AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
A platform team has a generalized VM image that must be published to East US and West Europe today and patched later without overwriting the original build. They want Azure to keep version history and replicate the image to both regions. Which two actions or resources should they use? Select two.
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse a single managed image (Option C) with the Azure Compute Gallery’s image version, not realizing that a managed image lacks version history and automated multi-region replication, which are key requirements for this scenario.
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
✓
Create an Azure Compute Gallery
Azure Compute Gallery (formerly Shared Image Gallery) allows you to store and manage VM image versions, including version history, and replicate them across multiple Azure regions. By creating an image definition and image version within the gallery, you can publish the generalized VM image to East US and West Europe today, and later create a new image version for patching without overwriting the original build, preserving the version history.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Create an Azure Compute Gallery
Why this is correct
Azure Compute Gallery (formerly Shared Image Gallery) is a managed service for storing, versioning, and replicating VM images across regions and subscriptions. It provides centralized lifecycle control, replication policies, and supports both specialized and generalized images. This makes it the appropriate foundation for a platform team's generalized VM image needing broad distribution.
- ✓
Create an image definition and image version
Why this is correct
An image definition and image version are the building blocks inside an Azure Compute Gallery that define an image family (OS type, state, publisher/SKU) and its versioned artifact. The image version is a reusable, versioned snapshot that can be replicated to target regions and used to create VMs. Creating these objects is required to publish a gallery image, but they are not the top-level service that manages them.
- ✗
Capture the VM as a single managed image and copy it manually to each region
Why it's wrong here
Capturing the VM as a single managed image produces a static, non-versioned artifact bound to the source region. Manually copying it to each region is error-prone, does not scale, and lacks centralized update/rollback capabilities, so it is inferior to an Azure Compute Gallery for ongoing multi-region publishing.
- ✗
Use an availability set to preserve the image
Why it's wrong here
An availability set is a logical grouping of VMs that distributes them across fault and update domains to protect against hardware failures and maintenance downtime. It does not store, version, or distribute reusable images; it is a resiliency construct for running workloads, not an image management service.
When this WOULD be correct
In a question asking how to ensure high availability for a set of VMs running the same application, such as a web tier, where you need to protect against hardware failures and planned maintenance within a single region.
- ✗
Take a snapshot of the OS disk and deploy VMs directly from the snapshot
Why it's wrong here
A snapshot of the OS disk is a point-in-time, raw disk copy that is region-bound and does not contain the generalized image metadata needed for automatic VM creation workflows. Deploying VMs directly from snapshots bypasses image versioning, cross-region replication, and shared image catalog capabilities, making it unsuitable for a platform image distribution pipeline.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks for a quick, one-off backup of a single VM's OS disk to be used for disaster recovery in the same region, with no need for versioning or multi-region replication. The snapshot can be used to create a new VM in the same region.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-104 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Create an Azure Compute GalleryCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Azure Compute Gallery (formerly Shared Image Gallery) is a managed service for storing, versioning, and replicating VM images across regions and subscriptions. It provides centralized lifecycle control, replication policies, and supports both specialized and generalized images. This makes it the appropriate foundation for a platform team's generalized VM image needing broad distribution.
✗Use an availability set to preserve the imageWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
An availability set is used to distribute VMs across fault domains and update domains for high availability, not for preserving or replicating VM images across regions.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
In a question asking how to ensure high availability for a set of VMs running the same application, such as a web tier, where you need to protect against hardware failures and planned maintenance within a single region.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse availability sets with image management or replication, thinking that 'preserving' an image relates to availability rather than versioning and distribution.
✗Take a snapshot of the OS disk and deploy VMs directly from the snapshotWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Snapshots capture a point-in-time copy of a disk but do not support versioning, replication across regions, or shared image management. Deploying VMs directly from snapshots lacks the centralized version history and automated replication provided by Azure Compute Gallery.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks for a quick, one-off backup of a single VM's OS disk to be used for disaster recovery in the same region, with no need for versioning or multi-region replication. The snapshot can be used to create a new VM in the same region.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think snapshots are a simple way to capture and reuse an image, but they overlook the need for version history and cross-region replication, which are not supported by snapshots.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-104blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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