- A
A Virtual Machine Scale Set.
Why wrong: A scale set can help, but it is more than the requirement calls for.
- B
An availability set.
This is the classic fit for a small set of highly available VMs.
- C
Azure Container Apps.
Why wrong: Container Apps changes the hosting model entirely.
- D
A private endpoint.
Why wrong: Private endpoints are unrelated to VM availability.
Question 1,054 of 1,170
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.
You plan to deploy two virtual machines that run the same line-of-business application. The VMs must remain available during planned maintenance of the Azure platform, but autoscaling is not required. What should you use?
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
✓
An availability set.
An availability set ensures that VMs are distributed across multiple fault domains and update domains within an Azure datacenter. This protects against both hardware failures (fault domains) and planned Azure platform maintenance (update domains), as only one update domain is rebooted at a time. Since autoscaling is not required, an availability set is the correct choice for high availability during planned maintenance.
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 Virtual Machine Scale Set.
Why it's wrong here
A scale set can help, but it is more than the requirement calls for.
When this WOULD be correct
When the requirement includes automatic scaling based on demand (e.g., variable load) and you need to manage multiple identical VMs as a group, such as a web front-end that scales out during peak hours.
- ✓
An availability set.
Why this is correct
This is the classic fit for a small set of highly available VMs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Azure Container Apps.
Why it's wrong here
Container Apps changes the hosting model entirely.
When this WOULD be correct
You need to deploy a containerized application that can scale based on HTTP traffic or events, and you want to avoid managing the underlying infrastructure. Azure Container Apps would be the correct choice for a serverless container workload with autoscaling.
- ✗
A private endpoint.
Why it's wrong here
Private endpoints are unrelated to VM availability.
When this WOULD be correct
A private endpoint would be correct if the question asked: 'You need to ensure that a virtual machine can securely access an Azure Storage account without using the public internet. What should you use?'
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-104 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓An availability set.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
This is the classic fit for a small set of highly available VMs.
✗A Virtual Machine Scale Set.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Virtual Machine Scale Set provides autoscaling and load balancing, but the question explicitly states autoscaling is not required and only two VMs are needed. An availability set is sufficient for planned maintenance resilience.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When the requirement includes automatic scaling based on demand (e.g., variable load) and you need to manage multiple identical VMs as a group, such as a web front-end that scales out during peak hours.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse availability sets with scale sets, thinking scale sets also provide high availability during maintenance, but scale sets are primarily for scaling, not just availability.
✗Azure Container Apps.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Azure Container Apps is a serverless container service for running microservices and applications, not for deploying traditional VMs. The question explicitly requires deploying two VMs, which Container Apps does not support.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
You need to deploy a containerized application that can scale based on HTTP traffic or events, and you want to avoid managing the underlying infrastructure. Azure Container Apps would be the correct choice for a serverless container workload with autoscaling.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Azure Container Apps with Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets or think it can run VMs, not understanding that it is a container orchestration service for containers, not virtual machines.
✗A private endpoint.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A private endpoint provides secure connectivity to Azure PaaS services over a private IP address, but it does not ensure VM availability during Azure platform maintenance. The question requires high availability for VMs, which is addressed by an availability set, not network connectivity.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A private endpoint would be correct if the question asked: 'You need to ensure that a virtual machine can securely access an Azure Storage account without using the public internet. What should you use?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse private endpoints with high availability solutions, thinking that private connectivity implies resilience, or they may misread the question as focusing on security rather than availability.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-104blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse availability sets (for planned maintenance and hardware fault tolerance) with Virtual Machine Scale Sets (for autoscaling and load balancing), leading them to select the scale set even when autoscaling is explicitly not required.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
An availability set logically groups VMs into up to 3 fault domains (shared power and network) and up to 20 update domains (groups that are rebooted sequentially during maintenance). Azure guarantees that VMs in the same availability set will be placed on different physical racks and power sources, ensuring that a single hardware failure or maintenance event does not affect all VMs. This is achieved through Azure's placement constraints enforced at deployment time, not through runtime scaling or load balancing.
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.
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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: An availability set. — An availability set ensures that VMs are distributed across multiple fault domains and update domains within an Azure datacenter. This protects against both hardware failures (fault domains) and planned Azure platform maintenance (update domains), as only one update domain is rebooted at a time. Since autoscaling is not required, an availability set is the correct choice for high availability during planned maintenance.
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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