MTT CoHack Challenge: Managing an on-prem datacenter from the cloud using Azure Arc

Introduction

In this challenge-based hackathon, we will work together to explore Azure Arc to manage your resources across on-premises, multi-cloud, and edge environments.

Your challenge is to deploy Azure Arc and onboard servers in an on-premises datacenter to Azure Arc. You will also explore the capabilities of Azure Arc and learn how to manage your resources at scale.

Requirements

• Your coaches will give you login details to an Azure VM HVHOST, running a Hyper V environment with a simulated on-premises datacenter
  • DC1: Domain Controller running Windows Server 2022 without GUI
  • SRV1: Windows Server 2022 with SQL Server 2022
  • LIN1: Ubuntu Linux 24.04
• Your coaches will also give you login details to an Azure subscription with a resource group called rg-cohackArc. Please create all resources in this resource group.
• The resource group rg-cohackArc contains a log analytics workspace called log-analytics-<xxxxx>. Please use this workspace for any tasks that require monitoring.
• Do not onboard the HVHOST machine to Azure Arc

Learning Objectives

This hack will help you learn how to:

• Onboard on-prem servers to Azure Arc using different methods
• Enable monitoring and insights for on-prem servers using Azure Arc
• Manage and govern your on-prem resources at scale using Azure Policies
• Add extensions to Arc-enabled machines
• Use Defender for Cloud to get recommendations for your on-prem servers
• Change SQL configuration settings on an Arc-enabled SQL Server
• Manage updates from the cloud

Success Criteria

Challenge 1: Onboard on-prem servers to Azure Arc

• Connect to HVHOST and power on your data center servers
• Onboard SRV1 to Azure Arc from the Windows GUI using the built-in Azure Arc client, ensure Arc covers both Windows and SQL Server
• Onboard DC1 to Azure Arc from the Windows GUI using an interactive script. Hint: if copying to the console gives you trouble, use Notepad on DC1 and save the file locally
• Onboard the LIN1 server to Azure Arc using a non-interactive script.

Resources

• Azure Arc Overview
• Onboarding servers
• Connect Windows Server machines to Azure through Azure Arc Setup
• Supported regions for Arc-enabled SQL Servers
• Deploy a sandbox showcasing all Arc features and explore Azure Stack HCI ArcBox/HCIBox
• Arc SQL Dashboard on Github

Challenge 2: Manage and govern your on-prem resources at scale

• Enable Insights for all Arc-enabled servers using the available Log Analytics workspace, including process data and network connections
• Check SRV1 has the Arc extension for SQL Server installed. If not, add it with "LicenseOnly".
• Create an Azure Policy that configures periodidic checking for missing system updates on Arc-enabled servers in the resource group, including already existing resources
• Use Azure Update Manager to manage updates on all Arc-enabled servers
  • check for missing updates
  • schedule updates

Resources

• Azure Policy for Arc-enabled servers
• Connect your SQL Server to Azure Arc on a server already enabled by Azure Arc
• Azure Update Manager

Challenge 3: Use Defender for Cloud to get recommendations for your on-prem servers

• Enable Defender for Cloud on all Arc-enabled servers if not onboarded yet
• review recommendations for your servers

Resources

• Connect non-Azure machines to Defender for Cloud

Challenge 4: manage your SQL Server using Azure Arc from the Azure portal

• change SRV1 licensing to pay-as-you-go
• enable Entra ID login to SRV1 SQL Server
• run a SQL best practices assessment

Resources

• SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc