AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
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?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to 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.
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.
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.
When this WOULD be correct
When deploying multiple VMs in the same region that require high availability (e.g., a multi-tier application), an availability set should be created first to ensure VMs are placed on different physical hardware to avoid single points of failure.
- ✗
A managed disk snapshot of the OS disk so new VMs can be created from the captured state.
Why it's wrong here
A managed disk snapshot is a point-in-time, block-level copy of a disk that is primarily intended for backup, recovery, or cloning a single VM manually. Unlike an Azure Compute Gallery image, a snapshot does not support versioned image definitions, cross-region replication, or granular sharing across subscriptions and tenants. Additionally, snapshots do not automatically handle the generalized state of the OS — you would still need to manually manage sysprep and capture processes, and you cannot easily maintain a controlled lifecycle of multiple image versions as your hardened baseline evolves.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks: 'You need to create a backup of a single VM's OS disk that can be used to restore the VM to a previous state in the same region. What should you create?' In that scenario, a managed disk snapshot is the correct answer because it is a quick, incremental backup for disaster recovery.
- ✓
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.
- ✗
A proximity placement group so all future VMs land close to the current server.
Why it's wrong here
A proximity placement group (PPG) only controls the physical co-location of VM instances within a single region to minimize network latency between them. It does not capture the OS configuration, installed roles, or security baselines of the source server, so it cannot be used to stamp out new VMs with the same hardened build. PPGs are designed for latency-sensitive multi-tier workloads, not for provisioning standardized, repeatable VM templates across subscriptions or regions.
When this WOULD be correct
When deploying a latency-sensitive distributed application across multiple VMs in the same region, a proximity placement group ensures VMs are co-located to minimize network latency between them.
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.
✓An Azure Compute Gallery image version based on the generalized VM image.Correct answer▾
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.
✗An availability set for the source VM so new virtual machines inherit the same configuration.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
An availability set ensures high availability by distributing VMs across fault domains, but it does not capture or replicate a generalized VM image across subscriptions for controlled versioned deployments.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When deploying multiple VMs in the same region that require high availability (e.g., a multi-tier application), an availability set should be created first to ensure VMs are placed on different physical hardware to avoid single points of failure.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think availability sets help maintain consistent configuration across VMs, confusing high availability with image management and version control.
✗A managed disk snapshot of the OS disk so new VMs can be created from the captured state.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A managed disk snapshot captures a point-in-time copy of the OS disk, but it does not support versioning, replication across regions, or controlled publishing of updates. The question requires a solution for deploying the same build to multiple subscriptions with future version management, which Azure Compute Gallery provides.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks: 'You need to create a backup of a single VM's OS disk that can be used to restore the VM to a previous state in the same region. What should you create?' In that scenario, a managed disk snapshot is the correct answer because it is a quick, incremental backup for disaster recovery.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates often confuse snapshots with image management, thinking a snapshot can be used to deploy multiple VMs across subscriptions. They overlook that snapshots lack versioning, sharing, and replication capabilities needed for controlled multi-environment deployments.
✗A proximity placement group so all future VMs land close to the current server.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A proximity placement group ensures VMs are physically close for low latency, but does not provide image versioning or controlled publishing across subscriptions.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When deploying a latency-sensitive distributed application across multiple VMs in the same region, a proximity placement group ensures VMs are co-located to minimize network latency between them.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that placing VMs close to the source server ensures consistent configuration, but proximity placement groups address physical location, not image management.
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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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.