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.
An application on an Azure VM needs more CPU and memory. The administrator wants to keep the same OS disk and installed apps, without redeploying the server. What should be done?
Resizing the VM changes the allocated compute resources while keeping the same operating system disk and data disks. This is the usual way to give an existing VM more CPU and memory without rebuilding the server. In many cases, you only need to stop the VM briefly, choose a larger size, and start it again.
B
Reimage the VM
Why wrong: Reimaging replaces the OS disk contents, which would remove the current installed applications and settings.
C
Move the VM into a different availability zone
Why wrong: Changing zones is about resilience placement, not increasing CPU or memory capacity.
D
Create a new storage account
Why wrong: A storage account is unrelated to adding compute capacity to the virtual machine itself.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Resize the VM to a larger size
Resizing the VM (Option A) allows you to change the VM size to a SKU with more CPU and memory while preserving the OS disk, installed applications, and all data. This operation can be performed on a stopped (deallocated) VM and does not require redeployment or reimaging, making it the correct choice for scaling up resources without disruption to the existing configuration.
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.
✓
Resize the VM to a larger size
Why this is correct
Resizing the VM changes the allocated compute resources while keeping the same operating system disk and data disks. This is the usual way to give an existing VM more CPU and memory without rebuilding the server. In many cases, you only need to stop the VM briefly, choose a larger size, and start it again.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Reimage the VM
Why it's wrong here
Reimaging replaces the OS disk contents, which would remove the current installed applications and settings.
✗
Move the VM into a different availability zone
Why it's wrong here
Changing zones is about resilience placement, not increasing CPU or memory capacity.
✗
Create a new storage account
Why it's wrong here
A storage account is unrelated to adding compute capacity to the virtual machine itself.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'resizing' with 'reimaging' or think that changing availability zones or storage accounts can affect compute resources, when in fact only changing the VM size directly modifies CPU and memory allocation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When you resize a VM, Azure updates the hardware profile of the virtual machine resource to reference a new VM size (e.g., from Standard_D2s_v3 to Standard_D4s_v3), which allocates more vCPUs and RAM from the underlying hypervisor. The OS disk (a managed disk or page blob) remains attached and unchanged, and the VM retains its private IP address, network interfaces, and all installed software. The resize operation requires the VM to be in a 'Stopped (Deallocated)' state to release the current allocation and allow Azure to place the VM on a host that supports the new size; if the new size is not available in the current cluster, the VM may be moved to a different host, but the disk and data persist.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-104 question in full detail.
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: Resize the VM to a larger size — Resizing the VM (Option A) allows you to change the VM size to a SKU with more CPU and memory while preserving the OS disk, installed applications, and all data. This operation can be performed on a stopped (deallocated) VM and does not require redeployment or reimaging, making it the correct choice for scaling up resources without disruption to the existing configuration.
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 →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.