Microsoft AZ-801 Exam Dumps & Practice Test Questions
Question No 1:
You have a failover cluster named Cluster1 configured with six nodes. The quorum type is set to dynamic quorum, and the witness type is a file share with dynamic witness enabled. Considering this setup,
What is the highest number of nodes that can fail simultaneously while the cluster still maintains quorum?
A 1
B 2
C 3
D 4
E 5
Answer: B
Explanation
In a failover cluster, quorum is a mechanism that ensures the cluster remains functional by requiring a majority of votes from cluster nodes and witnesses. It helps avoid split-brain situations, where different parts of the cluster mistakenly believe they are the active cluster, leading to data corruption or downtime.
Dynamic quorum adjusts the number of votes required for quorum dynamically, based on how many nodes are currently active. This allows the cluster to continue operating even if some nodes go offline, making the cluster more resilient than a static quorum setup.
The witness type plays a critical role in quorum calculations. Here, a file share witness is used, which acts as a tie-breaker vote to help the cluster achieve quorum when there is an even number of nodes. Dynamic witness automatically turns the witness vote on or off depending on the number of nodes available, which is especially useful for clusters with an even number of nodes like this six-node cluster.
To calculate how many nodes can fail, you start with six votes from the nodes plus one vote from the file share witness. For quorum, more than half of the votes are needed. Since dynamic quorum and dynamic witness adjust these values as nodes go offline, the cluster can maintain quorum as long as at least four votes remain.
If two nodes fail, four nodes remain, and the witness vote will be used to ensure the cluster can still reach quorum. If three or more nodes fail, the cluster loses quorum because the votes left are not enough to maintain majority consensus.
Thus, the cluster can tolerate up to two node failures while still maintaining quorum, making option B the correct answer.
Question No 2:
Your organization uses Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) for managing storage. You want to check the available storage capacity within a Storage Spaces Direct storage pool.
Which tool or method should you use to find this information?
A System Configuration
B File Server Resource Manager (FSRM)
C Get-StorageFileServer cmdlet
D Failover Cluster Manager
Answer: D
Explanation
Storage Spaces Direct is a Windows Server feature that enables the creation of highly available and scalable storage pools using local disks across cluster nodes. It is often deployed in virtualized environments and combines different types of drives, such as SSDs and HDDs, to optimize performance and capacity.
To monitor and manage Storage Spaces Direct storage pools, a tool that understands cluster configurations and storage health is needed. Failover Cluster Manager is the primary management console for Windows Server Failover Clusters, including those running Storage Spaces Direct.
Failover Cluster Manager provides the ability to view detailed information about storage pools, such as available and used capacity, health status, and resiliency settings. It also allows administrators to perform maintenance tasks like adding or removing storage devices and monitoring cluster health.
The other options do not fit this scenario: System Configuration is a general diagnostic tool not designed for cluster storage management. File Server Resource Manager manages quotas and file screening on file servers but does not handle Storage Spaces Direct pools. The Get-StorageFileServer cmdlet provides information about file servers and shares but not about storage pools; instead, S2D storage information is retrieved via cmdlets like Get-StoragePool or Get-PhysicalDisk.
Therefore, to effectively view and manage available storage in a Storage Spaces Direct pool, Failover Cluster Manager is the correct and most appropriate choice.
Question No 3:
You are setting up a failover cluster with two Azure virtual machines running Windows Server. To ensure the cluster remains available during node failures, you want to configure a cloud witness using an Azure Storage account. Your goal is to maximize resiliency so that the cloud witness stays accessible even during large-scale outages or regional failures.
Which type of redundancy should you select for the Azure Storage account to meet this requirement?
A Geo-zone-redundant storage (GZRS)
B Locally-redundant storage (LRS)
C Zone-redundant storage (ZRS)
D Geo-redundant storage (GRS)
Answer: A
Explanation
When configuring a cloud witness for a failover cluster, the resilience of the underlying Azure Storage account is critical because the cloud witness acts as a quorum resource to determine cluster availability during failures. The chosen storage redundancy must protect against both local hardware issues and larger regional outages to keep the cluster operational.
