Implement and manage Azure AD Connect

Azure AD Connect is a tool that allows you to synchronize on-premises directories with Azure Active Directory. It’s fundamental to understand how to implement and manage Azure AD Connect effectively, if you’re preparing for the SC-300 Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator exam.

Importance of Azure AD Connect

Azure AD Connect plays a crucial role in the identity model of organizations, as it centralizes the user identity management providing a seamless sign-in experience. By implementing Azure AD Connect, you bring the power of the cloud to your on-premises systems.

Implementing Azure AD Connect

Before implementing Azure AD Connect, you should evaluate your requirements and existing set-up. Below are the prerequisites for installing and configuring Azure AD Connect:

• An Azure AD subscription.
• An Office 365 tenant, for hybrid scenarios.
• Windows Server with SQL Server, installed on it.

Azure AD Connect can be deployed by following these steps:

1. Download Azure AD Connect from the official Azure portal.
2. Launch the installer and agree to the terms of use.
3. Select the user sign-in method your organization prefers (you can also choose to configure it later). The options available are Password Hash Synchronization, Pass-through Authentication, or Federation integration.
4. Connect to Azure AD using your Global Admin account.
5. Connect to your on-premises AD by inputting the information related to your privileged account.
6. Let Azure AD Connect match the user from both directories based on attributes.
7. Choose the Active Directory users and groups you want to be synchronized to Azure AD.
8. Proceed to the end of the wizard where the installer will validate your configuration and input, and then implement the desired configurations appropriately.

Managing Azure AD Connect

Managing Azure AD Connect involves tasks such as applying updates, monitoring, managing synchronization, and setting up filtering.

When it comes to updates, Azure AD Connect will check for newer versions during the synchronization process. If a newer version is available, you’ll be prompted to apply the updates manually. However, if the auto upgrade feature is enabled, Azure AD Connect automatically updates and ensures you’re using the latest version.

For monitoring, Microsoft provides Azure AD Connect Health, a dashboard available in the Azure portal, that provides alerts, health statuses, and performance monitoring of your identity infrastructure.

For managing synchronization of objects and credentials, Azure AD Connect Synch Service Manager can be used. You can manually trigger synchronization using PowerShell commands like:

Start-ADSyncSyncCycle -PolicyType Delta

Filtering, on the other hand, allows you to control the objects that should be synchronized to Azure AD. You can configure filtering based on Organizational Units (OUs) and domains.

Conclusion

Overall, Azure AD Connect forms an integral part of managing user identities in Azure AD against your on-premises environment. Understanding its implementation and configuration is key to mastering the skill for Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator (SC-300).

Practice Test

True or False: Azure AD Connect is Microsoft’s tool for connecting on-premises identity infrastructure to Microsoft Azure AD.

• True
• False

Answer: True

Explanation: Azure AD Connect is indeed Microsoft’s tool which allows for a common user identity for Office 365, Azure, and SaaS applications connected to Azure AD.

What is the primary function of Azure AD connect?

• A) Storage management
• B) User authentication
• C) Password cloud synchronization
• D) Application programming

Answer: C) Password cloud synchronization

Explanation: Azure AD connect is mainly used for identity and password synchronization between on-premises environment and Azure cloud.

True or False: Azure AD Connect does not support federation with Ping Federate.

• True
• False

Answer: False

Explanation: Azure AD Connect supports federation with Ping Federate, in addition to Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) and others.

Which among the following is NOT a synchronization tool for Azure AD?

• A) Azure AD Connect sync
• B) Azure AD Connect health
• C) DirSync
• D) AD FS

Answer: D) AD FS

Explanation: AD FS (Active Directory Federation Services) is not a synchronization tool. It is a software component developed by Microsoft that provides users with single sign-on access to systems and applications located across organizational boundaries.

Multiple select: What are the two types of authentication supported by Azure AD Connect?

• A) Pass-through Authentication
• B) Storage Authentication
• C) Federation Authentication
• D) File Authentication

Answer: A) Pass-through Authentication, C) Federation Authentication

Explanation: Azure AD Connect supports both Pass-through Authentication and Federation Authentication.

True or False: Azure AD Connect cannot be used for multi-forest scenarios.

• True
• False

Answer: False

Explanation: Azure AD Connect can be used in multi-forest and multi-domain scenarios.

Single select: When setting up Azure AD Connect, what should you configure to allow users to perform self-service password reset in the cloud?

