What is Entra Connect Staging Mode?

Entra Connect Staging Mode (formerly Azure AD Connect Staging Mode) is a configuration option in Microsoft Entra Connect that allows you to set up a secondary synchronization server without making any changes to your live environment.

This mode is mainly used for high availability, testing, and migrations without affecting user sign-ins or directory synchronization.

How Staging Mode Works

• The staging server synchronizes data from your on-premises Active Directory (AD) to Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD).
• It does not export or make changes to Microsoft Entra ID, meaning it remains passive.
• If the primary Entra Connect server fails or needs maintenance, you can switch the staging server to active mode for seamless failover.
• Staging mode can also be used to test changes, upgrades, or new configurations before applying them to the production environment.

Key Benefits of Entra Connect Staging Mode

High Availability / Disaster Recovery

• If the primary sync server fails, you can activate the staging server and ensure no disruption in synchronization.

Seamless Cutover During Migrations

• Allows for testing a new Entra Connect server before switching from an old server.

Safe Testing & Validation

• Helps test new synchronization rules or settings without affecting live users.

No Impact on Production

• It runs all sync steps but does not export any changes to Microsoft Entra ID, keeping the live environment untouched.

When to Use Staging Mode?

1. Disaster Recovery: Keep a backup secondary sync server ready for failover.
2. Server Migration: Set up a new Entra Connect server before retiring the old one.
3. Testing & Validation: Validate new configurations without affecting live users.
4. Upgrade Entra Connect: Test new versions before rolling them out to production.

How to Enable Staging Mode in Entra Connect

1. Install Entra Connect on a new server (don’t uninstall the existing one).
2. Run the Entra Connect configuration wizard.
3. Select “Customize synchronization options”.
4. On the Optional Features page, check “Enable Staging Mode”.
5. Click Next → Configure to complete the setup.
6. The server will now run in Staging Mode, syncing but not exporting.

How to Failover to a Staging Server?

1. Open Microsoft Entra Connect on the staging server.
2. Run the configuration wizard and disable Staging Mode.
3. It now becomes the active synchronization server.
4. The old primary server can be disabled or reconfigured.

Important Considerations

• Only One Active Sync Server: Only one server should be active at a time to prevent duplicate synchronization issues.
• Staging Mode Syncs but Doesn’t Export: Data is synchronized internally, but no changes are pushed to Microsoft Entra ID.
• Password Hash Sync (PHS) / Pass-through Authentication (PTA) Needs Extra
• Configuration: If using PHS or PTA, you may need to configure additional authentication agents on the staging server.

Conclusion

Entra Connect Staging Mode is a powerful tool for ensuring high availability, safe testing, and seamless migrations for Microsoft Entra ID synchronization. By keeping a secondary server in Staging Mode, organizations can quickly fail over in case of issues and test new configurations without impacting production users.

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