The Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) provides essential tools required to securely manage your applications. The Managed Service Identity (MSI) and the Service Principal (SP) are two of these key tools. One of the ways you can use Azure AD is by creating custom roles to delegate Azure Stack Hub management tasks to specific users. This can be very useful when looking to compartmentalize responsibility or expertise within an organization.
Creating a Custom Role
The following are the steps to create a custom role in Azure AD:
First, you must register an application with your Azure AD. Once the application is registered, Azure AD creates a Service Principal. This service principal is used to represent your application in scenarios where Azure AD takes actions on behalf of the application.
- Sign in to the Azure portal.
- In the left-hand navigation pane, click the Azure Active Directory service.
- Click App registrations.
- Click New registration.
- When the Register an application page appears, enter your application’s registration information.
- For the Supported account types section, select Accounts in this organizational directory only.
- After entering the information, click Register.
After the application is registered, you can then define a custom role in Azure AD.
- In the Azure portal, navigate to Azure Active Directory and then to Roles and administrators.
- Click on New custom role.
- On the basics tab, provide the name and a short description of the role.
- In the permissions tab, add permissions that your role needs.
- Click Review + create to review your settings.
- After reviewing your role, click Create.
Assigning the Custom Role
After creating the custom role, you can now assign it to the users who should be delegated the Azure Stack Hub management tasks.
- In the Azure portal, navigate to Azure Active Directory and then to Users.
- Click on the user to whom you want to assign the custom role.
- Under Assigned roles, click on Add assignments.
- Select the custom role that you have just created and click Add.
Example: Delegating Azure Stack Hub Management Tasks
Consider a scenario where you have a team of developers who need to manage certain aspects of your Azure Stack Hub, but you don’t want them to have full administrative control. This can be achieved using custom roles. Here’s how to do it:
- Create a custom role, for instance “Stack Hub Developer” with only the permissions necessary to manage the Azure Stack Hub.
- Assign this role to the developers. They can now manage the Azure Stack Hub as per the permissions granted by their role.
Conclusion
By creating custom roles, you can compartmentalize responsibilities within your organization while ensuring security. It is especially beneficial when dealing with multiple users or teams. Each team can have a custom role assigned to them, depending on their work requirements. In this manner, Azure AD provides flexibility in managing applications, thereby increasing security and control in maintaining your resources.
It’s important to note that these items are high level and every environment will have unique requirements and considerations. Always consult Azure AD documentation and best practices when designing and implementing custom roles and delegations.
Practice Test
True or False: Only built-in roles are available for delegating Azure Stack Hub management tasks to users.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Besides using the built-in roles, you can also define a custom role in Azure AD to delegate Azure Stack Hub management tasks to users.
What is a custom role in Azure AD?
- a) A security measure
- b) A cloud service
- c) A way to delegate management tasks
- d) A type of storage
Answer: c) A way to delegate management tasks
Explanation: An Azure AD custom role is a way to delegate Azure Stack Hub management tasks to users by defining specific permissions.
True or False: Defining a custom role in Azure AD requires Azure AD Premium P1 or P
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure AD custom roles are a premium feature that requires Azure AD Premium P1 or P
The Azure Stack Hub Operator role does not include permissions to:
- a) Create new plans
- b) Allocate resources
- c) Change user passwords
- d) View tenant usage
Answer: c) Change user passwords
Explanation: The Azure Stack Hub Operator role does not include permissions to change user passwords. That’s a permission typically associated with Azure AD roles, not Azure Stack Hub roles.
True or False: Custom roles in Azure AD are defined using JSON.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure AD custom roles are defined using JSON format, and include ID, name, description, and a list of actions, notActions, dataActions, and notDataActions.
For custom roles, Powershell is used to:
- a) Create a role
- b) Assign a role
- c) Remove a role
- d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Explanation: PowerShell is often used for Azure tasks, including creating, assigning, and removing custom roles in Azure AD.
True or False: You can assign a custom role to a user, group, or service principal in Azure AD.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: When you create a custom role, you can assign it to a user, group, or service principal in Azure AD.
Which service allows you to delegate management tasks in Azure Stack Hub?
