Tag: Microsoft Learn

Apr262022April 26, 2022April 26, 20220Commentby Thomas Maurer
Introducing Azure Hybrid Cloud Study Hall

Introducing Azure Hybrid Cloud Study Hall

Posted in Microsoft Azure

In case you missed it, we are currently running the Learn Live Azure Hybrid Cloud Study Hall on Microsoft Learn TV where you can go together through different learn modules live with a presenter team and learn about Azure Arc and Azure Stack HCI.

I had the chance to speak with Lior Kamrat (Microsoft) about it. Check it out here:

Introducing Azure Hybrid Cloud Study Hall

This fourteen-party weekly series will answer your questions live, walk through how to configure, deploy, manage your hybrid cloud resources using services and hybrid cloud technologies, and walk-through Microsoft Learn modules focused on Azure Arc and Azure Stack HCI. You will learn how you can manage your on-premises, edge and multicloud resources, and how you can deploy Azure services anywhere with Azure Arc and Azure Stack. The series will kick off on April 14th and will have two new episodes every Thursday!

Join us for this live learning experience where you will be guided by subject matter experts through the Learn modules below in real time along with developers around the globe. Earn badges, prepare for certifications and Learn Live with a great community! See you there

To learn more about the Learn Live Azure Hybrid Cloud Study Hall, check out my latest blog about it.


Apr072022April 7, 2022April 7, 20220Commentby Thomas Maurer
Learn Live Azure Hybrid Cloud Study Hall Header

Learn Live: Azure Hybrid Cloud Study Hall

Posted in Microsoft, Microsoft Azure

Join us for the new Azure Hybrid study hall series. This fourteen-party weekly series will answer your questions live, walk through how to configure, deploy, manage your hybrid cloud resources using services and hybrid cloud technologies, and walk-through Microsoft Learn modules focused on Azure Arc and Azure Stack HCI. You will learn how you can manage your on-premises, edge and multicloud resources, and how you can deploy Azure services anywhere with Azure Arc and Azure Stack. The series will kick off on April 14th and will have two new episodes every Thursday!

Join us for this live learning experience where you will be guided by subject matter experts through the Learn modules below in real time along with developers around the globe. Earn badges, prepare for certifications and Learn Live with a great community! See you there

Learn Live: Azure Hybrid Cloud Study Hall Sessions

Introduction to Azure Arc: April 14, 2022 10:00AM – 11:30AM (Pacific)

In this module, you’ll be able to describe Azure Arc enabled servers. You’ll also be able to describe Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes. In this episode, you will:

  • Describe Azure Arc enabled servers.
  • Describe Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes.

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Introduction to Azure Stack: April 14, 2022 10:30AM – 12:00PM (Central Europe)

This module introduces you to the Azure Stack portfolio and describes basic architecture, core capabilities, and primary use cases of its products. You’ll also learn about differences and similarities between Azure Stack HCI, Azure Stack Hub, Azure Stack Edge, and Azure. In this episode, you will:

  • Describe the Azure Stack portfolio
  • Describe basic architecture, core capabilities, and primary use cases of Azure Stack Hub
  • Describe basic architecture, core capabilities, and primary use cases of Azure Stack HCI
  • Describe basic architecture, core capabilities, and primary use cases of Azure Stack Edge

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Introduction to Azure Arc enabled servers: April 21, 2022 10:00AM – 11:30AM (Pacific)

This module introduces you to Azure Arc enabled servers and describes its characteristics, capabilities, and use cases. In this episode, you will:

  • What are the characteristics of Azure Arc enabled servers?
  • What are the core capabilities of Azure Arc enabled servers?
  • How can you simplify management and maintenance of Azure Arc enabled servers?

