- A
Use Azure Files over SMB and enable AD DS authentication
Azure Files over SMB supports both Windows and Linux clients, and AD DS authentication lets the team use existing domain identities and groups instead of storage keys. This keeps permissions centralized and avoids embedding secrets in scripts or mount commands. It is the most appropriate choice when both operating systems must share the same file data and access control should come from the established directory service.
- B
Use a blob container and mount it through the Blob API
Why wrong: Blob containers are object storage, not shared file systems, and they do not provide the same SMB file-share experience.
- C
Use anonymous access on an Azure File share
Why wrong: Anonymous access is not appropriate for a secured enterprise file share and would not satisfy the access control requirement.
- D
Use a premium NFS file share with a shared access signature
Why wrong: NFS does not provide the same Windows-and-AD-DS file-sharing model, and a SAS is a secret-based access mechanism that violates the key restriction.
AZ-104 Implement and Manage Storage Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage storage. 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 team needs one Azure Files share that can be mounted by both Windows and Linux VMs. The VMs are joined to the same on-premises Active Directory Domain Services domain, and the security team forbids storage account keys. The team also wants to manage access with existing AD group memberships. What should the administrator configure?
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
Use Azure Files over SMB and enable AD DS authentication
Option A is correct because Azure Files supports SMB protocol, which can be mounted by both Windows and Linux VMs. By enabling AD DS authentication, the administrator can use existing on-premises Active Directory group memberships to control access to the file share without requiring storage account keys, satisfying the security team's requirement.
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.
- ✓
Use Azure Files over SMB and enable AD DS authentication
Why this is correct
Azure Files over SMB supports both Windows and Linux clients, and AD DS authentication lets the team use existing domain identities and groups instead of storage keys. This keeps permissions centralized and avoids embedding secrets in scripts or mount commands. It is the most appropriate choice when both operating systems must share the same file data and access control should come from the established directory service.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use a blob container and mount it through the Blob API
Why it's wrong here
Blob containers are object storage, not shared file systems, and they do not provide the same SMB file-share experience.
- ✗
Use anonymous access on an Azure File share
Why it's wrong here
Anonymous access is not appropriate for a secured enterprise file share and would not satisfy the access control requirement.
When this WOULD be correct
An administrator needs to provide read-only access to a publicly shared file share for anonymous users without requiring authentication, such as for distributing public documents or software installers.
- ✗
Use a premium NFS file share with a shared access signature
Why it's wrong here
NFS does not provide the same Windows-and-AD-DS file-sharing model, and a SAS is a secret-based access mechanism that violates the key restriction.
When this WOULD be correct
An administrator needs to provide high-performance, low-latency file storage for Linux VMs only, and the security team allows SAS tokens for temporary access. In that case, a premium NFS file share with SAS would be correct.
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.
✓Use Azure Files over SMB and enable AD DS authenticationCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Azure Files over SMB supports both Windows and Linux clients, and AD DS authentication lets the team use existing domain identities and groups instead of storage keys. This keeps permissions centralized and avoids embedding secrets in scripts or mount commands. It is the most appropriate choice when both operating systems must share the same file data and access control should come from the established directory service.
✗Use a blob container and mount it through the Blob APIWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Blob containers cannot be mounted as file shares; they require Blob API access, not SMB or NFS, and do not support AD DS authentication for mounting by VMs.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An administrator needs to store and access unstructured data (e.g., images, logs) from applications using REST APIs, and requires AD DS authentication for access control without using storage account keys.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse blob storage with file shares, thinking both can be mounted as drives, or assume the Blob API can be used for file-level access with AD authentication.
✗Use anonymous access on an Azure File shareWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Anonymous access on an Azure File share does not allow authentication via AD group memberships, and the security team forbids storage account keys, making it unsuitable for managing access with existing AD groups.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An administrator needs to provide read-only access to a publicly shared file share for anonymous users without requiring authentication, such as for distributing public documents or software installers.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think anonymous access simplifies setup by avoiding authentication, but they overlook the requirement to manage access via AD group memberships and the security policy against storage account keys.
✗Use a premium NFS file share with a shared access signatureWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A premium NFS file share cannot be mounted by Windows VMs, and using a shared access signature (SAS) violates the security team's forbiddance of storage account keys, as SAS tokens are derived from keys.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An administrator needs to provide high-performance, low-latency file storage for Linux VMs only, and the security team allows SAS tokens for temporary access. In that case, a premium NFS file share with SAS would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think NFS is universally mountable by both Windows and Linux, and SAS seems like a secure alternative to storage account keys, overlooking the OS compatibility and key derivation issue.
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 may confuse NFS with SMB, assuming NFS is the only option for Linux, but Azure Files supports SMB for both Windows and Linux, and AD DS authentication is only available for SMB shares, not NFS.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Files with AD DS authentication uses Kerberos to authenticate users against on-premises Active Directory, allowing the file share to appear as a standard SMB share in the domain. The Linux VMs can mount the share using the `mount.cifs` command with the `sec=krb5` option, while Windows VMs use standard drive mapping. This integration requires the storage account to be domain-joined to the on-premises AD, which creates a computer account in the domain for the storage account.
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.
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.
- →
Implement and Manage Storage — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Implement and Manage Storage 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?
Implement and Manage Storage — This question tests Implement and Manage Storage — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Azure Files over SMB and enable AD DS authentication — Option A is correct because Azure Files supports SMB protocol, which can be mounted by both Windows and Linux VMs. By enabling AD DS authentication, the administrator can use existing on-premises Active Directory group memberships to control access to the file share without requiring storage account keys, satisfying the security team's requirement.
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 →
Keep practising
More AZ-104 practice questions
- A storage automation service principal must upload, read, and delete blob data in one container by using Microsoft Entra…
- A subnet contains several application servers. You need to allow inbound TCP 3389 only from a management subnet named Su…
- A subscription admin wants to investigate who changed a resource and also review the platform-generated events for that…
- Based on the exhibit, which Azure feature should the administrator use to track this kind of platform-wide service issue…
- An administrator wants a script running on an Azure VM to create a resource in Azure without storing any passwords or cl…
- A PowerShell script runs on an Azure VM every night and uses Azure CLI commands to create tags and VM resources in anoth…
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.