AZ-800 Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure Exam

Design and Configure Relay Namespaces and Hybrid Connections

Azure Relay enables businesses to expose on-premises services to Azure without opening inbound firewall ports. It offers two relay types: WCF Relays for deep WCF integration and Hybrid Connections for HTTP and WebSocket traffic. This hybrid networking solution works over standard web protocols to keep communication firewall-friendly and secure. Key benefits include secure communication, ease of deployment, and no changes to existing network infrastructure.

To design a relay namespace, you should follow key steps to create a secured container for relays:

• Check Name Availability to make sure the namespace name is free.
• Create the Namespace in your Azure subscription as the primary resource.
• Apply Shared Access Policies to control who can send or listen.
  Completing these steps gives you a organized and secure environment. Proper namespace planning ensures future growth and easier maintenance.

Configuring Hybrid Connections involves several important actions to link on-premises services to Azure Relay:

• Define Endpoints for each on-premises service you want to expose.
• Install the Hybrid Connection Manager on the host server to establish the connection.
• Ensure DNS Resolution and Open Ports (usually port 443) for outbound traffic.
  This setup makes sure Azure can reach your internal services without inbound firewall rules. For better redundancy, deploy multiple manager instances across different machines.

To enforce security, apply shared access policies at the namespace and individual relay levels, granting only necessary rights. Use network rules to restrict traffic by IP address ranges and protocols, ensuring only trusted systems connect. Leverage Azure Monitor to track metrics like connection health and throughput, which provides insights for proactive troubleshooting. For high availability, distribute Hybrid Connection Manager instances across different servers or regions. Continuous monitoring and policy reviews help maintain a resilient hybrid connectivity solution.

Conclusion

In this section, we explored how Azure Relay bridges on-premises applications and Azure using WCF Relays and Hybrid Connections in a firewall-friendly way. We covered designing relay namespaces, including naming checks, namespace creation, and shared access policy configuration for secure access. We explained configuring Hybrid Connections by defining endpoints, installing the Hybrid Connection Manager, and handling DNS and ports. Finally, we highlighted best practices for securing traffic, applying network rules, and monitoring for a reliable, scalable hybrid networking setup.