- A
An availability set
An availability set spreads VMs across fault domains and update domains within a datacenter environment. This reduces the chance that a planned host update or a hardware issue affects both VMs at the same time. It is the right choice when the goal is host-level resilience for VMs in the same region.
- B
A public load balancer
Why wrong: A load balancer distributes traffic across healthy VMs, but it does not control how Azure places the VMs for resilience. If both VMs were on the same host or update domain, the load balancer would not prevent a maintenance event from affecting both at once.
- C
A managed image
Why wrong: A managed image helps deploy consistent VMs but does not influence how Azure separates them for maintenance or hardware failure resilience. It is a deployment source, not an availability placement feature.
- D
A private endpoint
Why wrong: A private endpoint provides private access to a PaaS service over a VNet. It has no effect on VM placement, fault domains, or host update behavior. It is unrelated to the availability requirement in this scenario.
Quick Answer
The answer is an availability set. This is correct because an availability set logically groups your Azure VMs into separate update domains and fault domains within a datacenter. Update domains ensure that planned host updates—such as Azure’s routine patching and maintenance—are applied to only one group of VMs at a time, so your two VMs will not be rebooted simultaneously. Fault domains provide additional protection by distributing VMs across different hardware racks. On the AZ-104 exam, this concept tests your understanding of high-availability infrastructure; a common trap is confusing availability sets with availability zones, which protect against entire datacenter failures rather than planned host updates. A simple memory tip: think of update domains as “rolling reboot groups” that stagger maintenance, while fault domains are “separate power shelves.”
AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A line-of-business app runs on two Azure VMs in the same region. The business wants to reduce the chance that both VMs are affected by the same planned host update. What should the administrator use?
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
An availability set
An availability set ensures that VMs are placed on different fault domains and update domains within an Azure datacenter. Fault domains isolate VMs from shared hardware failures, while update domains ensure that planned host updates (e.g., OS patching) are applied sequentially across groups, so not all VMs are rebooted simultaneously. This directly reduces the chance that both VMs are affected by the same planned host update.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
An availability set
Why this is correct
An availability set spreads VMs across fault domains and update domains within a datacenter environment. This reduces the chance that a planned host update or a hardware issue affects both VMs at the same time. It is the right choice when the goal is host-level resilience for VMs in the same region.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
A public load balancer
Why it's wrong here
A load balancer distributes traffic across healthy VMs, but it does not control how Azure places the VMs for resilience. If both VMs were on the same host or update domain, the load balancer would not prevent a maintenance event from affecting both at once.
- ✗
A managed image
Why it's wrong here
A managed image helps deploy consistent VMs but does not influence how Azure separates them for maintenance or hardware failure resilience. It is a deployment source, not an availability placement feature.
- ✗
A private endpoint
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse availability sets (logical grouping for update/fault domain isolation within a single datacenter) with availability zones (physical separation across datacenters), or mistakenly think a load balancer provides high availability against planned maintenance, when it only distributes traffic and does not affect host placement.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
A private endpoint provides private access to a PaaS service over a VNet. It has no effect on VM placement, fault domains, or host update behavior. It is unrelated to the availability requirement in this scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
An availability set distributes VMs across up to 3 fault domains (each with its own power, cooling, and network switch) and up to 20 update domains (configurable, default 5). During a planned maintenance event, Azure reboots VMs one update domain at a time, with a 30-minute pause between domains to allow application recovery. This mechanism is distinct from availability zones, which provide physical separation across different datacenter buildings within a region.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — This question tests Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: An availability set — An availability set ensures that VMs are placed on different fault domains and update domains within an Azure datacenter. Fault domains isolate VMs from shared hardware failures, while update domains ensure that planned host updates (e.g., OS patching) are applied sequentially across groups, so not all VMs are rebooted simultaneously. This directly reduces the chance that both VMs are affected by the same planned host update.
What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This AZ-104 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-104 exam.
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