AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
An administrator needs to deploy a Windows Server 2022 Azure VM that will run a latency-sensitive trading application. The application requires extremely low network latency and high throughput between the VM and other VMs in the same backend tier. The VMs are not part of an availability set. Which networking feature should be enabled on the VM's network interface to meet these requirements?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that any network optimization feature will reduce latency, when only SR-IOV-based accelerated networking directly offloads traffic from the host CPU.
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
✓
Accelerated networking
Accelerated networking is designed to provide low-latency, high-throughput networking by using SR-IOV to bypass the software virtual switch. It is available for many VM sizes and can be enabled on a NIC regardless of availability set membership. The other options either add latency, do not address per-VM network performance, or require specific end-to-end configuration not mentioned.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Jumbo frames (MTU 9000)
Why it's wrong here
Jumbo frames can improve throughput for large data transfers by reducing packet overhead, but they are not supported across all Azure network paths and do not provide the deterministic low latency of SR-IOV. They also require consistent MTU configuration end-to-end. The trading app needs minimal latency, not just larger packets.
- ✓
Accelerated networking
Why this is correct
Accelerated networking uses SR-IOV to bypass the host virtual switch, reducing latency and jitter while lowering CPU utilization. It is supported on many VM sizes and can be enabled on a NIC even when the VM is not in an availability set. This directly addresses the low-latency, high-throughput requirement for the trading application.
- ✗
Azure Firewall with premium tier
Why it's wrong here
Azure Firewall is a managed network security service that filters traffic. While the premium tier offers advanced threat protection and TLS inspection, it adds a hop that can increase latency. It does not accelerate network performance or provide the SR-IOV benefits needed for a latency-sensitive application.
- ✗
Azure Load Balancer with HA ports
Why it's wrong here
HA ports are a feature of Standard Load Balancer that provides high availability for internal load balancing across all ports. It does not reduce network latency between individual VMs or increase throughput on a single NIC. The trading app requires low latency between VMs, not load distribution, so this feature is not appropriate.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Storage Firewall and Virtual Network Rules
Key term
Availability set
An Availability set is a cloud computing feature that groups virtual machines across multiple fault domains and update domains to ensure high availability during hardware failures or planned maintenance.
Key term
Switch
A switch is a networking device that connects devices on a local area network and uses MAC addresses to forward data only to the intended recipient.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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.