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Introduction to Azure Stack HCI core technologies: April 21, 2022 10:30AM – 12:00PM (Central Europe)

This module introduces Azure Stack HCI technologies. You’ll learn about the core Azure Stack HCI technologies, including Hyper-V, software-defined storage, and software-defined networking. In this episode, you will:

  • Describe Hyper-V and its components
  • Describe Azure Stack HCI and its components
  • Describe software-defined storage
  • Describe software-defined networking

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Plan and deploy Azure Arc-enabled servers at scale: April 28, 2022 10:00AM – 11:30AM (Pacific)

Azure Arc promises to bridge the gap between on-premises and cloud environments. Azure Arc-enabled servers extends the consistent security, observability, and governance of the Azure platform to non-Azure machines. In this module, you’ll learn about planning and securely deploying Azure Arc-enabled servers at scale. In this episode, you will:

  • Understand Azure Arc’s built-in and supplemental security functions
  • Evaluate different deployment and testing channels for Azure Arc-enabled servers
  • Apply best practices for Azure Arc-enabled servers architecture and management

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Plan and deploy Azure Stack HCI: April 28, 2022 10:30AM – 12:00PM (Central Europe)

This module introduces you to planning for and deploying Azure Stack HCI. Content includes identifying suitable workloads, determining the optimal configuration to host these workloads, stepping through the deployment process, validating post-deployment operational status, and evaluating Azure integration options. In this episode, you will:

  • Plan for Azure Stack HCI.
  • Deploy Azure Stack HCI.
  • Validate deployment of Azure Stack HCI.
  • Integrate Azure Stack HCI with Azure.

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Introduction to Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes: May 5, 2022 10:00AM – 11:30AM (Pacific)

In this module, you learned how Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes clusters can help customers like Contoso to optimize and simplify their operations. In this episode, you will:

  • Describe Kubernetes, Azure Arc, and Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes.
  • Connect Kubernetes clusters to Azure Arc.
  • Manage Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes clusters by using GitOps.
  • Integrate Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes cluster with Azure services like Azure Monitor and Azure Policy.

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Integrate Azure Arc and Azure Stack HCI: May 5, 2022 10:30AM – 12:00PM (Central Europe)

In this module, you will learn the fundamentals of Azure Arc and how is it used to bring new capabilities to the management and monitoring of your Azure Stack HCI clusters at scale. In this episode, you will:

  • Describe Azure Arc, its components, and use cases
  • Describe the principles of integration of Azure Arc and Azure Stack HCI
  • Describe the benefits of Azure Arc enabled Azure Stack HCI clusters

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Introduction to Azure Arc-enabled data services: June 2, 2022 10:00AM – 11:30AM (Pacific)

In this module, you’ll learn the fundamentals of hybrid computing and Azure Arc. You will also learn the basics of Azure Arc-enabled data services including the overall architecture. Then you will learn the capabilities of Azure Arc-enabled SQL Managed Instance and PostgreSQL Hyperscale. In this episode, you will:

  • Describe why hybrid computing is an important technology strategy for many users and businesses.
  • Describe what is Azure Arc-enabled data services and why it can be an important part of any hybrid compute and data strategy.
  • Describe the managed capabilities and benefits of using Azure Arc-enabled SQL Managed Instance for SQL Server workloads.
  • Describe the managed capabilities and benefits of using Azure Arc-enabled PostgreSQL Hyperscale for applications wanting to use the PostgreSQL engine.

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Manage Azure Stack HCI clusters: June 2, 2022 10:30AM – 12:00PM (Central Europe)

This module covers the most common Microsoft Azure Stack HCI management and maintenance tasks that will help you improve the resiliency, stability, and performance of your existing IT infrastructure. In this episode, you will:

  • Describe the most common Azure Stack HCI cluster management tasks.
  • Update cluster operating system and software.
  • Monitor an Azure Stack HCI cluster.
  • Configure an Azure Stack HCI cluster quorum.
  • Implement an Azure Stack HCI stretched cluster.
  • Maintain cluster nodes.

