- A
A public Standard Load Balancer with outbound rules for the backend pool.
Why wrong: Outbound rules can provide SNAT, but this is not the simplest or most direct option when you want a single static outbound IP for a subnet. Load balancers are usually chosen for inbound distribution as well.
- B
A NAT gateway associated with the subnet.
A NAT gateway is designed for outbound-only connectivity from a subnet and provides a predictable public IP or prefix for SNAT. It satisfies the requirement for one static outbound address without assigning public IPs to individual VMs or exposing inbound access. This is the preferred Azure pattern for backend VMs that only need internet egress.
- C
A public IP address on each virtual machine so all outbound traffic is traceable.
Why wrong: Assigning public IPs directly to VMs violates the requirement not to expose the VMs individually. It also creates multiple outbound addresses instead of one static IP.
- D
An internal load balancer with a private frontend IP.
Why wrong: An internal load balancer supports private inbound traffic inside the network. It does not provide the requested single public outbound SNAT address for internet access.
AZ-104 Implement and Manage Virtual Networking Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage virtual networking. 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 subnet contains 15 backend VMs that only need outbound internet access for patching and package downloads. Security wants all outbound connections to use one static public IP address, and no VM should have a public IP assigned directly. What should you configure?
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
A NAT gateway associated with the subnet.
A NAT gateway is the correct choice because it provides outbound internet connectivity for all VMs in a subnet using a single static public IP address, without assigning public IPs to the VMs themselves. It handles source network address translation (SNAT) for outbound traffic, ensuring that all connections appear to originate from the configured public IP. This meets the security requirement of a single static IP for patching and package downloads.
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.
- ✗
A public Standard Load Balancer with outbound rules for the backend pool.
Why it's wrong here
Outbound rules can provide SNAT, but this is not the simplest or most direct option when you want a single static outbound IP for a subnet. Load balancers are usually chosen for inbound distribution as well.
- ✓
A NAT gateway associated with the subnet.
Why this is correct
A NAT gateway is designed for outbound-only connectivity from a subnet and provides a predictable public IP or prefix for SNAT. It satisfies the requirement for one static outbound address without assigning public IPs to individual VMs or exposing inbound access. This is the preferred Azure pattern for backend VMs that only need internet egress.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
A public IP address on each virtual machine so all outbound traffic is traceable.
Why it's wrong here
Assigning public IPs directly to VMs violates the requirement not to expose the VMs individually. It also creates multiple outbound addresses instead of one static IP.
- ✗
An internal load balancer with a private frontend IP.
Why it's wrong here
An internal load balancer supports private inbound traffic inside the network. It does not provide the requested single public outbound SNAT address for internet access.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse a NAT gateway with a load balancer, assuming a load balancer is needed for outbound traffic, but a load balancer is designed for inbound traffic distribution and does not provide outbound-only SNAT without additional rules or a separate NAT gateway.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure NAT gateway uses port address translation (PAT) to map outbound traffic from multiple VMs to a single public IP address, with a default idle timeout of 4 minutes and support for up to 64,000 ports per backend IP. It operates at the subnet level and is fully managed, automatically scaling to handle traffic spikes without requiring manual configuration of SNAT ports. In real-world scenarios, this is ideal for scenarios like Windows Update or Linux package repositories where VMs need outbound access but must not be directly reachable from the internet.
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
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Implement and Manage Virtual Networking — This question tests Implement and Manage Virtual Networking — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: A NAT gateway associated with the subnet. — A NAT gateway is the correct choice because it provides outbound internet connectivity for all VMs in a subnet using a single static public IP address, without assigning public IPs to the VMs themselves. It handles source network address translation (SNAT) for outbound traffic, ensuring that all connections appear to originate from the configured public IP. This meets the security requirement of a single static IP for patching and package downloads.
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 →
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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