Monitoring & Troubleshooting in AZ 801: Tools, Alerts, and Best Practices

 

Microsoft-AZ-801

The AZ-801: Configuring Windows Server Hybrid Advanced Services exam emphasizes your ability to manage, monitor, and troubleshoot hybrid Windows Server environments effectively. With hybrid infrastructures combining on-premises and cloud components, maintaining visibility and performance becomes critical. This article explores the key monitoring tools, alert mechanisms, and best practices you need to master for the AZ 801 exam and real-world operations.

1. Why Monitoring Matters in AZ 801

Monitoring is the backbone of a secure, reliable, and high-performance Windows Server environment. The AZ-801 exam tests your ability to detect performance degradation, identify system vulnerabilities, and respond proactively to issues across hybrid infrastructures.

Effective monitoring helps:

  • Detect anomalies before they cause outages

  • Track resource utilization (CPU, RAM, Disk I/O, Network)

  • Maintain compliance with operational SLAs

  • Support hybrid visibility between on-premises and Azure resources

2. Native Monitoring Tools in Windows Server and Azure

Microsoft provides a range of built-in monitoring tools that are part of the AZ-801 study objectives. Below are the key ones to know:

a. Windows Admin Center (WAC)

A browser-based management tool that consolidates performance metrics, alerts, and server health in one dashboard.

  • Manage both local and hybrid servers

  • Integrates with Azure Monitor and Azure Arc

  • Ideal for real-time troubleshooting and performance tracking

b. Performance Monitor (PerfMon)

The traditional yet powerful tool for measuring performance counters such as memory usage, processor time, and disk latency.

  • Helps identify resource bottlenecks

  • Useful for baseline performance testing before migration or deployment

c. Event Viewer

Critical for logging and diagnosing issues in Windows Server environments.

  • Categorizes events into Application, System, and Security logs

  • Use Event Subscriptions for centralized log collection

  • Key for troubleshooting server failures, authentication issues, and system warnings

d. Resource Monitor

Provides real-time insights into CPU, Disk, Network, and Memory activity.

  • Great for quick diagnostics

  • Correlates performance spikes with specific processes

e. Azure Monitor

A unified platform for monitoring Azure resources and hybrid servers.

  • Collects metrics and logs from on-premises servers via Azure Arc

  • Supports custom alerts, dashboards, and workbooks

  • Integrates with Log Analytics Workspace for advanced queries

3. Setting Up Alerts and Notifications

In hybrid environments, automation and alerting are key. The AZ-801 exam tests your knowledge of configuring proactive alerts.

Azure Alerts

Use Azure Monitor Alerts to detect conditions based on metrics or log data.

  • Trigger email, SMS, or webhook notifications

  • Integrate with automation tools like Logic Apps or Power Automate

  • Example: Alert when CPU > 80% for 10 minutes on any hybrid node

Log Analytics Alerts

Create Kusto Query Language (KQL) queries to filter specific log events.

  • Example: Generate alerts for repeated failed login attempts

  • Supports alert groups for team escalation

4. Diagnostics and Logging

Monitoring is incomplete without diagnostics. For AZ-801, understand how to capture and analyze system data efficiently.

  • Azure Diagnostics Extension — Collects metrics and logs from VMs

  • Network Watcher — Monitors traffic, latency, and connection failures

  • Windows Server Data Collector Sets — Automates performance data collection

  • Reliability Monitor — Visual representation of system stability over time

These tools help administrators identify performance regressions, network failures, or configuration errors before they escalate.

5. Performance Baselines: Your Secret Weapon

A performance baseline is a reference snapshot of system health under normal operating conditions.
Benefits include:

  • Comparing normal vs abnormal behavior

  • Simplifying root cause analysis

  • Validating post-migration performance

Tip:
Use Performance Monitor to capture baselines and store them in .blg files for comparison over time. In hybrid setups, combine this with Azure Metrics for a unified view.

6. Troubleshooting Best Practices for AZ-801

To succeed both in the exam and on the job, practice these habits:

✅ Enable centralized logging – Forward event logs to Log Analytics or a Syslog server
✅ Use PowerShell cmdlets – Get-EventLog, Get-WinEvent, and Get-PerformanceCounter
✅ Correlate across environments – Match on-prem logs with Azure metrics for end-to-end tracing
✅ Automate response actions – Use Azure Automation Runbooks for self-healing
✅ Document and version baselines – Keep regular performance snapshots

7. How This Helps You in AZ-801 Certification

The Monitoring and Troubleshooting domain forms a crucial part of AZ-801 objectives, aligning with these Microsoft skills:

  • Monitor Windows Server environments

  • Implement and manage logging solutions

  • Configure and analyze performance metrics

  • Troubleshoot hybrid connectivity and performance issues

Understanding these tools and practices not only boosts your exam readiness but also enhances your real-world system reliability and uptime.

Conclusion

In the hybrid era, proactive monitoring and fast troubleshooting define the success of IT operations. For anyone preparing for AZ-801: Configuring Windows Server Hybrid Advanced Services, mastering Azure Monitor, Event Viewer, Performance Monitor, and diagnostic tools is non-negotiable.

By leveraging these technologies with Troytec’s updated AZ-801 Dumps and study resources, you can ensure both exam success and operational excellence across your Windows Server hybrid environments.

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