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Implement Azure App Service on Kubernetes with Arc: June 9, 2022 10:00AM – 11:30AM (Pacific)

Azure App Service on Kubernetes with Azure Arc enables implementation of Azure application-platform services on customer-managed, Arc-onboarded Kubernetes clusters. In this episode, you will:

  • Prepare for implementing Azure App Service on Kubernetes with Azure Arc.
  • Implement an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster that supports Azure App Service on Kubernetes with Azure Arc.
  • Install the Application services extension into an AKS cluster.
  • Deploy Azure App Services web apps to an AKS cluster.

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Integrate Azure services with Azure Stack HCI: June 9, 2022 10:30AM – 12:00PM (Central Europe)

This module describes the benefits, considerations, and implementation process of integrating Microsoft Azure services with Azure Stack HCI and its workloads. In this episode, you will:

  • Monitor Azure Stack HCI by using Azure Monitor.
  • Protect Azure Stack HCI VMs by using Azure Site Recovery.
  • Protect Azure Stack HCI VMs by using Azure Backup.
  • Implement Azure Network Adapter in Azure Stack HCI scenarios.

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Manage Azure Stack HCI virtual machine workloads: June 16, 2022 10:00AM – 11:30AM (Pacific)

This module describes how to manage and maintain Microsoft Azure Stack HCI virtual machine (VM) workloads. In this episode, you will:

  • Manage Azure Stack HCI VMs.
  • Configure affinity of Azure Stack HCI VMs.
  • Configure load balancing of Azure Stack HCI VMs.
  • Configure GPU support for Azure Stack HCI VMs.
  • Implement Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) in Azure Stack HCI.
  • Implement Trusted Enterprise Virtualization in Azure Stack HCI.

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Manage Azure Kubernetes Service on Azure Stack HCI: June 16, 2022 10:30AM – 12:00PM (Central Europe)

This module describes how to implement and manage Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service on Azure Stack HCI. In this episode, you will:

  • Describe Kubernetes and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
  • Describe Azure Kubernetes Service on Azure Stack HCI.
  • Deploy AKS and Kubernetes clusters.
  • Connect Azure Kubernetes Service on Azure Stack HCI to Microsoft Azure Arc for Kubernetes.
  • Manage pod placement on multi-pool Kubernetes clusters.
  • Manage pod storage on Kubernetes clusters.

📺Add to Calendar to join live!

🎓Complete Learn Module!

Learn Live: Azure Hybrid Cloud Study Hall Speakers

We have a great lineup of speakers and experts for the Azure Hybrid Cloud Study Hall from the community such as Microsoft MVPs as well as from Microsoft engineering.

Want to join the Learn Live: Azure Hybrid Cloud Study Hall on Learn TV? You can lern more here on Microsoft Learn!


Nov162021November 16, 2021November 15, 20210Commentby Thomas Maurer
Learn Live Hybrid Infrastructure Study Hall

Learn Live: Hybrid Infrastructure Study Hall

Posted in Certification, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Windows Server

A couple of weeks ago Microsoft announced new Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate certification, and now we are offering some live learning experience. I am happy to let you know that our team and I will present on a couple of Microsoft Learn Live sessions on Microsoft Learn TV.

Calling all Windows Server administrators! Join us on Learn TV for this new Windows Server Hybrid study hall series. This seven-part weekly series will answer your questions live, walk through how to configure advanced Windows Server services using on-premises, hybrid, and cloud technologies, and walk through Microsoft Learn modules related to the new Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate certification. The series will kick off at Ignite on November 2nd and will have a new episode every Thursday (and a few Tuesdays) through December 16th.

Learn Live: Hybrid Infrastructure Study Hall

We have some cool sessions available:

Ignite 2021 Learn Live: Monitor Windows Server IaaS Virtual Machines and hybrid instances: November 2 – Episode 01 (3:00pm PT – 5:00pm PT)

Azure Monitor can be used for virtual machines (VMs) to observe performance, diagnostic, and dependency information about Windows Server Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) VMs. This session will cover enabling Azure Monitor for VMs, how to use Azure Monitor to collect data in a hybrid environment, how to use it to monitor VMs, and how to integrate Azure Monitor with Operations Manager.

