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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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|---|---|
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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 on- 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
Secure Windows Server on-premises and hybrid infrastructures (25–30%)
Implement and manage Windows Server high availability (15–20%)
Implement disaster recovery (10–15%)
Migrate servers and workloads (20–25%)
Monitor and troubleshoot Windows Server environments (15–20%)
Secure Windows Server on-premises and hybrid infrastructures (25–30%)
Secure Windows Server operating system
Configure and manage Exploit Protection
Configure and manage Windows Defender Application Control
Configure and manage Windows Defender Credential Guard
Configure SmartScreen
Implement operating system security by using Group Policies
Manage Windows Server security baseline by using OSConfig
Implement Windows Local Administrator Password Solution
Secure a hybrid Active Directory infrastructure
Configure password policies
Implement Microsoft Entra Password Protection for AD DS
Manage protected users
Manage account security on a Read-Only Domain controller (RODC)
Harden domain controllers
Configure authentication policy silos
Restrict access to domain controllers
Configure security options for user accounts
Configure security options for built-in administrative groups
Manage AD delegation
Implement and manage Microsoft Defender for Identity
Audit usage of and disable NTLM
Identify and remediate Windows Server security issues by using Azure services
Implement ingestion of Windows Server data into Microsoft Sentinel
Manage security for Windows Server by using Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Manage security for Windows Server by using Microsoft Defender for Servers
Secure Windows Server networking
Manage Windows Defender Firewall
Implement domain isolation
Implement connection security rules
Create and configure network security groups (NSGs) for Windows Server virtual machines on Azure
Secure Windows Server storage
Manage Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption
Enable storage encryption by using Azure Disk Encryption
Manage and recover encrypted volumes
Manage disk encryption keys for IaaS virtual machines
Implement and manage Windows Server high availability (15–20%)
Implement a Windows Server failover cluster
Implement a failover cluster on-premises, hybrid, or cloud-only
Create a Windows failover cluster, including workgroup clusters
Implement a stretch cluster across datacenters or Azure regions, including Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) campus clusters
Configure storage for failover clustering
Modify quorum options
Configure network adapters for failover clustering
Deploy host networking with Network ATC
Configure cluster workload options
Configure Scale-Out File servers
Configure an Azure witness
Configure a floating IP address for the cluster
Manage failover clustering
Implement cluster-aware updating
Recover a failed cluster node
Upgrade failover cluster nodes
Failover workloads between nodes
Install Windows updates on cluster nodes
Manage failover clusters using Windows Admin Center
Implement and manage Storage Spaces Direct
Upgrade an S2D node
Implement networking for S2D
Configure S2D
Implement disaster recovery (10–15%)
Manage backup and recovery for Windows Server
Back up and restore files and folders to Azure Recovery Services Vault
Deploy and manage Azure Backup Server
Back up and recover using Azure Backup Server
Manage backups in Azure Recovery Services Vault
Create an Azure Recovery Services vault backup policy
Configure backup for Azure VM using the built-in backup agent
Recover a VM using instant recovery snapshots
Recover VMs to new Azure VMs
Restore a VM, including encrypted VMs
Implement disaster recovery by using Azure Site Recovery
Configure Azure Site Recovery network mapping
Configure Site Recovery for on-premises servers
Configure a recovery plan in Azure Site Recovery
Configure Site Recovery for Azure VMs
Implement VM replication to secondary datacenter or Azure region
Configure Azure Site Recovery replication policies
Protect virtual machines by using Hyper-V replicas
Configure Hyper-V hosts for replication
Manage Hyper-V replica servers
Configure VM replication
Perform a failover
Migrate servers and workloads (20–25%)
Migrate on-premises storage to on-premises servers or Azure
Transfer files, file shares, and security configurations by using Storage Migration Service (SMS)
Cut over to a new server by using Storage Migration Service (SMS)
Use Storage Migration Service to migrate to Azure VMs
Migrate to Azure file shares
Migrate on-premises servers by using Azure Migrate
Deploy and configure Azure Migrate appliance
Migrate VM workloads to Azure VMs
