A help desk group must use the Azure portal to start a virtual machine, stop or deallocate it, and see its current state, but they must not change any other VM settings. Which three Microsoft.Compute actions should be included in a custom role? Select three.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Best answer
Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/read
Read access is needed so the portal can display the VM and its current operational state.
Best answer
Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action
Starting a VM is a separate control-plane action and must be explicitly allowed.
Best answer
Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/deallocate/action
Stopping a VM in Azure commonly maps to deallocation, which is another distinct action.
Distractor review
Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/write
Write grants broader configuration changes than the help desk requirement and is not least privilege.
Distractor review
Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/delete
Delete would allow destructive changes that are outside the required support function.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization
Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Authentication checks who the user is.
- Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
- Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
- AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.
TExam Day Tips
- Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
- Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
- Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A route table contains these entries: 10.0.0.0/8 with next hop Virtual appliance, and 10.1.1.0/24 with next hop Virtual network gateway. Which next hop will Azure use for traffic to 10.1.1.5?
Question 2
You are deploying a stateless web application on Azure virtual machines. The solution must automatically add and remove instances based on CPU demand and allow all instances to be managed as one logical group. Which Azure compute feature should you deploy?
Question 3
You are deploying a Windows Server VM for an internal app. The VM must support Secure Boot and vTPM later, its OS disk must survive host moves, and the team wants the lowest-cost managed disk tier that still behaves like a normal writable OS disk. Which two choices should you make? Select two.
Question 4
You need to deploy several identical virtual machines and ensure that the failure of a single Azure host does not affect all of them. Which feature should you use?
Question 5
You need to connect VNet-Hub and VNet-Spoke so that resources in both virtual networks can communicate privately over the Microsoft backbone. Both virtual networks are in the same region. What should you configure?
Question 6
You need to create a storage account that provides the lowest-cost redundant storage for non-critical data and only needs protection against local disk or server failure within a single datacenter. Which redundancy option should you choose?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Authentication checks who the user is.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/read — A custom role for basic VM power operations needs read access so the portal can display status, plus the explicit control-plane actions for start and deallocate. Those actions let the help desk operate the VM without granting broader configuration or deletion rights. This is a classic least-privilege RBAC design problem: include only the exact actions required by the task and exclude everything else. Why others are wrong: Write would let the group change VM configuration, disks, or networking, which exceeds the requirement. Delete is far more dangerous and unnecessary for support operations. The correct design separates simple power control from broader administrative permissions.
What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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