Manage hybrid workloads with Azure Arc: November 18 – Episode 02 (4:00pm PT – 5:30pm PT)

Learn how to describe Azure Arc, implement Azure Arc with on-premises server instances, deploy Azure policies with Azure Arc, and use role-based access control (RBAC) to restrict access to Log Analytics data. In this episode, you will:

  • Explain how to onboard on-premises Windows Server instances in Azure Arc.
  • Connect hybrid machines to Azure from the Azure portal and use Azure Arc to manage devices.
  • Restrict access using RBAC.

Implement hybrid identity with Windows Server: November 25 – Episode 03 (4:00pm PT – 5:30pm PT)

Learn how to configure an Azure environment so that Windows IaaS workloads requiring Active Directory are supported. You’ll also learn to integrate on-premises Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) environment into Azure. In this episode, you will:

  • Select an Azure AD integration model.
  • Plan for Azure AD integration.
  • Prepare on-premises AD DS for directory synchronization.
  • Install and configure directory synchronization using Azure AD Connect.
  • And more!

Implement hybrid network infrastructure: November 30 – Episode 04 (1:00pm PT – 2:30pm PT)

Learn how to connect your on-premises environment to Azure, implement subnets and routing between your on-premises and cloud environments, and ensure that workloads in the cloud and on-premises perform DNS resolution to locate each other. In this episode, you will:

  • Describe Azure network topologies.
  • Implement an Azure VPN.
  • Explain how to create a route-based VPN gateway using the Azure portal.
  • Implement Azure ExpressRoute.
  • Implement an Azure WAN.
  • Implement DNS resolution in hybrid environments.

Implement a hybrid file server infrastructure: December 02 – Episode 05 (4:00pm PT – 5:30pm PT)

Learn how to deploy Azure File Sync, migrate from DFS, and use Storage Migration Services to migrate file servers to Azure. In this episode, you will:

  • Describe and Configure Azure file services.
  • Configure connectivity to Azure file services.
  • Describe and Implement Azure File Sync.
  • And more!

Manage Azure updates: December 07 – Episode 06 (1:00pm PT – 2:30pm PT)

Learn how to enable Azure Update Management, deploy updates, review an update assessment, and manage updates for your Azure VMs. In this episode, you will:

  • Describe Azure updates.
  • Enable Update Management.
  • Deploy updates.
  • Review an update assessment.
  • Manage updates for your Azure VMs.

Implement hybrid backup and recovery with Windows Server IaaS: December 16 – Episode 07 (12:00pm PT – 1:30pm PT)

Learn about Azure Backup before learning to implement Recovery Vaults and Azure Backup Policies. You’ll also learn how to implement Windows IaaS VM recovery, perform backup and restore of on-premises workloads, and manage Azure VM backups. In this episode, you will:

  • Describe Azure Backup.
  • Implement Recovery Vaults.
  • Implement Azure Backup policies.
  • Recover Windows IaaS VMs.
  • And more!

Want to join the Learn Live: Windows Server Hybrid Infrastructure Study Hall, and prepare for the Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate certification? You can lern more here on Microsoft Learn!


Apr232021April 23, 2021June 2, 20210Commentby Thomas Maurer
Getting started and Learn PowerShell on Microsoft Learn

Getting started and Learn PowerShell on Microsoft Learn!

Posted in PowerShell

I remember running my first commands and building my first automation using Windows PowerShell back in 2006. Since then, PowerShell became one of my daily tools to build, deploy, manage IT environments. With the release of PowerShell version 6 and now PowerShell 7, PowerShell became cross-platform. This means you can now use it on even more systems like Linux and macOS. With PowerShell becoming more and more powerful (you see what I did there ;)), more people are asking me how they can get started and learn PowerShell. Luckily we just released 5 new modules on Microsoft Learn for PowerShell.