• A) Password writeback
• B) Password synchronization
• C) Federation
• D) Password storage

Answer: A) Password writeback

Explanation: Password writeback needs to be enabled to allow users to reset their passwords and have the new passwords written back to the on-premises environment.

What does Azure AD Connect Health do?

• A) It troubleshoots connection issues
• B) It offers single sign-on access
• C) It facilitates password cloud synchronization
• D) It manages storage in Azure

Answer: A) It troubleshoots connection issues

Explanation: Azure AD Connect Health helps monitor and gain insights into your on-premises identity infrastructure thus helping you with troubleshooting connection issues.

Single select: What feature of Azure AD Connect allows users to be automatically signed in when they are on their corporate devices connected to their corporate network?

• A) Seamless Single Sign-On
• B) Password Hash Synchronization
• C) Pass-through Authentication
• D) Federation

Answer: A) Seamless Single Sign-On

Explanation: Seamless Single Sign-On automatically signs users in when they are on their corporate devices connected to their corporate network.

True or False: You cannot upgrade from older versions to Azure AD Connect.

• True
• False

Answer: False

Explanation: Azure AD Connect provides the functionality to upgrade from older versions such as DirSync, or Azure AD Sync, to Azure AD Connect.

Interview Questions

What is Azure AD Connect?

Azure AD Connect is a tool that connects your on-premises Active Directory with Microsoft Azure to establish a common user identity for authentication and authorization to all resources, both cloud and on-premises.

What are the different synchronization options available in Azure AD Connect?

Azure AD Connect provides three synchronization options: Password Hash Synchronization (PHS), Pass-through Authentication (PTA), and Federation integration.

What is the purpose of the Azure AD Connect synchronization service?

The Azure AD Connect synchronization service ensures that the user identity data on the on-premises Active Directory and the Azure Active Directory are in sync. It handles tasks such as creating users, groups, and other objects.

What are the prerequisites to installing Azure AD Connect?

The prerequisites for installing Azure AD Connect include an Azure AD tenant, an account with global administrator permissions, an on-premises Active Directory, .NET Framework 4.5.1 or later, and Windows Server 2012 or later.

What is Password Hash Synchronization in Azure AD Connect?

Password Hash Synchronization is a sign-in method that synchronizes a hash of a user’s on-premises AD password with Azure AD. It allows users to use the same username and password to sign in to both on-premises and cloud-based applications.

How often does Azure AD Connect synchronize?

By default, the Azure AD Connect tool synchronizes the directories every 30 minutes. However, this frequency can be manually adjusted based on business needs.

What happens when you enable Staging Mode in Azure AD Connect?

When Staging Mode is enabled, the Azure AD Connect server will pull data from the on-premises directory but does not push any synchronization to Azure Active Directory. This mode is useful as a failover option or for testing and configuration purposes.

What is Pass-through Authentication in Azure AD Connect?

Pass-through Authentication allows users to sign in to cloud-based applications using the same password as their on-premises credentials without their password hash being stored in the cloud.

What does the Azure AD Connect tool use for connecting to Azure AD?

Azure AD Connect uses Azure AD Connect Health, a feature of Azure Active Directory, to monitor and gain insight into the performance of the synchronization.

Can you change the synchronization frequency of Azure AD Connect?

Yes, you can change the synchronization frequency using the Synchronization Service Manager or by running the Set-ADSyncScheduler PowerShell cmdlet with your preferred frequency.

What does Azure AD Connect Health do?

Azure AD Connect Health helps monitor and gain insights into your on-premises identity infrastructure. It monitors the status of your environments’ identities, provides reports, alerts, and allows you to investigate issues.

Can Azure AD Connect sync more than one on-premises AD DS forest to Azure?

Yes, Azure AD Connect can synchronize multiple on-premises AD DS forests to a single Azure AD tenant.

What is the purpose of the Full sync in Azure AD Connect?

A Full sync operation in Azure AD Connect is used to process all objects and set up the required set of attributes, rules, and connectors. It is typically run when the configuration is initially set up, or when a major configuration change warrants a full re-evaluation of objects in the connected directory.

What is meant by filter customization in Azure AD Connect?

Filter customization in Azure AD Connect allows you to choose which users, groups, computers, or domains are synced to Azure AD. This is done by setting filtering on OU-based, attribute-based, or object-type basis.

Can Azure AD Connect run on an Active Directory Domain Controller?

Yes, Azure AD Connect can be installed on a Domain Controller. However, for performance reasons, it is recommended that Azure AD Connect be installed on a non-domain controller server.