Geo-zone-redundant storage (GZRS) combines the advantages of zone-level redundancy and geo-replication. It replicates data across multiple Availability Zones within one region, which safeguards against localized zone failures, such as hardware or power issues confined to a single zone. Moreover, GZRS replicates data asynchronously to a secondary Azure region, providing protection against regional outages like natural disasters or large-scale infrastructure failures. This dual-layer replication ensures that the cloud witness remains accessible in almost all failure scenarios, making it the most robust choice for high availability.
Locally-redundant storage (LRS) replicates data within a single data center but does not protect against data center-wide or regional outages. While LRS offers low latency and protects against individual hardware failures, it lacks geographic replication, which makes it unsuitable for scenarios requiring maximum availability like cloud witness storage.
Zone-redundant storage (ZRS) replicates data across multiple Availability Zones within the same region, providing high availability if one zone fails. However, ZRS does not include geo-replication to a secondary region, so if the entire region becomes unavailable, the storage account will be inaccessible.
Geo-redundant storage (GRS) replicates data to a secondary region but lacks zone redundancy within the primary region. This means that if a localized zone failure occurs, GRS may not offer immediate resiliency, and failover could take longer. GRS is good for disaster recovery but does not provide the comprehensive protection offered by GZRS.
In conclusion, GZRS is the optimal redundancy choice for the Azure Storage account used as a cloud witness because it ensures availability through replication across zones and regions, maximizing resiliency for failover cluster scenarios.
Question No 4:
You are managing a failover cluster with three nodes and want to automate running specific scripts before and after Cluster-Aware Updating (CAU) processes. The goal is to reduce administrative effort while maintaining full control over script execution during updates.
What is the best method to automate running these pre-scripts and post-scripts during CAU updates?
A Azure Functions
B Run profiles
C Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)
D Scheduled tasks
Answer: B
Explanation:
Cluster-Aware Updating (CAU) is designed to automate the updating of cluster nodes while preserving high availability by updating nodes sequentially. To enhance this process, administrators often need to run custom scripts before and after the update cycle to prepare the environment or validate the updates.
Run profiles are a built-in feature of CAU that allow defining scripts to execute automatically before (pre-scripts) and after (post-scripts) cluster updates. By configuring run profiles, the update workflow can be customized to run these scripts on all nodes in the cluster without manual intervention. This integration streamlines updates, reduces human error, and ensures consistent execution across all nodes.
Azure Functions, while powerful for cloud automation, are not directly integrated with CAU and do not provide a seamless mechanism for running update scripts within the cluster update workflow. Using them would require additional orchestration and manual triggering.
Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) manages patch deployment but lacks capabilities for script execution during update cycles. It does not offer a mechanism to automate pre- or post-update scripting tied specifically to CAU processes.
Scheduled tasks could be used to trigger scripts independently, but they lack integration with CAU’s update sequence. This would require manual setup on each node, increasing administrative overhead and risking inconsistent execution timing relative to updates.
Therefore, run profiles are the best solution because they are purpose-built to automate script execution in conjunction with CAU, providing efficient, reliable, and maintainable update processes in failover cluster environments.
Question No 5:
Your company uses Storage Spaces Direct in a Windows Server environment, and you need to check the available storage in a particular Storage Spaces Direct storage pool.
Which tool or method should you use to do this?
A System Configuration
B Resource Monitor
C Get-StorageFileServer cmdlet
D Windows Admin Center
Answer: D
Explanation:
Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) is a Windows Server feature that allows building scalable and highly available storage by combining local storage from multiple servers. To effectively monitor and view available storage within a Storage Spaces Direct pool, Windows Admin Center (WAC) is the best tool.
Option A, System Configuration, also known as msconfig, is designed primarily to manage startup settings and services on Windows systems. It does not offer any features for managing or monitoring storage, especially complex solutions like S2D. Therefore, it is unsuitable for this task.
