- A
An availability set for the source VM so new virtual machines inherit the same configuration.
Why wrong: An availability set improves fault and update domain placement, but it does not package an operating system build for reuse. It cannot be used to stamp out identical VMs across subscriptions or version images over time.
- B
A managed disk snapshot of the OS disk so new VMs can be created from the captured state.
Why wrong: A snapshot captures a disk point in time, but it is not the best choice for a governed, versioned image lifecycle. It is also focused on disk recovery rather than standardized multi-subscription VM deployment.
- C
An Azure Compute Gallery image version based on the generalized VM image.
Azure Compute Gallery is the best fit when you need a reusable, versioned VM image that can be deployed consistently across subscriptions and regions. It supports image publishing, replication, and controlled updates, which makes it ideal for a hardened base build that will evolve over time.
- D
A proximity placement group so all future VMs land close to the current server.
Why wrong: A proximity placement group reduces latency by keeping resources physically close, but it does not define a reusable VM image. It addresses placement, not image management or standardized server builds.
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.
A platform team has a hardened Windows Server VM that was generalized after patching, agent installation, and baseline configuration. They must deploy the same build to development, test, and production subscriptions, and they want a controlled way to publish newer versions later without rebuilding the image each time. What should they create first?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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 Azure Compute Gallery image version based on the generalized VM image.
An Azure Compute Gallery (formerly Shared Image Gallery) allows you to store and manage multiple versions of a generalized VM image, enabling controlled, incremental publishing of image updates across subscriptions. By creating an image version in a gallery, the team can deploy the same build to dev, test, and prod subscriptions while maintaining versioning and replication control, avoiding the need to rebuild the image from scratch for each update.
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.
- ✗
An availability set for the source VM so new virtual machines inherit the same configuration.
Why it's wrong here
An availability set improves fault and update domain placement, but it does not package an operating system build for reuse. It cannot be used to stamp out identical VMs across subscriptions or version images over time.
When this WOULD be correct
When deploying multiple VMs in the same region that require high availability (e.g., a multi-tier application), an availability set should be created first to ensure VMs are placed on different physical hardware to avoid single points of failure.
- ✗
A managed disk snapshot of the OS disk so new VMs can be created from the captured state.
Why it's wrong here
A snapshot captures a disk point in time, but it is not the best choice for a governed, versioned image lifecycle. It is also focused on disk recovery rather than standardized multi-subscription VM deployment.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks: 'You need to create a backup of a single VM's OS disk that can be used to restore the VM to a previous state in the same region. What should you create?' In that scenario, a managed disk snapshot is the correct answer because it is a quick, incremental backup for disaster recovery.
- ✓
An Azure Compute Gallery image version based on the generalized VM image.
Why this is correct
Azure Compute Gallery is the best fit when you need a reusable, versioned VM image that can be deployed consistently across subscriptions and regions. It supports image publishing, replication, and controlled updates, which makes it ideal for a hardened base build that will evolve over time.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
A proximity placement group so all future VMs land close to the current server.
Why it's wrong here
A proximity placement group reduces latency by keeping resources physically close, but it does not define a reusable VM image. It addresses placement, not image management or standardized server builds.
When this WOULD be correct
When deploying a latency-sensitive distributed application across multiple VMs in the same region, a proximity placement group ensures VMs are co-located to minimize network latency between them.
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 Azure Compute Gallery image version based on the generalized VM image.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Azure Compute Gallery is the best fit when you need a reusable, versioned VM image that can be deployed consistently across subscriptions and regions. It supports image publishing, replication, and controlled updates, which makes it ideal for a hardened base build that will evolve over time.
✗An availability set for the source VM so new virtual machines inherit the same configuration.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
An availability set ensures high availability by distributing VMs across fault domains, but it does not capture or replicate a generalized VM image across subscriptions for controlled versioned deployments.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When deploying multiple VMs in the same region that require high availability (e.g., a multi-tier application), an availability set should be created first to ensure VMs are placed on different physical hardware to avoid single points of failure.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think availability sets help maintain consistent configuration across VMs, confusing high availability with image management and version control.
✗A managed disk snapshot of the OS disk so new VMs can be created from the captured state.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A managed disk snapshot captures a point-in-time copy of the OS disk, but it does not support versioning, replication across regions, or controlled publishing of updates. The question requires a solution for deploying the same build to multiple subscriptions with future version management, which Azure Compute Gallery provides.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks: 'You need to create a backup of a single VM's OS disk that can be used to restore the VM to a previous state in the same region. What should you create?' In that scenario, a managed disk snapshot is the correct answer because it is a quick, incremental backup for disaster recovery.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates often confuse snapshots with image management, thinking a snapshot can be used to deploy multiple VMs across subscriptions. They overlook that snapshots lack versioning, sharing, and replication capabilities needed for controlled multi-environment deployments.
✗A proximity placement group so all future VMs land close to the current server.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A proximity placement group ensures VMs are physically close for low latency, but does not provide image versioning or controlled publishing across subscriptions.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When deploying a latency-sensitive distributed application across multiple VMs in the same region, a proximity placement group ensures VMs are co-located to minimize network latency between them.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that placing VMs close to the source server ensures consistent configuration, but proximity placement groups address physical location, not image management.
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 a managed disk snapshot (Option B) with a reusable, versionable image, not realizing that snapshots lack the versioning, replication, and cross-subscription sharing capabilities that an Azure Compute Gallery image version provides.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Compute Gallery uses a hierarchical resource model: gallery → image definition → image version, where each image version is a full copy of the generalized VM’s OS and data disks, stored as managed image snapshots. The gallery supports cross-subscription replication via Azure RBAC and can replicate image versions to multiple regions, enabling consistent deployment pipelines. A key subtlety is that the source VM must be generalized using Sysprep (for Windows) or waagent -deprovision (for Linux) before capture, otherwise the resulting image will retain machine-specific identifiers and cause deployment failures.
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 Azure Compute Gallery image version based on the generalized VM image. — An Azure Compute Gallery (formerly Shared Image Gallery) allows you to store and manage multiple versions of a generalized VM image, enabling controlled, incremental publishing of image updates across subscriptions. By creating an image version in a gallery, the team can deploy the same build to dev, test, and prod subscriptions while maintaining versioning and replication control, avoiding the need to rebuild the image from scratch for each update.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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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