Deploy read-only domain controllers (RODCs)

  • Manage and troubleshoot flexible single master operation (FSMO) roles

Configure and manage multi-site, multi-domain, and multi-forest environments

  • Configure and manage forest and domain trusts

  • Configure and manage AD DS sites

  • Configure and manage AD DS replication

Create and manage AD DS security principals

  • Create and manage AD DS users and groups

  • Manage users and groups in multi-domain and multi-forest scenarios

  • Choose a service account type

  • Implement service accounts

  • Join Windows Servers to AD DS, Microsoft Entra Domain Services, and Microsoft Entra

Implement and manage hybrid identities

  • Integrate Microsoft Entra ID, AD DS and Microsoft Entra Domain Services

  • Implement and manage Microsoft Entra Connect Sync

  • Implement and manage Microsoft Entra Cloud Sync

  • Implement and manage Microsoft Entra Domain Services

  • Implement and manage Microsoft Entra Connect Health

  • Manage authentication in on-premises and hybrid environments

  • Enable staged rollout features

Manage Windows Server by using domain-based Group Policies

  • Implement Group Policy in AD DS

  • Implement Group Policy Preferences in AD DS

  • Implement Group Policy in Microsoft Entra Domain Services

Manage Windows Servers and workloads in a hybrid environment (10–15%)

Configure remote management for Windows Servers in a hybrid environment

  • Implement Windows Admin Center on premises and in Azure

  • Configure PowerShell remoting, including second hop

  • Configure Just Enough Administration (JEA) for PowerShell remoting

  • Configure and manage remote SSH access

  • Configure and manage Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) access

Manage Windows Servers and workloads by using Azure services

  • Install the Azure Connected Machine Agent to support Azure Arc

  • Implement Azure Machine Configuration

  • Deploy Azure services using VM extensions on non-Azure machines

  • Manage updates by using Azure Update Manager

  • Implement Azure Automation for hybrid workloads

  • Create Azure Automation runbooks

Manage virtual machines and containers (15–20%)

Manage Hyper-V and guest virtual machines

  • Enable Enhanced session mode

  • Manage VMs using PowerShell remoting, PowerShell Direct and Secure Shell (SSH) Direct for Linux VMs

  • Enable nested virtualization

  • Configure VM memory

  • Configure integration services

  • Configure Discrete Device Assignment

  • Configure GPU partitioning

  • Configure VM resource groups, CPU groups, and hypervisor scheduling types

  • Manage VM checkpoints

  • Implement high availability for Hyper-V virtual machines

  • Manage Hyper-V virtual hard disks

  • Configure Hyper-V Network Adapter

  • Configure network interface card (NIC) Teaming on the Hyper-V host and virtual machine

  • Configure Hyper-V Switch

  • Configure a guarded fabric and shielded VMs

  • Move secure virtual machines between Hyper-V hosts

Create and manage containers

  • Prepare Windows Server as a container host

  • Configure Windows subsystem for Linux to support containers for running Linux

  • Create Windows Server container images

  • Manage Windows Server container images

  • Configure container networking

  • Manage container instances

  • Configure Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) on Windows Server

Manage Windows Server virtual machines on Azure

  • Manage storage for Windows Server virtual machines on Azure

  • Manage capacity, including resizing and VM scale sets

  • Manage availability sets and availability zones

  • Configure and manage Just in Time (JIT) VM access and Azure Bastion

  • Manage Azure VM network configuration

Implement and manage an on-premises and hybrid networking infrastructure (15–20%)

Implement on-premises and hybrid name resolution

  • Integrate DNS with AD DS

  • Create and manage DNS zones and records

  • Configure DNS forwarding and conditional forwarding

  • Integrate Windows Server DNS with Azure Public DNS, Azure Private DNS, and Azure DNS Private Resolver

  • Implement Windows Server DNS policies

  • Implement Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC)

Manage IP addressing in on-premises and hybrid scenarios

  • Implement and manage IP Address Management (IPAM)

  • Implement and configure the Dynamic Host Configuration protocol (DHCP) server role

  • Resolve IP address issues in hybrid environments

  • Create and manage DHCP scopes

  • Create and manage IP reservations

  • Implement DHCP high availability

Implement on-premises and hybrid network connectivity

  • Implement and manage the Remote Access role

  • Implement and manage Azure Network Adapter

  • Implement and manage Azure extended network

  • Implement and manage the Network Policy and Access Services role

  • Implement Web Application Proxy

  • Implement site-to-site VPN

  • Implement Azure Relay

  • Implement Microsoft Entra Private Access

  • Implement Microsoft Entra Application Proxy

Manage storage and file services (15–20%)