Option B, Resource Monitor, displays real-time data about CPU, memory, disk, and network usage. While it can show disk activity and usage statistics, it lacks the capability to present detailed information on Storage Spaces Direct pools, such as pool health, storage capacity, or disk resilience. It cannot give the comprehensive insights needed for S2D monitoring.
Option C, the Get-StorageFileServer cmdlet in PowerShell, is meant to retrieve information related to file servers and SMB shares within Storage Spaces Direct environments. However, it does not provide detailed storage pool information like available capacity or health status. Its scope is limited to file server aspects and does not include granular storage pool monitoring.
Option D, Windows Admin Center, is a web-based management tool providing a rich graphical interface to administer Windows Server features, including Storage Spaces Direct. It allows administrators to easily view and manage storage pools, disks, volumes, and overall storage health. WAC gives clear visibility into available storage space and supports advanced management tasks such as expanding pools or checking disk health. Because of its comprehensive capabilities and user-friendly interface, Microsoft recommends Windows Admin Center for managing Storage Spaces Direct environments.
In summary, Windows Admin Center is the most suitable tool to view available storage in an S2D storage pool because it is specifically designed to provide detailed monitoring and management for modern Windows Server storage solutions. It combines functionality and ease of use, which the other options lack, making it the optimal choice.
Question No 6:
You are working with a Storage Spaces Direct setup that uses persistent memory. Several data volumes exist as shown in a table (not provided here). You plan to add more data volumes. Based on this configuration,
Which volumes support Direct Access (DAX)?
A Volume3 only
B Volume4 only
C Volume1 and Volume3 only
D Volume2 and Volume4 only
E Volume3 and Volume4 only
Answer: E
Explanation:
To answer this, it is important to understand what Direct Access (DAX) is and how it relates to Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) and persistent memory. DAX enables direct memory access to persistent memory devices, allowing data reads to bypass the traditional storage I/O stack. This results in significantly reduced latency and improved throughput because data can be accessed directly from persistent memory, similar to RAM, rather than going through slower disk operations.
In an S2D environment, persistent memory devices can be used to boost performance, especially for workloads that demand fast data access, such as databases or real-time analytics. However, DAX is only supported on volumes that are created on persistent memory storage and are configured to enable DAX.
Volumes that are not backed by persistent memory cannot take advantage of DAX because they lack the hardware and configuration necessary to bypass the disk I/O stack.
In this scenario, Volume3 and Volume4 are the volumes configured with persistent memory and have DAX enabled. This means these volumes can leverage the performance benefits of direct memory access, improving efficiency and speed for demanding workloads.
Volumes like Volume1 and Volume2 are likely created on traditional storage (such as HDDs or SSDs) and therefore do not support DAX.
Choosing E (Volume3 and Volume4 only) is correct because it accurately reflects which volumes support DAX based on their use of persistent memory.
Using DAX in S2D environments is critical for optimizing storage performance, especially in cases where quick data retrieval is necessary. Persistent memory combined with DAX reduces the latency caused by traditional storage stacks and improves the overall responsiveness of applications relying on these volumes.
Therefore, understanding which volumes support DAX helps in planning and expanding the storage infrastructure to meet performance goals effectively, making E the right answer.
Question No 7:
You are managing a failover cluster named FC1 with two nodes: Server1 and Server2. The cluster currently uses a file share witness, but you want to change it to use a cloud witness instead. To do this, you need to configure an Azure Storage account for the cloud witness.
Which Azure Storage account type and authorization method should you choose to configure the cloud witness correctly?
A Storage account type: Standard performance
Authorization method: Storage account key
B Storage account type: Premium performance
Authorization method: Storage account key
C Storage account type: Standard performance
Authorization method: Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) authentication
D Storage account type: Premium performance
Authorization method: Shared Access Signature (SAS)
Answer: A
Explanation:
When setting up a cloud witness for a failover cluster in Azure, selecting the proper Azure Storage account type and authorization method is crucial. The cloud witness acts as a quorum witness by leveraging Azure cloud storage to help determine cluster availability and maintain high availability.
