AZ-800 Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure Exam

Deploy and manage domain controllers on-premises

Planning and Implementation of On-Premises Domain Controllers

Deploying and managing domain controllers on-premises starts with understanding your forest and domain topology requirements. It’s important to decide where each controller should be placed to achieve high availability and performance. You need to plan role placement carefully and choose between Server Manager or PowerShell for installing Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). Following a clear plan helps prevent issues and ensures your environment is stable.

Key steps in implementation include:

• Analyzing topology to find the best locations for domain controllers
• Installing AD DS role using Server Manager or PowerShell
• Configuring DNS and replication settings
• Applying security baselines and site-aware best practices

When you configure integrated DNS zones, you make sure domain names resolve quickly and reliably. Setting the right replication scopes ensures that all domain controllers share the same data and maintain data consistency. This replication keeps your directory service accurate and up to date across multiple sites. Proper DNS and replication setup also improves login times and authentication reliability for users.

Applying security and site-aware best practices protects your infrastructure from threats and ensures integrity of your data. Security baselines help you enforce policies that guard against common attacks. Using site links and configuring site costing makes sure that replication occurs over optimal network paths. These practices together improve both the security posture and performance of your on-premises domain.

Conclusion

In summary, deploying on-premises domain controllers involves careful planning of role placement, installing AD DS, and choosing the right tools like Server Manager or PowerShell. You must configure integrated DNS zones and set up proper replication scopes to keep your directory data consistent. Applying security baselines and site-aware best practices ensures that your domain controllers remain both reliable and protected. By following these guidelines, you create a resilient on-premises Active Directory environment that supports hybrid infrastructure needs.