- A
The backend subnet CIDR, because subnet ranges never change during VM rebuilds.
Why wrong: A subnet CIDR is broader than the individual backend members and does not model the application tier as cleanly as an ASG. It also does not solve later tier-to-tier reuse as well as security groups do.
- B
The AzureLoadBalancer service tag, because it identifies internal traffic between tiers.
Why wrong: AzureLoadBalancer is only for Azure load balancer probe traffic. It does not represent the web tier or the backend tier in this scenario.
- C
Application security groups for both tiers, because they track the VMs even when IP addresses change.
Application security groups let you group NICs by application role instead of by changing IP addresses. By referencing ASG-Web as the source and ASG-Backend as the destination, the NSG rule stays stable when backend VMs are rebuilt or NICs are replaced. This is the most maintainable option for tier-based filtering on a fixed port.
- D
A user-defined route to the backend subnet, because route tables follow the VM even if the IP changes.
Why wrong: Route tables control traffic forwarding, not security filtering. They cannot replace NSG rules for allowing a specific TCP port between tiers.
Quick Answer
The answer is Application Security Groups (ASGs) for both tiers, because they track VMs even when private IPs change. ASGs allow you to group VMs logically by their NIC configuration rather than by static IP addresses, so an NSG rule referencing the backend ASG automatically applies to any rebuilt VM that retains the same ASG membership. This decouples the security rule from dynamic IPs, eliminating the need for manual NSG updates. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how ASGs provide dynamic, IP-agnostic security—a common trap is choosing service tags or classic NSGs, which still rely on IP ranges or require manual reconfiguration. Remember the key distinction: ASGs track the VM object, not its IP. For a quick memory tip, think "ASG = Always Stays Grouped," meaning the rule follows the VM regardless of its changing address.
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 web tier and a backend tier are deployed in separate subnets. Backend VMs are rebuilt regularly, so their private IP addresses change. The web tier must reach the backend on TCP 8443, and administrators do not want to update NSG rules whenever a backend VM is replaced. What should be used in the NSG rule?
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
Application security groups for both tiers, because they track the VMs even when IP addresses change.
Option C is correct because Application Security Groups (ASGs) allow you to group VMs logically and reference them in NSG rules. When backend VMs are rebuilt and their private IPs change, the ASG membership (based on the VM's NIC configuration) remains intact, so the NSG rule continues to apply without manual updates. This decouples security rules from dynamic IP addresses.
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.
- ✗
The backend subnet CIDR, because subnet ranges never change during VM rebuilds.
Why it's wrong here
A subnet CIDR is broader than the individual backend members and does not model the application tier as cleanly as an ASG. It also does not solve later tier-to-tier reuse as well as security groups do.
- ✗
The AzureLoadBalancer service tag, because it identifies internal traffic between tiers.
Why it's wrong here
AzureLoadBalancer is only for Azure load balancer probe traffic. It does not represent the web tier or the backend tier in this scenario.
- ✓
Application security groups for both tiers, because they track the VMs even when IP addresses change.
Why this is correct
Application security groups let you group NICs by application role instead of by changing IP addresses. By referencing ASG-Web as the source and ASG-Backend as the destination, the NSG rule stays stable when backend VMs are rebuilt or NICs are replaced. This is the most maintainable option for tier-based filtering on a fixed port.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
A user-defined route to the backend subnet, because route tables follow the VM even if the IP changes.
Why it's wrong here
Route tables control traffic forwarding, not security filtering. They cannot replace NSG rules for allowing a specific TCP port between tiers.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse service tags (which identify Azure services) with ASGs (which identify application tiers), or they assume subnet CIDRs are always the best choice despite the requirement for dynamic IP handling.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
AzureLoadBalancer is only for Azure load balancer probe traffic. It does not represent the web tier or the backend tier in this scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Application Security Groups work at the NIC level; when a VM is rebuilt, its new NIC can be assigned to the same ASG via ARM templates or scripts, ensuring the NSG rule referencing that ASG remains valid. Under the hood, ASGs are evaluated as part of the NSG's five-tuple rule processing, and they support up to 3000 IP configurations per ASG. In a real-world scenario, using ASGs with Azure DevOps or Terraform allows zero-touch security updates during auto-scaling or patching cycles.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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Implement and Manage Virtual Networking — study guide chapter
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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: Application security groups for both tiers, because they track the VMs even when IP addresses change. — Option C is correct because Application Security Groups (ASGs) allow you to group VMs logically and reference them in NSG rules. When backend VMs are rebuilt and their private IPs change, the ASG membership (based on the VM's NIC configuration) remains intact, so the NSG rule continues to apply without manual updates. This decouples security rules from dynamic IP addresses.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on AZ-104
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Backend virtual machines are rebuilt frequently and often receive different private IP addresses. An administrator must allow the frontend tier to reach the backend tier on TCP 8443 without editing NSG rules every time the backend IP changes. What should the administrator use in the NSG rule?
medium- A.A static private IP address for each backend VM.
- ✓ B.An Application Security Group that contains the backend VMs.
- C.A user-defined route pointing frontend traffic to the backend subnet.
- D.A private endpoint for the backend tier.
Why B: An Application Security Group (ASG) allows you to group backend VMs logically and reference that group in a Network Security Group (NSG) rule. When backend VMs are rebuilt and receive new private IPs, you simply add the new VMs to the same ASG, and the existing NSG rule (which references the ASG as the destination) automatically applies to the new IPs without any manual rule edits. This decouples security policy from dynamic IP addresses, making it the ideal solution for frequently changing backend IPs.
Variation 2. A team manages three backend servers in one subnet. The servers are replaced periodically, so their private IP addresses change. The NSG must allow inbound traffic from the web tier without updating individual IP addresses each time. Which destination object should be used in the NSG rule?
medium- ✓ A.Application security group
- B.Service tag
- C.Route table
- D.Private endpoint
Why A: An Application Security Group (ASG) allows you to group backend servers logically, regardless of their private IP addresses, and reference that group as the destination in an NSG rule. When servers are replaced and their IPs change, the ASG membership is automatically updated, so the NSG rule continues to apply without manual intervention. This is the correct approach for dynamic workloads where IP addresses are not static.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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