Welcome to the comprehensive hands-on lab collection for AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator certification preparation.
Each lab includes:
- Learning Objectives: Clear goals aligned with exam objectives
- Prerequisites: Required knowledge and resources
- Step-by-Step Instructions: Portal, PowerShell, CLI, and Bicep/ARM methods
- Verification Steps: Confirm successful completion
- Knowledge Checks: Test your understanding
- Cleanup Scripts: Remove lab resources to avoid charges
| Lab | Title | Duration | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Managing Microsoft Entra ID Users and Groups | 45 min | Beginner |
| 02 | Azure RBAC and Resource Access | 60 min | Intermediate |
| 03 | Azure Policy and Governance (Coming Soon) | 45 min | Intermediate |
| 04 | Cost Management and Budgets (Coming Soon) | 30 min | Beginner |
| 05 | Management Groups (Coming Soon) | 30 min | Intermediate |
Key Skills Covered:
- ✅ Create and manage users and groups
- ✅ Configure Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR)
- ✅ Manage external users (B2B)
- ✅ Assign RBAC roles at different scopes
- ✅ Create custom RBAC roles
- ✅ Implement Azure Policy
- ✅ Configure resource locks
- ✅ Manage tags and cost tracking
| Lab | Title | Duration | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Storage Accounts and Blob Storage | 60 min | Intermediate |
| 02 | Azure Files and File Sync (Coming Soon) | 45 min | Intermediate |
| 03 | Storage Security and Access Control (Coming Soon) | 45 min | Intermediate |
Key Skills Covered:
- ✅ Create storage accounts with different redundancy options
- ✅ Configure blob access tiers (Hot, Cool, Archive)
- ✅ Implement blob lifecycle management
- ✅ Configure soft delete for blobs and containers (NEW)
- ✅ Generate and use SAS tokens
- ✅ Configure stored access policies
- ✅ Use Azure Storage Explorer and AzCopy
- ✅ Configure storage firewalls and virtual networks
| Lab | Title | Duration | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Virtual Machines Deployment (Coming Soon) | 60 min | Beginner |
| 02 | VM Availability and Scaling (Coming Soon) | 75 min | Intermediate |
| 03 | ARM Templates and Bicep (Coming Soon) | 60 min | Intermediate |
| 04 | Azure App Service (Coming Soon) | 45 min | Beginner |
| 05 | Container Instances and Container Apps (Coming Soon) | 45 min | Intermediate |
Key Skills Covered:
- Virtual machine creation and configuration
- Availability sets and availability zones
- VM scale sets and auto-scaling
- ARM template deployment
- Bicep file creation and deployment
- App Service deployment and configuration
- Container deployment and management
| Lab | Title | Duration | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Virtual Networks and Network Security Groups | 75 min | Intermediate |
| 02 | Load Balancer and Application Gateway (Coming Soon) | 60 min | Advanced |
| 03 | Azure DNS and Private Endpoints (Coming Soon) | 45 min | Intermediate |
| 04 | VPN Gateway and ExpressRoute (Coming Soon) | 90 min | Advanced |
Key Skills Covered:
- ✅ Create and configure virtual networks and subnets
- ✅ Implement virtual network peering
- ✅ Configure Network Security Groups (NSGs)
- ✅ Configure Application Security Groups (ASGs)
- ✅ Implement user-defined routes (UDRs)
- ✅ Troubleshoot network connectivity
- Load balancer configuration
- Application Gateway with WAF
- Private endpoints and service endpoints
| Lab | Title | Duration | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Azure Monitor and Log Analytics (Coming Soon) | 60 min | Intermediate |
| 02 | Alerts and Action Groups (Coming Soon) | 45 min | Beginner |
| 03 | Azure Backup for VMs (Coming Soon) | 45 min | Beginner |
| 04 | Azure Site Recovery (Coming Soon) | 60 min | Advanced |
Key Skills Covered:
- Azure Monitor configuration
- KQL query writing
- Alert rule creation
- Action groups and notifications
- VM backup and restore
- Azure Site Recovery setup
- Backup policies and retention
- Azure Subscription: Free tier or pay-as-you-go
- Sufficient permissions: Contributor or Owner role on subscription
PowerShell:
# Install Azure PowerShell module
Install-Module -Name Az -Repository PSGallery -Force
# Connect to Azure
Connect-AzAccount
# Verify installation
Get-Module -Name Az -ListAvailableAzure CLI:
# Install Azure CLI
# Windows (via PowerShell)
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://aka.ms/installazurecliwindows -OutFile .\AzureCLI.msi
Start-Process msiexec.exe -ArgumentList '/I AzureCLI.msi /quiet'
# macOS
brew update && brew install azure-cli
# Linux
curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash
# Verify installation
az --version
# Login
az loginMicrosoft Graph PowerShell:
# For Entra ID labs
Install-Module Microsoft.Graph -Scope CurrentUser
Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "User.ReadWrite.All", "Group.ReadWrite.All"Additional Tools:
- Visual Studio Code
- Azure Account extension
- Azure PowerShell extension
- Bicep extension
- Azure Storage Explorer
- AzCopy
Resource Naming:
- Resource groups:
rg-[purpose]-lab(e.g.,rg-storage-lab) - Storage accounts:
st[purpose][random](e.g.,stcontoso12345) - Virtual networks:
vnet-[environment](e.g.,vnet-dev) - VMs:
vm-[purpose]-[number](e.g.,vm-web-01)
Regions:
- Most labs use East US for consistency
- Some labs require multiple regions for geo-replication
Cost Management:
- All labs include cleanup scripts
- Use smallest VM sizes (B-series) when possible
- Delete resources immediately after completion
- Set up cost alerts on your subscription
- ✅ Read the entire lab scenario first
- ✅ Check Azure pricing calculator for estimated costs
- ✅ Set up billing alerts
- ✅ Ensure you have required permissions
- ✅ Take notes and screenshots for your reference
- 📝 Follow steps carefully - copy/paste commands when provided
- 🔍 Verify each task before moving to the next
- 🎯 Understand WHY you're doing each step, not just HOW
- 🐛 If you encounter errors, read the error message carefully
- 📸 Document your work with screenshots
- ✅ Complete knowledge checks
- 🧹 Run cleanup scripts to avoid charges
- 📊 Review what you learned
- 🔄 Repeat labs you found challenging
- 📝 Update your study notes
- Identity & Governance → Labs 01, 02
- Storage → Lab 01
- Networking → Lab 01
- Compute → Labs 01, 04
- Monitoring → Labs 01, 02, 03
- Review all labs and create flashcards
- Complete all labs in order
- Focus on PowerShell and CLI commands
- Practice Bicep/ARM templates
- Work through troubleshooting scenarios
- Take practice exams
- Complete advanced labs (Networking 02, 04; Monitoring 04)
- Create your own lab scenarios
- Practice time management
- Review scenario-based questions
- Focus on weak areas from practice exams
- AZ-104: Prerequisites for Azure administrators
- AZ-104: Manage identities and governance
- AZ-104: Implement and manage storage
- AZ-104: Deploy and manage compute resources
- AZ-104: Configure and manage virtual networks
- AZ-104: Monitor and maintain Azure resources
# Clear cached credentials
Clear-AzContext -Force
Disconnect-AzAccount
# Reconnect
Connect-AzAccount- Ensure you have Contributor or Owner role on subscription
- Check resource provider registration
- Verify conditional access policies don't block access
- Check subscription quotas:
az vm list-usage --location eastus -o table - Request quota increases through Azure Portal
- Use different regions if quotas exhausted
- Check naming conventions (storage accounts: lowercase, no special chars)
- Verify resource availability in selected region
- Check for policy restrictions
- Review activity logs for detailed errors
If you encounter issues with labs:
- Check the FAQ in each lab
- Review Azure Activity Logs for error details
- Search Microsoft Learn Q&A
- Post on GitHub Issues (include error details)
- Join Azure study groups
Use this checklist to track your progress:
- Lab 01: Entra ID Users and Groups
- Lab 02: RBAC and Resource Access
- Lab 03: Azure Policy and Governance
- Lab 04: Cost Management
- Lab 05: Management Groups
- Lab 01: Storage Accounts and Blob
- Lab 02: Azure Files and File Sync
- Lab 03: Storage Security
- Lab 01: Virtual Machines
- Lab 02: VM Availability and Scaling
- Lab 03: ARM Templates and Bicep
- Lab 04: App Service
- Lab 05: Containers
- Lab 01: Virtual Networks and NSGs
- Lab 02: Load Balancer and App Gateway
- Lab 03: DNS and Private Endpoints
- Lab 04: VPN and ExpressRoute
- Lab 01: Azure Monitor
- Lab 02: Alerts and Action Groups
- Lab 03: Azure Backup
- Lab 04: Azure Site Recovery
After completing all labs, you should be able to:
✅ Create and manage Azure AD users, groups, and external users ✅ Implement RBAC at appropriate scopes ✅ Create and assign Azure Policies ✅ Configure storage accounts with proper security ✅ Manage blob lifecycle and access tiers ✅ Deploy and manage VMs with high availability ✅ Create and modify ARM templates and Bicep files ✅ Configure virtual networks with proper security ✅ Implement network connectivity solutions ✅ Set up monitoring and alerting ✅ Configure backup and disaster recovery
- Complete practice questions: Scenario-Based Questions
- Review quick reference: AZ-104 Cheat Sheet
- Take practice exams: MeasureUp
- Schedule your exam: Pearson VUE
Good luck with your labs and exam preparation! 🚀