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MS-203: Messaging Administrator Labs

This document contains hands-on labs for the MS-203 certification.

Table of Contents

  1. Lab 1: Create and Manage Mailboxes
  2. Lab 2: Configure Anti-Phishing Policies
  3. Lab 3: Manage Distribution Groups
  4. Lab 4: Set Up Email Flow Rules
  5. Lab 5: Configure Retention Policies
  6. Lab 6: Enable Litigation Hold
  7. Lab 7: Manage Mobile Device Access
  8. Lab 8: Monitor Message Trace
  9. Lab 9: Set Up Shared Mailboxes
  10. Lab 10: Configure Outbound Spam Policies

Lab 1: Create and Manage Mailboxes

Objective: Create and configure user and shared mailboxes in Exchange Online.

Steps:

  1. Go to https://admin.microsoft.com and navigate to Users > Active users
  2. Click + Add a user to create a new user mailbox
  3. Fill in user information (name, email, password)
  4. Assign an Exchange license and click Finish
  5. Go to https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com and navigate to Recipients > Mailboxes
  6. Verify the new user mailbox appears in the list
  7. Click + Add a shared mailbox to create a shared mailbox
  8. Name the shared mailbox (e.g., "Support Team Inbox")
  9. Assign owners and members to the shared mailbox
  10. Send a test email to the shared mailbox and verify all members can access it

Lab 2: Configure Anti-Phishing Policies

Objective: Set up anti-phishing policies in Microsoft Defender for Office 365.

Steps:

  1. Go to https://security.microsoft.com and navigate to Email & collaboration > Policies & rules > Threat policies
  2. Click Anti-phishing under Threat protection policies
  3. Click + Create to create a new anti-phishing policy
  4. Name the policy "Anti-Phishing Policy - Standard"
  5. Configure the following settings:
    • Phishing threshold: Aggressive (level 3 or 4)
    • Enable spoof intelligence: On
    • User impersonation protection: Enabled
    • Domain impersonation protection: Enabled
  6. Under If the message is detected as phishing, select Quarantine the message
  7. Configure user settings and click Next
  8. Select recipients or groups to apply the policy
  9. Click Create to save the policy
  10. Test the policy by sending a simulated phishing email and verify it's detected

Lab 3: Manage Distribution Groups

Objective: Create and manage distribution groups with membership controls.

Steps:

  1. Go to https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com and navigate to Recipients > Groups
  2. Click + Add a group and select Distribution
  3. Name the group "Engineering Team"
  4. Add an email address for the group
  5. Add group owners (approvers) and members
  6. Enable Require all senders to be authenticated before sending to this group
  7. Set Who can send emails to this group to Only senders inside my organization
  8. Click Create
  9. To manage membership, click on the group and select Members
  10. Add additional members and remove test members to understand group management

Lab 4: Set Up Email Flow Rules

Objective: Create transport rules to manage email flow and compliance.

Steps:

  1. Go to https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com and navigate to Mail flow > Rules
  2. Click + Add a rule and select Create a new rule
  3. Name the rule "Compliance Rule - External Email Disclaimer"
  4. Under Apply this rule if, select The recipient is located
  5. Choose Outside the organization
  6. Under Do the following, select Prepend the subject with
  7. Enter text: "[EXTERNAL EMAIL]"
  8. Click Next and review the rule configuration
  9. Create a second rule to Redirect messages with specific keywords to a compliance mailbox
  10. Test both rules by sending emails and verify they behave as expected

Lab 5: Configure Retention Policies

Objective: Create and apply retention policies to control how long emails are kept.

Steps:

  1. Go to https://compliance.microsoft.com and navigate to Data lifecycle management > Retention
  2. Click + Create retention label to create a retention tag
  3. Name the label "Archive After 1 Year"
  4. Set the retention period to 1 year
  5. Configure the action as Delete the content
  6. Click Create
  7. Go back and click + Create retention policy
  8. Name the policy "Default Retention Policy"
  9. Configure to apply the retention label automatically
  10. Select mailboxes to apply the policy and click Create

Lab 6: Enable Litigation Hold

Objective: Place a mailbox on litigation hold to preserve content.

Steps:

  1. Go to https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com and navigate to Recipients > Mailboxes
  2. Select a test user mailbox
  3. In the mailbox details, find the Litigation Hold option
  4. Toggle Litigation Hold to Enabled
  5. Set the hold duration (e.g., 365 days)
  6. Click Save
  7. Verify the hold is applied by checking the mailbox status
  8. With litigation hold enabled, delete an email from the mailbox
  9. Go to Search in compliance.microsoft.com and search for the deleted email
  10. Verify the deleted email appears in search results (it's being held)

Lab 7: Manage Mobile Device Access

Objective: Configure mobile device mailbox policies.

Steps:

  1. Go to https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com and navigate to Mobile > Mobile device mailbox policies
  2. Click + Add policy
  3. Name the policy "Mobile Device Policy - Secure"
  4. Configure the following security settings:
    • Require a password: Yes
    • Allow simple passwords: No
    • Minimum password length: 8
    • Enable device encryption: Yes
    • Require encrypted S/MIME messages: Yes
  5. Set Device password expiration: 60 days
  6. Under Device access rules, select Block for non-compliant devices
  7. Click Create
  8. Assign the policy to a test user mailbox
  9. Send a test access notification to the user
  10. Review the mobile device compliance status

Lab 8: Monitor Message Trace

Objective: Use message trace to troubleshoot mail flow issues.

Steps:

  1. Go to https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com and navigate to Mail flow > Message trace
  2. Enter a sender email address in the Sender field
  3. Enter a recipient email address in the Recipient field
  4. Set the date range to the last 7 days
  5. Click Search
  6. Review the trace results showing the message path
  7. Click on a message to view detailed trace information including status, event, and action
  8. Send a test email to troubleshoot and then trace it
  9. Look for any delivery issues or delays in the trace
  10. Document the complete message journey from sender to recipient

Lab 9: Set Up Shared Mailboxes

Objective: Create shared mailboxes and configure access permissions.

Steps:

  1. Go to https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com and navigate to Recipients > Shared mailboxes
  2. Click + Add a shared mailbox
  3. Name the mailbox "HR Support"
  4. Add an email address
  5. Assign multiple users as owners
  6. Add team members who should have access
  7. Click Create
  8. Go to https://outlook.office.com and add the shared mailbox to your Outlook
  9. Access the shared mailbox and send/read emails from it
  10. Go back to the admin center and verify all users can access the shared mailbox

Lab 10: Configure Outbound Spam Policies

Objective: Set up policies to manage outbound spam and protect against abuse.

Steps:

  1. Go to https://security.microsoft.com and navigate to Email & collaboration > Threat policies > Outbound spam
  2. Review the default outbound spam policy
  3. Click + Create policy
  4. Name the policy "Outbound Spam Policy - Strict"
  5. Configure the following settings:
    • Outbound spam filter policy: Enabled
    • Recipient rate limit: Limit to 500 recipients per hour
    • Daily message limit: 1000 messages per day
    • Alert admins: Yes
    • Alert users: Yes
  6. Set actions for suspicious outbound emails to Restrict user ability to send until it is reviewed
  7. Click Create
  8. Send a bulk test email to monitor policy enforcement
  9. Check Email & collaboration > Reports > Outbound spam for outbound protection reports
  10. Review quarantined outbound emails and remediate if necessary