Manage virtual machines

This module covers how to configure and manage Hyper-V virtual machines in Windows Server. You learn how to choose between Generation 1 and Generation 2 VMs, work with VHD and VHDX virtual hard disk formats, configure VM hardware settings including processors, memory, NUMA topology, and virtual TPM, select storage options such as local disks, Fibre Channel SANs, and SMB 3.0 file shares, and implement shared VHDs and VHD Sets for guest failover clustering.

This module covers how to install and configure the Hyper-V role in Windows Server. You learn how to prepare Hyper-V hosts following best practices, use Hyper-V Manager for VM and host management, create and configure virtual switches (external, internal, and private) with VLAN support, implement advanced networking features including NIC Teaming, SR-IOV, bandwidth management, DHCP Guard, port mirroring, and Switch Embedded Teaming (SET), and configure nested virtualization for running Hyper-V inside a VM.

This module covers how to secure Hyper-V workloads in Windows Server using guarded fabric. You learn how to deploy and configure the Host Guardian Service (HGS) with TPM-trusted and Host Key attestation modes, use the Key Protection Service (KPS) to control access to shielded VM encryption keys, distinguish between standard VMs, encryption-supported VMs, and shielded VMs, and create and deploy shielded VMs using signed template disks with BitLocker encryption and provisioning data files.

This module covers how to implement high availability for Hyper-V virtual machines in Windows Server. You learn how to choose between host clustering, guest clustering, and Network Load Balancing (NLB) for different workload types, configure and perform live migration to move running VMs between Hyper-V hosts using CredSSP or Kerberos authentication, and perform storage migration to relocate VM virtual hard disk files without downtime.

This module covers how to run and manage containers on Windows Server. You learn how containers differ from virtual machines, choose between process isolation and Hyper-V isolation modes, prepare a Windows Server host for container workloads using Docker, pull container base images (Server Core, Nano Server, Windows) from the Microsoft Container Registry, and manage containers using Docker commands and Windows Admin Center.

This module covers how to plan and deploy Windows Server IaaS virtual machines in Azure. You learn how to describe Azure compute resources including VM sizes, series, and Basic vs. Standard tiers, choose appropriate disk storage options including Standard HDD, Standard SSD, and Premium SSD managed disks, deploy Azure VMs using the Azure portal, Azure CLI, and Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates, and configure additional options including Azure Automanage for automated VM management best practices.

This module covers how to implement scaling and high availability for Windows Server virtual machines in Azure. You learn how to describe virtual machine scale sets and their use cases for fluctuating workloads, implement horizontal scaling (adding/removing VMs) and vertical scaling (increasing VM resources) with automated rules based on metrics, configure load-balanced virtual machines using Azure Load Balancer with frontend IP configurations, describe Azure Site Recovery capabilities for disaster recovery and business continuity, and implement Azure Site Recovery to replicate and protect Azure VMs.

This module covers how to implement IP addressing and routing for Windows Server IaaS virtual machines in Azure. You learn how to implement Azure virtual networks (VNets) with subnets and private IP address spaces, configure private and public IP addresses using dynamic and static allocation methods, manage network interfaces and assign IP configurations during VM creation, understand system routes and implement user-defined routes for custom traffic flow between subnets and networks, and implement IPv6 for Azure VNet to support dual-stack networking.

This module covers how to implement network security for Windows Server IaaS virtual machines in Azure. You learn how to configure network security groups (NSGs) with inbound and outbound security rules, priority-based processing, and default rules, deploy and configure Azure Firewall for centralized network traffic filtering, configure Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security for host-level protection, choose the appropriate filtering solution from NSGs, Azure Firewall, and Windows Defender Firewall, and use Azure Network Watcher to capture network traffic and log network flows for diagnostics.

This module covers how to remotely administer and manage Windows Server IaaS VMs in Azure. You learn how to select the appropriate remote administration tool from the Azure portal, Windows Admin Center, Azure PowerShell, Azure CLI, and Azure Cloud Shell, connect to Azure VMs securely using Azure Bastion without exposing public IP addresses, and configure Just-In-Time (JIT) VM access through Microsoft Defender for Cloud to lock down inbound management ports and reduce attack surface.