Question 1hardmultiple choice
Full question →hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped
Exhibit
Bicep snippet:
resource vm 'Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines@2023-09-01' = {
name: 'appvm01'
location: resourceGroup().location
identity: {
type: 'SystemAssigned'
}
properties: {
hardwareProfile: {
vmSize: 'Standard_D2s_v5'
}
osProfile: {
computerName: 'appvm01'
}
}
}
Operational note:
- The VM is rebuilt every month from source control.
- The workload must read secrets from Key Vault and upload logs to Blob Storage.
- Recreating the VM must not require new role assignments for the workload identity.Based on the exhibit, which change should the administrator make so the application identity remains stable across VM redeployments without reapplying RBAC assignments?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Keep the system-assigned identity and reapply the same RBAC roles after each rebuild.
A system-assigned identity is recreated with the VM, so its object ID changes after redeployment. That forces RBAC updates every time.
B
Best answer
Create a user-assigned managed identity and attach it to the VM template.
A user-assigned managed identity is an independent Azure resource. It survives VM deletion and redeployment, so RBAC assignments remain valid.
C
Distractor review
Store a local administrator password in Key Vault and use it for Azure resource access.
A local administrator password helps sign in to the VM, but it does not provide Azure authorization for Key Vault or Storage access.
D
Distractor review
Replace the identity with a shared access signature so the VM can authenticate to Azure services.
A SAS token is scoped to a storage resource and is not a general-purpose identity for Azure resource authorization or RBAC.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization
Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Authentication checks who the user is.
- Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
- Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
- AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.
TExam Day Tips
- Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
- Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
- Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.
Related practice questions
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A route table contains these entries: 10.0.0.0/8 with next hop Virtual appliance, and 10.1.1.0/24 with next hop Virtual network gateway. Which next hop will Azure use for traffic to 10.1.1.5?
Question 2
You are deploying a stateless web application on Azure virtual machines. The solution must automatically add and remove instances based on CPU demand and allow all instances to be managed as one logical group. Which Azure compute feature should you deploy?
Question 3
You are deploying a Windows Server VM for an internal app. The VM must support Secure Boot and vTPM later, its OS disk must survive host moves, and the team wants the lowest-cost managed disk tier that still behaves like a normal writable OS disk. Which two choices should you make? Select two.
Question 4
You need to deploy several identical virtual machines and ensure that the failure of a single Azure host does not affect all of them. Which feature should you use?
Question 5
You need to connect VNet-Hub and VNet-Spoke so that resources in both virtual networks can communicate privately over the Microsoft backbone. Both virtual networks are in the same region. What should you configure?
Question 6
You need to create a storage account that provides the lowest-cost redundant storage for non-critical data and only needs protection against local disk or server failure within a single datacenter. Which redundancy option should you choose?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Authentication checks who the user is.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a user-assigned managed identity and attach it to the VM template. — A user-assigned managed identity is the best choice because it is not tied to the lifecycle of one virtual machine. The VM in the exhibit is rebuilt regularly, and a system-assigned identity would be deleted and recreated with a new principal each time. By assigning the required RBAC roles to a user-assigned identity once, the administrator can attach that same identity to every redeployed VM without changing access grants. Why others are wrong: Keeping a system-assigned identity would force RBAC reconfiguration after each rebuild because the identity changes with the VM. A local admin password only controls operating system sign-in, not Azure authorization. A SAS token is useful for specific storage access, but it is not an Azure identity and cannot replace role-based permissions for Key Vault, Blob Storage, or other services.
What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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