Microsoft Learn Introduction to PowerShell

Learn about the basics of PowerShell. This cross-platform command-line shell and scripting language is built for task automation and configuration management. You’ll learn basics like what PowerShell is, what it’s used for, and how to use it.

Learning objectives

  • Understand what PowerShell is and what you can use it for.
  • Use commands to automate tasks.
  • Leverage the core cmdlets to discover commands and learn how they work.

PowerShell learn module: Introduction to PowerShell

Connect commands into a pipeline

In this module, you’ll learn how to connect commands into a pipeline. You’ll also learn about filtering left, formatting right, and other important principles.

Learning objectives

  • Explore cmdlets further and construct a sequence of them in a pipeline.
  • Apply sound principles to your commands by using filtering and formatting.

PowerShell learn module: Connect commands into a pipeline

Introduction to scripting in PowerShell

This module introduces you to scripting with PowerShell. It introduces various concepts to help you create script files and make them as robust as possible.

Learning objectives

  • Understand how to write and run scripts.
  • Use variables and parameters to make your scripts flexible.
  • Apply flow-control logic to make intelligent decisions.
  • Add robustness to your scripts by adding error management.

PowerShell learn module: Introduction to scripting in PowerShell

Write your first PowerShell code

Getting started by writing code examples to learn the basics of programming in PowerShell!

Learning objectives

  • Manage PowerShell inputs and outputs
  • Diagnose errors when you type code incorrectly
  • Identify different PowerShell elements like cmdlets, parameters, inputs, and outputs.

PowerShell learn module: Write your first PowerShell code

Automate Azure tasks using scripts with PowerShell

Install Azure PowerShell locally and use it to manage Azure resources.

Learning objectives

  • Decide if Azure PowerShell is the right tool for your Azure administration tasks
  • Install Azure PowerShell on Linux, macOS, and/or Windows
  • Connect to an Azure subscription using Azure PowerShell
  • Create Azure resources using Azure PowerShell

PowerShell learn module: Automate Azure tasks using scripts with PowerShell

Conclusion

I hope this helps you get started and learn PowerShell! If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment!


Feb022021February 2, 2021February 1, 20210Commentby Thomas Maurer
Microsoft Learn Windows Server Hyper-V and Virtualization

Learn about Windows Server Hyper-V and Virtualization

Posted in Windows Server

As you know, my background is doing a lot of datacenter and virtualization projects using Hyper-V and System Center. I often get asked, how do I start learning about Windows Server Hyper-V, and virtualization, including Windows Server Containers. So if you are a Windows Server Hyper-V admin or want to learn about virtualization, we have a new Microsoft Learn learning path ready. In the new Windows Server Hyper-V and Virtualization learning path you will be able to learn to implement and manage Windows Server virtual machines (VMs) and container workloads using Windows Server Hyper-V.

Windows Server Hyper-V and Virtualization Microsoft Learn Modules

Currently, the learning path consists of 6 modules:

Configure and manage Hyper-V
Learn about virtualization and the Microsoft Hyper-V role with Windows Server. Learn about best practices for preparing Hyper-V hosts, in addition to Hyper-V networking features and implementing nested virtualization.

Configure and manage Hyper-V virtual machines
Learn about configuring and managing Hyper-V virtual machines in Windows Server 2019.

Secure Hyper-V workloads
Learn about securing Hyper-V workloads in Windows Server 2019, installing and configuring the Host Guardian Service (HGS), the attestation modes available with the HGS, and the creation and deployment of shielded virtual machines (VMs).

Run containers on Windows Server
Learn about Windows Server and Hyper-V containers, associated isolation modes, running containers, and preparing the Windows Server host for running containerized workloads. Learn about Docker, preparing Windows Server for running container workloads, and managing containers.

