Verifying private network paths before you deploy: a what-if for Azure private endpoints
A common Azure scenario: public access is disabled on a PaaS resource, a private endpoint is created, and the connection shows as Approved. The application still times out. Resource-level checks such as what-if report nothing wrong, because every resource is configured. What they do not verify is whether the name the application uses resolves to the private address from the application's VNet. In my experience, most private connectivity failures come from DNS configuration, not from firewall rules. What must be true For a workload in a VNet to reach a PaaS service privately: The private endpoint connection is Approved. The matching privatelink private DNS zone exists. The zone is linked to the VNet that performs the lookup. The zone contains an A record for the resource. If the VNet uses custom DNS servers, they forward privatelink zones to Azure DNS (168.63.129.16) or to an Azure DNS Private Resolver. The third point is the one that is easy to miss: the zone and the record exist, but the VNet performing the lookup cannot see the zone, so the name resolves to the public address. An approach: check the whole path in one command I wrote a small, read-only script that takes a target resource and a source VNet, then reports PASS, WARN, or FAIL for each requirement above, with a suggested fix. It uses the Azure CLI and needs only Reader access. Checks performed: publicNetworkAccess on the target resource Private endpoint connections and their approval state Expected privatelink zone for the endpoint's group id Whether the zone is linked to the source VNet Whether the zone has an A record for the resource Whether the source VNet uses custom DNS servers (reported as a warning for manual review) It exits with code 1 on any failure, so it can run as a pipeline gate after a Dev deployment. Limitations It does not test the network path itself (NSGs, firewalls, routing, ports). Azure Network Watcher covers that. It reads configuration and does not resolve DNS from inside the VNet. A real lookup from a VM in the VNet remains the final proof. In hub-and-spoke designs, the hub VNet may need to be passed as the source. The built-in zone table covers a few services (storage, Key Vault, SQL, Databricks) and needs extending for others. Why I think this matters for AI-assisted infrastructure Script and sample pipeline: Ping me or message me When infrastructure code is generated by an AI assistant, a private endpoint without its DNS zone link is a plausible output: the code is valid and the deployment succeeds. Independent, read-only checks like this one are the kind of gate that lets teams review generated changes with confidence. Questions for the community Which private endpoint failure costs your team the most troubleshooting time? How do you manage DNS in hub-and-spoke networks: Private Resolver, DNS forwarders, or another pattern? Would a check like this be more useful as an Azure Policy, a Network Watcher feature, or a pipeline step? Which services should be added to the DNS zone table first? Shivanna GundanavarDesigning and implementing Microsoft Agentic DevOps Blueprint Survey Opportunity
Greetings! Microsoft is considering a credential for Designing and implementing Microsoft Agentic DevOps, and we need your input through our exam blueprinting survey. The blueprint determines how many questions each skill in the exam will be assigned. Please complete the online survey by August 5, 2026. Please also feel free to forward the survey to any colleagues you consider subject matter experts for this certification. You may send this to people external to Microsoft as well. If you have any questions, feel free to contact John Sowles at josowles@microsoft.com or Don Tanedo at dtanedo@microsoft.com. Designing and implementing Microsoft Agentic DevOps blueprint survey link: https://www.starttest.com/starttest2/startsurvey?programid=187&guid=8156D640-BDCC-44B5-919D-E32F170F8ADF Thank you!
Windows Server Administrator Associate AZ-802 curated learning path
Hi there, Can someone point me in the right direction for AZ-802 exam preparation? I've been trying to use Microsoft Learn to study for AZ-802 (Administering Windows Server), but I keep running into the same issue: I can find the exam objectives, but not a clear, end-to-end learning path. I found the official study guide: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-ca/credentials/certifications/resources/study-guides/az-802 The problem is that it only outlines the exam topics. From there, am I supposed to manually search Microsoft Learn for content covering each objective? That feels pretty fragmented and difficult to organize into a study plan. Is there a single page or learning path that consolidates all the relevant Microsoft Learn content for AZ-802? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Bridging the Skills Gap: Empowering Non-Coders to Automate Workflows in M365
Namstey Folks 🙏, As we look at digital transformation, one of the biggest bottlenecks is the skills gap in handling complex operational workflows. With the rise of modern M365 extensions and Power Platform capabilities, the barrier to entry is shifting. We can now build robust solutions directly inside SharePoint without needing heavy custom code. From what I’ve seen, the benefits of going the low-code/no-code route within the M365 ecosystem are clear: - Faster Deployment: Building internal workflows directly where teams already work cuts out weeks of standard dev cycles. - Empowered Teams: Operations teams can patch their own inefficiencies without waiting in a long IT queue. However, it also opens up real strategic questions around data governance, compliance, and keeping these citizen-developed solutions maintainable over time. How is your organization approaching upskilling for this? Are you training existing operational teams to build their own tools within the Microsoft ecosystem, or is IT still handling everything from the top down? Let's build robust solutions
How to Get Swags From Microsoft
Hi Team, Greetings of the Day, I'm completed the some Microsoft Azure Certifications. But , I'm not apply for the Gifts like T-Shirts..etc from Microsoft. Could anyone please help me in this.. How to apply and get those... please reply me... Warm Regards, Vanamali. vanamalimatha How to Applu
Really dislike the new surface arc mouse
I have huge hands. The old arc mouse with 2 buttons and a middle slider was amazing. But now that it's one button it cannot figure out what to do with my giant fingers. It likes to treat my index finger as 2 fingers. I have had to use my phone stylus with it to verify that it was the mouse and not me. I have already replaced it twice. Once as an exchange with another one that had the same problem, and the second time with a Surface Mobile Mouse. Though I don't like the bulkiness of the Mobile mouse in my tablet bag.
