Windows Admin Center Course

Lesson 1 • Deployment Modes and Prerequisites

Covers desktop, gateway, and failover cluster deployment modes and their hardware and OS prerequisites. Prepares students for installation tasks.

Lesson 2 • Navigating the WAC Interface

Introduces the dashboard, connection list, and tool pane layout. Students can locate any management tool within the interface.

Lesson 3 • Installing Windows Admin Center

Walks through MSI-based installation, SSL certificate binding, and post-install validation. Students complete a working WAC installation.

Lesson 4 • What Is Windows Admin Center

Defines WAC as a browser-based management tool and contrasts it with legacy tools like Server Manager and MMC. Sets context for the entire course.

Lesson 1 • Server Overview and Health Monitoring

Uses the Server Overview tool to read CPU, memory, disk, and network metrics. Establishes baseline monitoring skills used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Authentication and Credentials

Explains credential management, CredSSP delegation, and Kerberos constrained delegation for remote connections. Ensures secure, seamless authentication.

Lesson 3 • Managing Windows Services

Demonstrates starting, stopping, and configuring services via the Services tool. Connects service management to server health outcomes.

Lesson 4 • Adding Server Connections

Covers manual entry, bulk import via CSV, and Active Directory discovery for adding servers. Directly enables multi-server management workflows.

Lesson 1 • File Shares and SMB Configuration

Demonstrates creating SMB shares, setting permissions, and configuring SMB settings through WAC. Connects storage provisioning to network file access.

Lesson 2 • Monitoring Storage Health and Performance

Uses WAC storage performance charts and alerts to identify bottlenecks and failures. Reinforces proactive storage management habits.

Lesson 3 • Storage Replica Basics

Introduces block-level replication between servers using Storage Replica configured through WAC. Prepares students for disaster recovery planning.

Lesson 4 • Managing Storage Spaces

Guides creation of storage pools and virtual disks using Storage Spaces via WAC. Enables software-defined storage on standalone servers.

Lesson 1 • Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting

Uses WAC's network diagnostics tools including ping, traceroute, and DNS lookup. Builds systematic troubleshooting skills for connectivity issues.

Lesson 2 • Software-Defined Networking Overview

Introduces SDN concepts manageable through WAC, including virtual networks and load balancers. Prepares students for advanced datacenter networking.

Lesson 3 • Network Adapter Configuration

Covers viewing, enabling, and configuring IP addresses and DNS on adapters via WAC. Establishes core networking skills for server management.

Lesson 4 • Windows Firewall Management

Demonstrates creating, modifying, and deleting inbound and outbound firewall rules through WAC. Directly supports server security hardening.

Lesson 1 • Hyper-V Host Configuration

Configures Hyper-V host settings including NUMA, live migration, and storage paths via WAC. Establishes the host environment for VM deployment.

Lesson 2 • Virtual Machine Lifecycle Management

Covers starting, stopping, pausing, and exporting VMs through WAC's VM tool. Builds operational skills for day-to-day VM administration.

Lesson 3 • Creating and Configuring Virtual Machines

Walks through VM creation, hardware configuration, and checkpoint management in WAC. Students can provision production-ready VMs.

Lesson 4 • VM Networking and Storage

Configures virtual network adapters and virtual hard disks for VMs through WAC. Connects VM provisioning to the networking and storage chapters.

Lesson 1 • Managing Server Roles and Features

Adds and removes Windows Server roles and features through WAC's Roles and Features tool. Replaces Server Manager for role provisioning tasks.

Lesson 2 • Windows Update Management

Uses WAC's Updates tool to scan, approve, and install updates on managed servers. Establishes patch management as a routine operational task.

Lesson 3 • Restart and Maintenance Management

Covers scheduling restarts, enabling maintenance mode, and tracking reboot status through WAC. Minimizes unplanned downtime during update cycles.

Lesson 1 • WAC Role-Based Access Control

Configures WAC gateway users and administrators using built-in RBAC roles. Restricts tool access based on job function and security requirements.

Lesson 2 • Auditing and Security Event Monitoring

Uses WAC's Event Viewer and security tools to monitor authentication and admin activity. Builds an audit trail for compliance and incident response.

Lesson 3 • Just Enough Administration Integration

Connects WAC to JEA endpoints to limit PowerShell capabilities for delegated admins. Enforces least-privilege at the PowerShell layer.

Lesson 4 • Certificate and TLS Hardening

Replaces self-signed certificates with enterprise CA certificates and enforces TLS settings. Secures WAC gateway communications against interception.

Lesson 1 • PowerShell Integration in WAC

Uses WAC's built-in PowerShell terminal to run scripts against managed servers. Bridges GUI management with scripted automation workflows.

Lesson 2 • Scheduled Tasks and Automation

Creates and manages scheduled tasks on remote servers using WAC's Scheduled Tasks tool. Automates routine maintenance without manual intervention.

Lesson 3 • Azure Hybrid Services Integration

Connects managed servers to Azure Arc, Azure Backup, and Azure Monitor through WAC. Enables hybrid cloud management from a single interface.

Lesson 4 • WAC Extension Management

Installs, updates, and removes WAC extensions from the public feed and private sources. Expands WAC functionality beyond its default toolset.