Orchestrate containers on Windows Server using Kubernetes
Learn about Kubernetes, containers, container orchestration, and Kubernetes orchestration in Windows Server 2019. Also learn the process for deploying a Kubernetes cluster on Windows and describe how to use Azure Arc for Kubernetes.

Implement Hyper-V Replica
Learn about Hyper-V Replica, scenarios for its use, and prerequisites to use it. Learn about Azure Site Recovery and the benefits of using it, focusing on implementing Site Recovery in on-premises scenarios.

Conclusion

I hope these links are useful to you and it helps you to learn more. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment, and for more Hyper-V content, check out my blog.


Jan142021January 14, 2021January 14, 20210Commentby Thomas Maurer
Microsoft Learn - Proud to be Certified

Microsoft Learn – Proud to be Certified

Posted in Certification

As you know helping people get certified and help them with their careers is one part of my goals. So I want to share a very interesting initiative by Microsoft Learn. With the “Proud to be Certified” campaign, the Microsoft Learn team is looking for people who have an inspiring story to share about why they got certified and how it impacted their life, career, or personal development. We’ll be featuring select stories starting at the next Microsoft Ignite in early 2021.

“We know that earning a Microsoft Certification can help you build confidence, get recognized as a leader, and unlock new opportunities. But we want to hear it from you. If you’ve achieved a Microsoft Certification (fundamentals, role-based, or specialty), tell us about your experience and how it helped you. What did you do to prepare? How has being certified changed your career? What new insights did you gain after becoming certified? Is English not your native language? No problem! We would love for you to submit your video in your native language.”

Microsoft Learn

If you have an interesting story to share and want to be part of “Microsoft Learn – Proud to be Certified”, you can find more information and share your story here.

Also, if you want to know how you can learn Microsoft Azure and Cloud Computing in 2021, check out my latest blog post: How to learn Microsoft Azure in 2021

If you are looking for some study guides to prepare for a Microsoft certification exam, check out the following links:

Happy Learning and if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.


Dec222020December 22, 2020December 22, 20202Commentsby Thomas Maurer
Microsoft Learn how to deploy and manage Azure resources with ARM templates

Learn how to deploy and manage Azure resources with ARM templates

Posted in Microsoft Azure

Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates are a great way to deploy and manage resources in Azure. With the new Microsoft Learn learning path, you can learn who you can get started with Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates.

What is Azure Resource Manager

But first, what exactly is Azure Resource Manager? Azure Resource Manager is the deployment and management service for Azure. It provides a management layer that enables you to create, update, and delete resources in your Azure account. You use management features, like access control, locks, and tags, to secure and organize your resources after deployment. You can learn more about Azure Resource Manager on Microsoft Docs.

What are ARM templates?

As infrastructure has become part of the iterative process, the division between operations and development has disappeared. Teams need to manage infrastructure and application code through a unified process.

To meet these challenges, you can automate deployments and use the practice of infrastructure as code. In code, you define the infrastructure that needs to be deployed. The infrastructure code becomes part of your project. Just like application code, you store the infrastructure code in a source repository and version it. Anyone on your team can run the code and deploy similar environments.

Azure Resource Manager Templates
Azure Resource Manager Templates

To implement infrastructure as code for your Azure solutions, use Azure Resource Manager templates (ARM templates). The template is a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file that defines the infrastructure and configuration for your project. The template uses declarative syntax, which lets you state what you intend to deploy without having to write the sequence of programming commands to create it. In the template, you specify the resources to deploy and the properties for those resources. You can learn more about ARM templates on Microsoft Docs.