Migrate physical servers to Azure VMs
Migrate workloads from previous Windows Server versions to the most current version
Choose an appropriate migration method
Migrate IIS workloads and configurations
Migrate Hyper-V hosts
Migrate Remote Desktop Services (RDS) host servers
Migrate Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers
Migrate print servers
Migrate by using an in-place upgrade
Migrate IIS workloads to Azure
Assess IIS workloads by using Azure Migrate
Migrate IIS workloads to Azure Web Apps
Migrate IIS workloads to containers
Migrate an on-premises AD forest to Windows Server 2025
Choose an appropriate migration method
Implement a forest restructure
Migrate AD DS objects, including users, groups and Group Policies using AD Migration Tool
Migrate to a new Active Directory forest
Upgrade an existing forest, including setting functional levels
Monitor and troubleshoot Windows Server environments (15–20%)
Monitor Windows Server by using Windows Server tools and Azure services
Monitor Windows Server by using Performance Monitor
Create and configure Data Collector Sets
Monitor servers and configure alerts by using Windows Admin Center
Analyze Windows Server system data by using System Insights
Manage event logs
Configure data collection rules for Azure Monitor
Create alerts
Monitor Azure VM performance by using VM Insights
Troubleshoot Windows Server issues
Troubleshoot connectivity
Troubleshoot name resolution
Troubleshoot Windows Update
Troubleshoot Time Service
Troubleshoot deployment failures
Troubleshoot booting failures
Troubleshoot performance issues
Troubleshoot VM and Azure Arc extension issues
Troubleshoot disk encryption issues
Troubleshoot storage
Troubleshoot Active Directory
Restore objects from AD recycle bin
Recover Active Directory database using Directory Services Restore mode
Recover system volume (SYSVOL)
Troubleshoot Active Directory replication
Troubleshoot hybrid authentication and synchronization issues
Troubleshoot on-premises Active Directory
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.
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 | |
| Secure Windows Server On-premises and Hybrid Infrastructures | Secure Windows Server on-premises and hybrid infrastructures | No change |
| Secure Windows Server operating system | Secure Windows Server operating system | Major |
| Secure a hybrid Active Directory infrastructure | Secure a hybrid Active Directory infrastructure | Minor |
| Identify and remediate Windows Server security issues by using Azure Services | Identify and remediate Windows Server security issues by using Azure Services | Minor |
| Secure Windows Server networking | Secure Windows Server networking | Minor |
| Secure Windows Server storage | Secure Windows Server storage | Minor |
| Implement and Manage Windows Server High Availability | Implement and manage Windows Server high availability | % of the exam increased |
| Implement a Windows Server failover cluster | Implement a Windows Server failover cluster | Major |
| Manage failover clustering | Manage failover clustering | Minor |
| Implement and manage Storage Spaces Direct | Implement and manage Storage Spaces Direct | Minor |
| Implement Disaster Recovery | Implement disaster recovery | No change |
| Manage backup and recovery for Windows Server | Manage backup and recovery for Windows Server | Minor |
| Implement disaster recovery by using Azure Site Recovery | Implement disaster recovery by using Azure Site Recovery | Minor |
| Protect virtual machines by using Hyper-V replicas | Protect virtual machines by using Hyper-V replicas | Minor |
| Migrate Servers and Workloads | Migrate servers and workloads | No change |
| Migrate on-premises storage to on-premises servers or Azure | Migrate on-premises storage to on-premises servers or Azure | Minor |
| Migrate on-premises servers to Azure | Migrate on-premises servers by using Azure Migrate | Minor |
| Migrate workloads from previous versions to Windows Server 2022 | Migrate workloads from previous Windows Server versions to the most current version | Major |
| Migrate IIS workloads to Azure | Migrate IIS workloads to Azure | Minor |
| Migrate an Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) infrastructure to Windows Server 2022 AD DS | Migrate an on-premises AD forest to Windows Server 2025 | Major |
| Monitor and Troubleshoot Windows Server Environments | Monitor and troubleshoot Windows Server environments | % of the exam decreased |
| Monitor Windows Server by using Windows Server tools and Azure services | Monitor Windows Server by using Windows Server tools and Azure services | Major |
| Troubleshoot Windows Server on-premises and hybrid networking | Troubleshoot Windows Server issues | Major |
| Troubleshoot Windows Server virtual machines in Azure | Deleted | |
| Troubleshoot Active Directory | Troubleshoot Active Directory | Major |