- a) Azure Security Center
- b) Azure Information Protection
- c) Azure Active Directory
- d) Azure DevOps
Answer: c) Azure Active Directory
Explanation: You can use Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) to create and assign roles that delegate Azure Stack Hub management tasks.
In Azure AD, which PowerShell command can be used to create a custom role?
- a) New-AzureADMSRoleDefinition
- b) Set-AzureADUser
- c) Get-AzureADUser
- d) Remove-AzureADUser
Answer: a) New-AzureADMSRoleDefinition
Explanation: The New-AzureADMSRoleDefinition cmdlet creates a custom role in Azure AD.
True or False: Custom roles can be used across different Azure Stack Hub deployments.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Custom roles are specific to the directory in which they are created and can’t be used across different Azure Stack Hub deployments.
Azure Stack Hub management tasks do NOT include:
- a) Managing resources
- b) Configuring services
- c) Monitoring usage
- d) Developing applications
Answer: d) Developing applications
Explanation: Developing applications is not a part of Azure Stack Hub management tasks; it’s generally considered an individual or team task.
Interview Questions
What is the purpose of a custom role in Azure AD?
A custom role in Azure AD allows the administrator to assign specific permissions to a user or a group in Azure Active Directory. It grants a fine-grain, specifically defining what a user or group can and cannot do.
How can you create a custom role in Azure AD for Azure Stack Hub management tasks?
You can create a custom role in Azure AD using the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or PowerShell commands. It involves specifying a name for the role, and then adding permissions that are required for Azure Stack Hub management tasks.
Can you add permissions to a custom role after it has been created in Azure AD?
Yes, you can add more permissions to a custom role after it has been created in Azure AD by editing the role.
What are some examples of Azure Stack Hub management tasks which can be delegated using custom roles in Azure AD?
Some examples of Azure Stack Hub management tasks that can be delegated using custom roles include managing resource groups, virtual machines, and storage accounts and managing Azure Stack updates and patching.
How do you assign an Azure AD custom role to a user?
You can assign an Azure AD custom role to a user by navigating to Azure AD, selecting the ‘Roles and administrators’ section, selecting the custom role, and then adding the user or group that you want to assign the role to.
Can you remove a user from a custom role in Azure AD?
Yes, you can remove a user from a custom role in Azure AD by navigating to the ‘Roles and administrators’ section in Azure AD, choosing the custom role, and then removing the user or group.
How many custom roles can you create in Azure AD?
You can create up to 5000 custom roles in a single Azure AD directory.
Can the permissions assigned to a custom role be modified after it has been assigned to a user?
Yes, the permissions assigned to a custom role can indeed be modified after it has been assigned to a user, and changes will be effective immediately.
What are the limitations when creating a custom role in Azure AD?
There are a few limitations to consider. For example, you can only add permissions that are supported by Azure AD. Also, not all services in Azure support custom roles.
How does Azure AD provide security for Azure Stack Hub management tasks?
Azure AD provides security for Azure Stack Hub management tasks by defining custom roles with specific permissions. By limiting the management actions that a user or group can perform, it helps to minimize the risk of unauthorized or accidental changes.
Can you assign a custom role to a user that is not part of the Azure AD directory?
No, you cannot assign a custom role to a user that is not part of the Azure AD directory. The user needs to be part of the directory to be assigned the role.
Can you create a custom role using Azure CLI?
Yes, you can create a custom role using Azure CLI with the appropriate commands. Once the role is created, you can edit it to add the necessary permissions.
What happens if the Azure Stack Hub requires a permission that is not included in the custom role?
If the Azure Stack Hub requires a permission that is not included in the custom role, the operation will fail. The necessary permission should be added to the custom role for the operation to proceed.
Can a user have multiple custom roles in Azure AD?
Yes, a user can be assigned multiple custom roles in Azure AD, allowing them to perform various management tasks on Azure Stack Hub based on the permissions defined in each role.
How can you view the permissions assigned to a custom role in Azure AD?
You can view the permissions assigned to a custom role in Azure AD by going to the ‘Roles and administrators’ section in Azure AD, selecting the custom role, and then inspecting the permissions assigned to this role.
extutorials.com