Question 867 of 1,170

Deploy and Manage Azure Compute →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct first step is to create an Azure Compute Gallery image version based on the generalized VM image. This is because Azure Compute Gallery (formerly Shared Image Gallery) provides a centralized repository for storing and managing multiple image versions, allowing you to publish VM image versions across subscriptions with controlled replication and versioning. By creating an image version, the platform team can deploy the same hardened build to development, test, and production subscriptions without rebuilding the image for each update—they simply replicate the version to each subscription’s region. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of image lifecycle management and cross-subscription sharing; a common trap is confusing a managed image (which can’t be versioned or shared across subscriptions) with a gallery image version. Remember the mnemonic “GIV” for Gallery Image Version—it’s the key to controlled, incremental publishing.

AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question

This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 platform team has a hardened Windows Server VM that was generalized after patching, agent installation, and baseline configuration. They must deploy the same build to development, test, and production subscriptions, and they want a controlled way to publish newer versions later without rebuilding the image each time. What should they create first?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.

Question 1hardmultiple choice

Read the full NAT/PAT explanation →

A
An availability set for the source VM so new virtual machines inherit the same configuration.
Why wrong: An availability set improves fault and update domain placement, but it does not package an operating system build for reuse. It cannot be used to stamp out identical VMs across subscriptions or version images over time.
B
A managed disk snapshot of the OS disk so new VMs can be created from the captured state.
Why wrong: A snapshot captures a disk point in time, but it is not the best choice for a governed, versioned image lifecycle. It is also focused on disk recovery rather than standardized multi-subscription VM deployment.
C
An Azure Compute Gallery image version based on the generalized VM image.
Azure Compute Gallery is the best fit when you need a reusable, versioned VM image that can be deployed consistently across subscriptions and regions. It supports image publishing, replication, and controlled updates, which makes it ideal for a hardened base build that will evolve over time.
D
A proximity placement group so all future VMs land close to the current server.
Why wrong: A proximity placement group reduces latency by keeping resources physically close, but it does not define a reusable VM image. It addresses placement, not image management or standardized server builds.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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 Azure Compute Gallery image version based on the generalized VM image.

An Azure Compute Gallery (formerly Shared Image Gallery) allows you to store and manage multiple versions of a generalized VM image, enabling controlled, incremental publishing of image updates across subscriptions. By creating an image version in a gallery, the team can deploy the same build to dev, test, and prod subscriptions while maintaining versioning and replication control, avoiding the need to rebuild the image from scratch for each 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 for the source VM so new virtual machines inherit the same configuration.
Why it's wrong here
An availability set improves fault and update domain placement, but it does not package an operating system build for reuse. It cannot be used to stamp out identical VMs across subscriptions or version images over time.
✗
A managed disk snapshot of the OS disk so new VMs can be created from the captured state.
Why it's wrong here
A snapshot captures a disk point in time, but it is not the best choice for a governed, versioned image lifecycle. It is also focused on disk recovery rather than standardized multi-subscription VM deployment.
✓
An Azure Compute Gallery image version based on the generalized VM image.
Why this is correct
Azure Compute Gallery is the best fit when you need a reusable, versioned VM image that can be deployed consistently across subscriptions and regions. It supports image publishing, replication, and controlled updates, which makes it ideal for a hardened base build that will evolve over time.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
A proximity placement group so all future VMs land close to the current server.
Why it's wrong here
A proximity placement group reduces latency by keeping resources physically close, but it does not define a reusable VM image. It addresses placement, not image management or standardized server builds.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse a managed disk snapshot (Option B) with a reusable, versionable image, not realizing that snapshots lack the versioning, replication, and cross-subscription sharing capabilities that an Azure Compute Gallery image version provides.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Azure Compute Gallery uses a hierarchical resource model: gallery → image definition → image version, where each image version is a full copy of the generalized VM’s OS and data disks, stored as managed image snapshots. The gallery supports cross-subscription replication via Azure RBAC and can replicate image versions to multiple regions, enabling consistent deployment pipelines. A key subtlety is that the source VM must be generalized using Sysprep (for Windows) or waagent -deprovision (for Linux) before capture, otherwise the resulting image will retain machine-specific identifiers and cause deployment failures.

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 Azure Compute Gallery image version based on the generalized VM image. — An Azure Compute Gallery (formerly Shared Image Gallery) allows you to store and manage multiple versions of a generalized VM image, enabling controlled, incremental publishing of image updates across subscriptions. By creating an image version in a gallery, the team can deploy the same build to dev, test, and prod subscriptions while maintaining versioning and replication control, avoiding the need to rebuild the image from scratch for each 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.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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