- A
Availability zones
Why wrong: Zones are broader than needed here because the requirement does not call for datacenter-level isolation.
- B
Availability set
An availability set is designed to spread VMs across update and fault domains within a datacenter. That reduces the chance that maintenance or a host failure takes down all instances at once. Because the scenario only requires protection from host-level and planned maintenance events, an availability set is the appropriate and cost-effective choice.
- C
Proximity placement group
Why wrong: A proximity placement group improves latency, but it does not provide the redundancy needed for maintenance or host failures.
- D
Virtual machine scale set
Why wrong: A scale set can help with scaling and resiliency, but it is not required for this simple two-VM availability need.
AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 uses two Azure VMs in the same datacenter and must continue through planned maintenance and a single hardware host failure. The administrator does not need separate datacenter protection. Which option should be used?
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
Availability set
An availability set distributes VMs across multiple fault domains (hardware hosts) and update domains within a single Azure datacenter. This ensures that during planned maintenance (update domains) or a single hardware host failure (fault domains), at least one VM remains available. Since the requirement does not include separate datacenter protection, an availability set is the correct choice.
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.
- ✗
Availability zones
Why it's wrong here
Zones are broader than needed here because the requirement does not call for datacenter-level isolation.
- ✓
Availability set
Why this is correct
An availability set is designed to spread VMs across update and fault domains within a datacenter. That reduces the chance that maintenance or a host failure takes down all instances at once. Because the scenario only requires protection from host-level and planned maintenance events, an availability set is the appropriate and cost-effective choice.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Proximity placement group
Why it's wrong here
A proximity placement group improves latency, but it does not provide the redundancy needed for maintenance or host failures.
- ✗
Virtual machine scale set
Why it's wrong here
A scale set can help with scaling and resiliency, but it is not required for this simple two-VM availability need.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse availability zones (which offer datacenter-level redundancy) with availability sets (which offer host-level redundancy within a single datacenter), leading them to choose zones even when the requirement explicitly states no separate datacenter protection is needed.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
An availability set logically groups VMs into up to 3 fault domains (each backed by separate hardware racks with independent power and networking) and up to 20 update domains (which sequence planned maintenance reboots). Under the hood, Azure assigns each VM in the set to a different fault domain and update domain, ensuring that a hardware failure or maintenance event only affects a subset of VMs. In a real-world scenario, if you deploy two VMs in the same availability set, they are guaranteed to be on different physical hosts, so a single host failure will not take both offline.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All AZ-104 questions
1,170 questions across all exam domains
- →
AZ-104 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
AZ-104 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related AZ-104 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Manage Azure Identities and Governance practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Manage Azure Identities and Governance.
Implement and Manage Storage practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Implement and Manage Storage.
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Deploy and Manage Azure Compute.
Implement and Manage Virtual Networking practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Implement and Manage Virtual Networking.
Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources.
AZ-104 Azure RBAC practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 Azure RBAC.
AZ-104 storage account practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 storage account.
AZ-104 virtual network practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 virtual network.
AZ-104 NSG practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 NSG.
AZ-104 Azure Monitor practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 Azure Monitor.
AZ-104 backup practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 backup.
AZ-104 managed identity practice questions
Practise AZ-104 questions linked to AZ-104 managed identity.
Practice this exam
Start a free AZ-104 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
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: Availability set — An availability set distributes VMs across multiple fault domains (hardware hosts) and update domains within a single Azure datacenter. This ensures that during planned maintenance (update domains) or a single hardware host failure (fault domains), at least one VM remains available. Since the requirement does not include separate datacenter protection, an availability set is the correct choice.
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 →
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.