AZ-800 Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure Exam

Deploy and Monitor Desired State Configuration

Desired State Configuration (DSC) is a PowerShell-based management platform that defines how machines should be set up. DSC uses declarative scripts to maintain system settings consistently. Azure Automation State Configuration brings DSC to both Azure and hybrid environments in a unified way. It lets you manage on-premises and cloud servers together. This ensures all machines stay in the correct state.

When authoring DSC configurations, you write them in PowerShell using the Configuration keyword. Configuration names must be under 100 characters to import correctly into Azure. You use Import-AzAutomationDscConfiguration to upload and publish your scripts to an Automation account. Typically, you follow these steps:

• Write the DSC script with the Configuration syntax.
• Import it using Import-AzAutomationDscConfiguration.
• Publish it for compilation and assignment.
  Once published, the configurations are ready for compilation and node assignment.

To make a node follow a configuration, you first run Start-AzAutomationDscCompilationJob to compile it. Next, you register each machine with Register-AzAutomationDscNode. You can set the refresh interval, such as 60 minutes, and choose whether changes apply automatically or require manual approval. This ensures servers check in regularly and correct any drift.

Monitoring compliance shows whether servers match the desired state. You retrieve reports with Get-AzAutomationDscNodeReport to check status and find drift. Azure Policy can integrate for automated reporting and remediation across your hybrid machines. This combination creates clear dashboards showing which nodes are compliant or need fixes. Quick detection and remediation minimize configuration issues.

Conclusion

Implementing Azure machine configuration with DSC helps maintain consistent setups across cloud and on-premises environments. We covered authoring and importing DSC scripts, compiling and assigning them to nodes, and customizing check intervals. We then looked at monitoring compliance using reports and integrating Azure Policy for drift detection and remediation. This process allows administrators to ensure all servers stay in the correct state and reduce manual configuration tasks.