Monitor resources using Azure Monitor and implement backup/recovery.
Involves monitoring resources with Azure Monitor, interpreting metrics and logs, and implementing backup and recovery strategies using Azure Backup and Site Recovery.
5 minutes
5 Questions
Monitoring and maintaining Azure resources constitutes a vital domain within the Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) certification, focusing on ensuring operational health, performance, and business continuity across the cloud environment.
At the core is **Azure Monitor**, a centralized service that collects **Metrics** (numerical time-series data) and **Logs** (text-based records). Administrators must configure **Diagnostic Settings** to channel Resource Logs to destinations like Azure Storage or, most importantly, **Log Analytics Workspaces**. Proficiency with the Kusto Query Language (KQL) is essential here for querying logs to troubleshoot complex performance issues. To function proactively, administrators configure **Alerts**—based on metrics, logs, or the **Activity Log**—to trigger **Action Groups** for notifications or automated remediation via Azure Functions.
For network-specific troubleshooting, **Network Watcher** is the primary tool, utilizing features like IP Flow Verify, Next Hop, and Connection Monitor to diagnose traffic blockages and visualize network topology.
The maintenance aspect emphasizes resilience via **Recovery Services Vaults**. Administrators must manage **Azure Backup** to secure Virtual Machines, Azure Files, and SQL databases. This involves defining backup policies, managing retention ranges, and executing specific restore operations (such as file-level recovery versus full VM restoration). Furthermore, the **Microsoft Azure Recovery Services (MARS)** agent is covered for backing up on-premises files to the cloud. Finally, administrators must configure **Azure Site Recovery (ASR)** to orchestrate the replication, failover, and failback of VMs between Azure regions, ensuring disaster recovery capabilities. Mastering these tools ensures an administrator can maintain, secure, and recover the Azure infrastructure effectively.Monitoring and maintaining Azure resources constitutes a vital domain within the Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) certification, focusing on ensuring operational health, performance, and business continuity across the cloud environment.
At the core is **Azure Monitor**, a centralized service…