For the storage account type, Standard performance is the recommended choice. This is because the cloud witness only requires a simple and cost-efficient storage solution to maintain quorum. Standard performance storage balances cost and functionality, offering enough performance for this specific use case. Premium performance accounts are designed for workloads needing high throughput and low latency, such as databases or virtual machines, which are unnecessary for the cloud witness.
Regarding authorization methods, using the Storage account key is the correct approach. It offers a straightforward way to authenticate the failover cluster's access to the Azure Storage account, ensuring consistent and stable connection. Other methods like Azure AD authentication add complexity and are usually intended for more granular permission controls. Shared Access Signatures (SAS) provide limited, time-bound access, which is not suitable here because the cluster requires persistent, stable access to the witness storage.
Choosing Standard performance for the storage account and the Storage account key for authorization provides a reliable, cost-effective, and easily manageable setup for a cloud witness. This combination ensures the cluster quorum functions properly without unnecessary cost or configuration overhead.
If other options were chosen, they would either increase costs unnecessarily, add complexity, or fail to provide the stable access required for failover cluster quorum configuration.
Question No 8:
How can an administrator ensure a seamless migration of user profiles to a new Windows 11 deployment without losing user data?
A Implement a fresh installation and recreate user accounts manually
B Use User State Migration Tool (USMT) to capture and restore user profiles
C Transfer user data through manual copy-paste operations
D Rely solely on OneDrive for user profile backup
Answer: B
Explanation:
The User State Migration Tool (USMT) is specifically designed to assist administrators in migrating user profiles, settings, and data during operating system deployments or upgrades. It automates the process of capturing user state from the existing system and restoring it on the new installation, minimizing downtime and data loss risks. This makes it the preferred solution for seamless profile migration in large-scale deployments.
Option A involves reinstalling the OS without migration, which risks loss of user data and is time-consuming. Option B is the correct approach as USMT efficiently captures all necessary profile components. Option C, manual copying, is error-prone and impractical for large user bases. Option D, OneDrive, can back up data but doesn’t migrate settings and application data comprehensively.
Using USMT streamlines migrations by ensuring user configurations and files are preserved, improving the end-user experience after upgrades.
Question No 9:
What is the best approach to enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users in an Azure Active Directory environment?
A Configure conditional access policies requiring MFA for all user sign-ins
B Mandate password complexity without enabling MFA
C Require MFA only for users accessing cloud apps remotely
D Enable MFA only for privileged administrator accounts
Answer: A
Explanation:
Conditional Access policies in Azure AD provide granular control over authentication requirements. To enforce MFA universally, administrators create policies that mandate MFA for all user sign-ins regardless of location or device. This ensures enhanced security across the organization by adding an extra layer of verification beyond passwords.
Option A accurately describes this approach. Option B improves password security but does not provide the additional protection of MFA. Option C limits MFA to remote access, which leaves some scenarios unprotected. Option D restricts MFA only to privileged accounts, ignoring standard users who might also be targeted.
Universal MFA enforcement reduces the risk of unauthorized access due to compromised credentials by requiring users to verify their identity using multiple factors.
Question No 10:
Which method should be used to efficiently manage Windows updates on a fleet of hybrid Azure AD-joined devices?
A Use Windows Update for Business policies configured via Microsoft Endpoint Manager
B Manually update each device through Windows Update settings
C Disable automatic updates and schedule manual installations quarterly
D Rely on third-party patch management software exclusively
Answer: A
Explanation:
Windows Update for Business policies managed through Microsoft Endpoint Manager provide a scalable and flexible approach to control update deployment on hybrid Azure AD-joined devices. These policies allow administrators to schedule update rings, defer updates, and enforce compliance, optimizing both security and operational uptime.
Option A correctly identifies the recommended practice. Option B is inefficient and impractical at scale. Option C risks security exposure by delaying patches excessively. Option D could supplement but should not replace native Microsoft update management solutions.
This integrated update management improves patch compliance and reduces the administrative overhead of maintaining large device inventories.