Configure and manage Azure Files

  • Create and manage Azure File Shares

  • Manage permissions for Azure File Shares

  • Configure and manage Azure File Sync

  • Monitor File Sync

  • Migrate Distributed File System (DFS) to Azure File Sync

Configure and manage Windows Server file shares

  • Configure Windows Server file share access

  • Configure file server resource manager (FSRM)

  • Configure BranchCache

  • Implement and configure Distributed File System (DFS)

  • Configure and manage Server Message Block (SMB) over QUIC

  • Configure and manage Server Message Block (SMB) options

Configure Windows Server storage

  • Configure disks and volumes

  • Configure and manage Storage Spaces

  • Configure and manage Storage Replica

  • Configure Data Deduplication

  • Configure Server Message Block (SMB) direct

  • Configure Storage QoS

  • Configure file systems

  • Configure and manage iSCSI

Study resources

We recommend that you train and get hands-on experience before you take the exam. We offer self-study options and classroom training as well as links to documentation, community sites, and videos.

Study resources Links to learning and documentation
Get trained Choose from self-paced learning paths and modules or take an instructor-led course
Find documentation Windows Server documentation
Azure documentation
Connecting Windows Server to Azure hybrid services
Azure AD Domain Services documentation
Microsoft Entra ID documentation
Hybrid identity with Azure Active Directory
Administer Group Policy in Azure AD Domain Services managed domain
Deploy a Windows Admin Center gateway in Azure
PowerShell remoting
Azure Arc
Windows security baseline
Manage hybrid Azure workloads using Windows Admin Center
Virtualization documentation
Containers on Windows documentation
Networking documentation
Windows Server Storage documentation
Ask a question Microsoft Q&A | Microsoft Docs
Get community support Azure Community Support
Follow Microsoft Learn Microsoft Learn - Microsoft Tech Community
Find a video Exam Readiness Zone
Azure Fridays
Browse other Microsoft Learn shows

Change log

The table below summarizes the changes between the current and previous version of the skills measured. The functional groups are in bold typeface followed by the objectives within each group. The table is a comparison between the previous and current version of the exam skills measured and the third column describes the extent of the changes.

Skill area prior to June 17, 2025 Skill area as of June 17, 2025 Change
Audience profile Major
Deploy and manage Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) in on-premises and cloud environments Deploy and manage Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) in on-premises and cloud environments No change
Deploy and Manage AD DS Domain Controllers Deploy and manage AD DS domain controllers Minor
Configure and manage multi-site, multi-domain, and multi-forest environments Configure and manage multi-site, multi-domain, and multi-forest environments Minor
Create and manage AD DS security principals Create and manage AD DS security principals Minor
Implement and manage hybrid identities Implement and manage hybrid identities Major
Manage Windows Server by using domain-based Group Policies Manage Windows Server by using domain-based Group Policies No change
Manage Windows Servers and workloads in a hybrid environment Manage Windows Servers and workloads in a hybrid environment No change
Manage Windows Servers in a hybrid environment Configure remote management for Windows Servers in a hybrid environment Major
Manage Windows Servers and workloads by using Azure services Manage Windows Servers and workloads by using Azure services Major
Manage virtual machines and containers Manage virtual machines and containers No change
Manage Hyper-V and guest virtual machines Manage Hyper-V and guest virtual machines Major
Create and manage containers Create and manage containers Major
Manage Azure Virtual Machines that run Windows Server Manage Windows Server virtual machines on Azure Minor
Implement and manage an on-premises and hybrid networking infrastructure Implement and manage an on-premises and hybrid networking infrastructure No change
Implement on-premises and hybrid name resolution Implement on-premises and hybrid name resolution Minor
Manage IP addressing in on-premises and hybrid scenarios Manage IP addressing in on-premises and hybrid scenarios Minor
Implement on-premises and hybrid network connectivity Implement on-premises and hybrid network connectivity Major
Manage storage and file services Manage storage and file services No change
Configure and manage Azure File Sync Configure and manage Azure Files Major
Configure and manage Windows Server file shares Configure and manage Windows Server file shares Major
Configure Windows Server storage Configure Windows Server storage Minor