Azure AD tenants and directories - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is an Azure AD tenant?

An Azure AD tenant is a dedicated and trusted instance of Azure Active Directory that an organization receives when it signs up for a Microsoft cloud service. It acts like a container for users, groups, and apps.

beginner

How does an Azure AD directory relate to a tenant?

An Azure AD directory is the actual database that stores users, groups, and other identity information. Each Azure AD tenant has exactly one directory associated with it.

intermediate

Can one Azure AD tenant have multiple directories?

No, one Azure AD tenant corresponds to one directory. However, an organization can have multiple tenants, each with its own directory.

intermediate

What is the purpose of having multiple Azure AD tenants?

Multiple tenants can be used to separate environments like development and production, or to isolate different business units or subsidiaries for security and management reasons.

beginner

How do users authenticate in an Azure AD tenant?

Users authenticate by signing in to the Azure AD tenant using their credentials stored in the directory. This allows access to resources and applications registered in that tenant.

What does an Azure AD tenant represent?

A A subscription to Azure virtual machines

B A physical server hosting Azure services

C A storage account in Azure

D A dedicated instance of Azure Active Directory for an organization

An Azure AD tenant is a dedicated instance of Azure Active Directory for an organization.

How many directories can one Azure AD tenant have?

A Multiple directories

B None

C Exactly one directory

D Depends on the subscription

Each Azure AD tenant has exactly one directory associated with it.

Why might an organization use multiple Azure AD tenants?

A To separate environments or business units

B To increase storage space

C To reduce network latency

D To share the same directory across companies

Multiple tenants help separate environments or business units for security and management.

What is stored inside an Azure AD directory?

A Network configurations

B User identities, groups, and app registrations

C Database backups

D Virtual machine images

The directory stores user identities, groups, and app registrations.

How do users access resources in an Azure AD tenant?

A By authenticating with credentials stored in the tenant's directory

B By connecting to a VPN

C By using a shared password across tenants

D By requesting access from Microsoft support

Users sign in with credentials stored in the tenant's directory to access resources.

Explain what an Azure AD tenant and directory are, and how they relate to each other.

Think of tenant as the container and directory as the data inside.

Describe reasons why an organization might have multiple Azure AD tenants.

Consider organizational structure and security needs.

Practice

1. What is an Azure AD tenant primarily used for?

easy

A. To store virtual machines in the cloud

B. To manage users and control access within an organization

C. To host websites publicly

D. To create databases for applications

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Azure AD tenant purpose and identify correct use case

   An Azure AD tenant is a dedicated space for managing identities and access. It is not for hosting websites, storing VMs, or databases but for user and access management.

2. Final Answer:

   To manage users and control access within an organization -> Option B

3. Quick Check:

   Azure AD tenant = user and access management [OK]

Hint: Azure AD tenant = user and access management space [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing tenant with storage or hosting services
• Thinking tenant is a database service
• Assuming tenant manages virtual machines

2. Which of the following is the correct Azure CLI command to list all Azure AD tenants you have access to?

easy

A. az ad tenant list

B. az login tenant list

C. az tenant show

D. az account tenant list

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Azure CLI commands for tenants and identify correct one

   The command to list tenants is under 'az account' namespace, not 'az ad'. 'az account tenant list' lists all tenants you have access to.

2. Final Answer:

   az account tenant list -> Option D

3. Quick Check:

   List tenants = az account tenant list [OK]

Hint: Use 'az account tenant list' to see all tenants [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'az ad tenant list' which is invalid
• Confusing 'az login' with tenant listing
• Using 'az tenant show' which does not exist

3. Given the following Azure CLI output snippet after running az account tenant list:

[{"tenantId": "1111-2222-3333-4444", "isDefault": true}, {"tenantId": "5555-6666-7777-8888", "isDefault": false}]

What does the isDefault field indicate?

medium

A. The tenant that is deleted

B. The tenant with the most users

C. The tenant currently active for your Azure session

D. The tenant with the highest subscription cost

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand 'isDefault' meaning and eliminate incorrect options

   'isDefault' marks which tenant is currently active in your Azure CLI session. It does not relate to user count, cost, or deletion status.

2. Final Answer:

   The tenant currently active for your Azure session -> Option C

3. Quick Check:

   isDefault = active tenant [OK]

Hint: 'isDefault' means active tenant in session [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking 'isDefault' means largest tenant
• Assuming it means deleted tenant
• Confusing it with billing or cost info

4. You run the command az ad tenant list but get an error saying the command is not found. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The Azure CLI does not have a direct 'az ad tenant list' command

B. You are not logged in to Azure CLI

C. Your account has no tenants

D. The Azure CLI version is too new

Solution

1. Step 1: Check command availability and verify other causes

   'az ad tenant list' is not a valid Azure CLI command; tenant listing is under 'az account'. Login issues or no tenants would give different errors; CLI version too new is unlikely to remove commands.

2. Final Answer:

   The Azure CLI does not have a direct 'az ad tenant list' command -> Option A

3. Quick Check:

   Invalid command = no 'az ad tenant list' [OK]

Hint: Tenant list is under 'az account', not 'az ad' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming login error causes command not found
• Thinking no tenants causes command error
• Blaming CLI version without checking command docs

5. You want to create a new Azure AD tenant for a subsidiary company and assign a custom domain name. Which steps should you follow to do this correctly?

hard

A. Create a new tenant in Azure portal, then add and verify the custom domain in that tenant

B. Add the custom domain to your current tenant, then create a new subscription for the subsidiary

C. Create a new subscription, which automatically creates a tenant with the custom domain

D. Use Azure CLI to rename your existing tenant to the subsidiary's domain

Solution

1. Step 1: Create new Azure AD tenant and add custom domain

   Use the Azure portal to create a separate tenant for the subsidiary company. Within the new tenant, add the subsidiary's custom domain and verify ownership.

2. Final Answer:

   Create a new tenant in Azure portal, then add and verify the custom domain in that tenant -> Option A

3. Quick Check:

   New tenant + verify domain = correct process [OK]

Hint: New tenant first, then add custom domain inside it [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding domain to wrong tenant
• Assuming subscription creation creates tenant with domain
• Trying to rename existing tenant domain