Learn how to write, deploy and manage ARM templates with Microsoft Learn

Learning new concepts can be difficult. Luckily, we have a new Microsoft Learn learning path that helps you to learn how to write, deploy, and manage ARM templates.

in this learning path you will learn:

  • Declaratively define the Azure resources you need within the structure of an ARM template.
  • Create and validate your templates by using Visual Studio Code.
  • Deploy your templates by using the Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell, and through GitHub Actions.
  • Break down complex deployments into smaller and more reusable components by using nested templates and linked templates.
  • Validate and preview your infrastructure changes by using what-if and the ARM template test toolkit.
  • Add custom steps to your ARM templates by using deployment scripts.
  • Use advanced constructs such as deployment order, conditional deployments, and secrets to manage complex deployments.

The Learning Path includes the following modules:

Conclusion

I hope this helps you getting started with Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment.

By the way, if you need an instance of Azure Resource Manager in your on-premises environment, check out Azure Stack Hub.


Dec132020December 13, 2020December 13, 20200Commentby Thomas Maurer
Microsoft Learn Azure Stack HCI foundations

Learn about Azure Stack HCI on Microsoft Learn!

Posted in Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Virtualization, Windows Server

Last week the general availability of the new Azure Stack HCI, our new hybrid cloud hyper-converged platform was announced. With the release of this new platform, the team also released a new Microsoft Learn learning path called Azure Stack HCI foundations. In this learning path, you will be introduced to the Azure Stack portfolio and describes basic architecture, core capabilities, and primary use cases of its products. You’ll also learn about the differences and similarities between Azure Stack HCI, Azure Stack Hub, Azure Stack Edge, and Azure.

If you want to get an overview of the Azure Stack portfolio or the new Azure Stack HCI 20H2 version, check out my blog posts.

The new Azure Stack HCI foundations learning path on Microsoft Learn currently has 4 modules:

Introduction to Azure Stack

This module introduces you to the Azure Stack portfolio and describes basic architecture, core capabilities, and primary use cases of its products. You’ll also learn about the differences and similarities between Azure Stack HCI, Azure Stack Hub, Azure Stack Edge, and Azure. You can check out the module here.

Introduction to Azure Stack HCI core technologies

This module introduces Azure Stack HCI technologies. You’ll learn about the core Azure Stack HCI technologies, including Hyper-V, Windows Server software-defined storage, and Windows Server software-defined networking. You can check out the module here.

Plan and deploy Azure Stack HCI

This module introduces you to planing for and deploying Azure Stack HCI. Content includes identifying suitable workloads, determining the optimal configuration to host these workloads, stepping through the deployment process, validating post-deployment operational status, and evaluating Azure integration options. You can check out the module here.

Integrate Azure Arc and Azure Stack HCI

In this module, you will learn the fundamentals of Azure Arc and how is it used to bring new capabilities to the management and monitoring of your Azure Stack HCI clusters at scale. You can check out the module here.

Conclusion

I hope this provides you with a great opportunity to learn about Azure Stack HCI on Microsoft Learn. You can also follow my blog and you with some posts about this new solution in the pipeline. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a comment.


Dec032020December 3, 2020October 13, 20212Commentsby Thomas Maurer
DP-300 Exam Study Guide Microsoft Azure Database Administrator

DP-300 Study Guide Azure Database Administrator

Posted in Certification, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, SQL Server

I am currently preparing for the new Microsoft exam DP-300 Administering Relational Databases on Microsoft Azure. That is why I want to share my new updated DP-300 Microsoft Azure Database Administrator Certification Exam Study Guide with you.  If you are passing the DP-300 exam, you will earn the Microsoft Certified Azure Database Administrator Associate certification, which you understand how to implement and manage the operational aspects of cloud-native and hybrid data platform solutions built with Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Azure Data Services. The Azure Database Administrator uses a variety of methods and tools to perform day-to-day operations, including applying knowledge of using T-SQL for administrative management purposes.

To learn and prepare for the exam, I usually use a couple of online resources, mainly Microsoft Docs and Microsoft Learn, which I am going to share with you. You can find more information about how I prepare for a Microsoft Certification exam on my blog post: How to prepare and pass Microsoft Certification Exam.

