AZ-800: Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure
Configure and manage Windows Server on-premises, hybrid, and IaaS platform workloads, integrating Active Directory, compute, storage, networking, and Azure Arc management.
Official Exam Specification & Quick Facts
Question Difficulty Breakdown
Recommended Study Guides & Exam Preparation Blueprints
Reinforce your knowledge with domain breakdowns, trap question analyses, and architectural cheat sheets:
Exam Guidelines & Simulation Rules
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The AZ-800 exam consists of 45-60 scenario-based questions over 120 minutes. The registration fee is $165 USD with a passing threshold of 700/1000 (70%).
Domains include: (1) Deploy and manage Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) in on-premises and cloud environments (~30-35%), (2) Manage Windows Servers and workloads in a hybrid environment (~10-15%), (3) Manage virtual machines and containers (~15-20%), (4) Implement and manage an on-premises and hybrid networking infrastructure (~15-20%), and (5) Manage storage and file services (~15-20%).
Azure Arc deploys the Connected Machine agent to on-premises physical and virtual servers, projecting them into Azure Resource Manager for centralized governance, policy auditing, and monitoring.
Windows Admin Center is a browser-based management tool that provides local management of Windows Server and integrates with Azure services like Azure Backup, File Sync, and Azure Arc.
Azure File Sync centralizes file storage in Azure while caching hot data locally on Windows Servers using cloud tiering to conserve local disk space.
Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) on Azure VMs provides full domain controller access with custom schema modifications. Microsoft Entra Domain Services (Azure AD DS) is a managed domain service providing Kerberos/NTLM without managing domain controllers.
Storage Spaces Direct uses industry-standard servers with local drives to create highly available, highly scalable software-defined storage at a fraction of traditional SAN costs.
Azure Network Adapter establishes a point-to-site VPN connection from an on-premises Windows Server directly to an Azure Virtual Network with a single click.
Hotpatching allows installing operating system security updates on Windows Server Azure Edition VMs in-memory without requiring a reboot, maximizing uptime.
On-premises environments utilize GPOs for domain-joined endpoints, while Azure Arc extends Azure Policy Machine Configuration to audit and enforce OS baselines inside hybrid servers.
AZ-800 is valid for one year and renewable annually for free via Microsoft Learn.
AZ-800 certifies Windows Server Administrators, Hybrid Cloud Engineers, and Enterprise Infrastructure Specialists earning average US salaries between $115,000 and $150,000.