AZ-802 Practice Question: Monitor and Troubleshoot Windows Server Environments
You are investigating a replication issue between two Active Directory Domain Controllers (DCs) named DC1 and DC2. You suspect a network latency or firewall issue is preventing the replication of the 'Configuration' partition. Which tool should you use to check the current replication status and identify the specific error code associated with the failure?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
repadmin /showrepl
Active Directory replication is vital for maintaining a consistent directory database. The 'repadmin' command-line tool is the industry standard for diagnosing replication topology, monitoring status, and forcing replication between partners. It provides detailed error codes that help distinguish between DNS failures, authentication issues, and physical network blocks.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Active Directory Sites and Services
Why it's wrong here
While this GUI tool allows you to manually trigger replication by right-clicking a connection object, it provides very limited error feedback when replication fails. It is more suited for architectural configuration of sites and subnets rather than deep technical troubleshooting of specific replication error codes or latency issues.
- ✓
repadmin /showrepl
Why this is correct
This command displays the replication status for all directory partitions on the specified domain controller. It lists the last successful replication time and the specific error message for any failed attempts, making it the most effective tool for pinpointing why DC1 and DC2 are unable to synchronize.
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dcdiag /test:DNS
Why it's wrong here
This command is excellent for verifying that the DNS infrastructure supporting Active Directory is healthy. However, the question asks for the replication status and specific error codes for a partition failure. While DNS is often the root cause, 'repadmin' is the direct tool for viewing the actual replication results.
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Get-ADReplicationUpToDatenessVectorTable
Why it's wrong here
This PowerShell cmdlet provides information about the highest Update Sequence Number (USN) that a DC has received from its partners. While useful for tracking replication progress, it is less intuitive for quick troubleshooting of specific errors compared to the detailed output provided by the classic 'repadmin' utility.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
This AZ-802 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-802 exam.