Also, check out other Microsoft Azure Certification Exam Study Guides:

Here is my DP-300 Azure Database Administrator Associate Certification Exam Study Guide

It is essential to get familiar with the exam objectives and skills measured first. That is why I recommend reading the description of the exam and the skills measured.

Exam DP-300 Administering Relational Databases on Microsoft Azure

Candidates for this exam are database administrators and data management specialists that manage on-premises and cloud relational databases built with Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Azure Data Services.

The Azure Database Administrator implements and manages the operational aspects of cloud-native and hybrid data platform solutions built on Azure Data Services and SQL Server. The Azure Database Administrator uses a variety of methods and tools to perform day-to-day operations, including applying knowledge of using T-SQL for administrative management purposes.

This role is responsible for management, availability, security and performance monitoring and optimization of modern relational database solutions. This role works with the Azure Data Engineer role to manage operational aspects of data platform solutions.

The high-level view of the skills measured in the exam:

  • Plan and implement data platform resources (15-20%)
  • Implement a secure environment (15-20%)
  • Monitor and optimize operational resources (15-20%)
  • Optimize query performance (5-10%)
  • Perform automation of tasks (10-15%)
  • Plan and implement a High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR) environment (15-20%)
  • Perform administration by using T-SQL (10-15%)

You can find more information on the exam website.

Free Online Microsoft Learn DP-300 Exam Study Guide resources

Microsoft Learn provides you with free online training and learning paths for different Microsoft technologies. They not just offer reading material, but also control questions and free online labs. Here are some relevant Microsoft Learn modules and learning paths for the DP-300 Administering Relational Databases on Microsoft Azure Certification Exam. Microsoft Learn is an important part of my DP-300 Azure Database Administrator exam study guide.

The team also just made it easier to prepare with the new DP-300 related learning paths on Microsoft Learn. I highly recommend that you take these for your DP-300 exam preparation.

Microsoft Docs DP-300 Azure Database Administrator study guide resources

One thing I always used to prepare for my Microsoft exams is Microsoft Docs. Here are the relevant Microsoft Docs which I used to prepare and study for the DP-300 exam.

Read More

Nov082020November 8, 2020November 8, 20200Commentby Thomas Maurer
CSharp Corner Azure Learning and Azure Certification - AMA ft Thomas Maurer

C# Corner Azure Learning and Microsoft Certification – AMA ft. Thomas Maurer

Posted in Certification, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Speaking, Thomas Maurer

Last week I had the honor to be a guest in the C# Corner Live AMA (Ask Me Anything) about Azure Learning and Microsoft Certification. C# Corner is an online global community of 3 million software developers. They publish the latest news and articles on cutting-edge software development topics. Developers share their knowledge and connect via content, forums, and chapters. Thousands of members benefit from our monthly events, webinars, and conferences. We also provide tools for career growth such as career advice, resume writing, training, certifications, books and whitepapers, and videos. We also connect developers with their potential employers via our Job board.

On their weekly live show, I joined them to answer questions about Azure Learning and Microsoft Certification. I was talking a lot about Microsoft Learn and Microsoft Docs, which can help you a lot when it comes to learning Azure. You can watch the recording of the Microsoft Certification and Azure Learning AMA here:

If you are interested in learning Azure and/or becoming Microsoft Certifed, check out my blogs about how to learn Microsoft Azure and Cloud Computing. If you are preparing for a Microsoft Azure certification exam also make sure you check out my exam study guides:

I hope you enjoyed this Microsoft Certification AMA with C# Corner. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. I wish you all happy learning and a lot of success with your Microsoft certification exams!



  • About Thomas Maurer

    Thomas Maurer

    My name is Thomas Maurer. I am a Senior Program Manager & Chief Evangelist for Azure Hybrid at Microsoft. I am part of the Azure engineering team (Cloud + AI) and engage with the community and customers around the world. Opinions are my own.

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