- A
Assign the Virtual Machine Contributor built-in role at the subscription scope
Why wrong: This built-in role is broader than needed and would allow many VM management actions the team should not have.
- B
Assign the Contributor role at the resource group scope
Why wrong: This grants far too much access, including management of unrelated resources in the same resource group.
- C
Create a custom role with only the required VM actions and assign it at the virtual machine scope
A custom role is the least-privilege option when built-in roles are too broad. By including only the actions needed for VM password reset and restart, and assigning the role at the virtual machine scope, the administrator restricts the support desk to exactly one workload and prevents changes to disks, networking, or sizing.
- D
Use an Azure Policy assignment to allow the VMAccess extension
Why wrong: Policy can enforce or deny configurations, but it does not grant operational permissions to users or groups.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to create a custom role with only the required VM actions and assign it at the virtual machine scope. This is correct because the support desk needs precisely the Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/runCommand/action to reset the local admin password via the VMAccess extension and the Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/restart/action to restart the VMs, while explicitly excluding broader permissions like resize, networking, or disk management. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of Azure RBAC and the principle of least privilege, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose a built-in role like Contributor, which grants far too many permissions. The key is to remember that custom roles allow you to granularly define allowed actions at a specific scope—here, the VM scope—preventing unintended changes to other resources. A helpful memory tip: think of it as “run and restart only,” where you build a role that contains just those two actions and nothing else.
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.
A support desk needs to reset the local administrator password on specific virtual machines by using the VMAccess extension and restart those VMs. They must not be able to resize the machines, change networking, or manage disks. What should the administrator create?
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
Create a custom role with only the required VM actions and assign it at the virtual machine scope
Option C is correct because the support desk needs only specific actions (reset local admin password via VMAccess extension and restart VMs) without permissions to resize, change networking, or manage disks. A custom role at the VM scope allows you to grant precisely the required Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/runCommand/action and Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/restart/action, while excluding broader management actions. This follows the principle of least privilege and prevents unintended modifications to other resources.
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.
- ✗
Assign the Virtual Machine Contributor built-in role at the subscription scope
Why it's wrong here
This built-in role is broader than needed and would allow many VM management actions the team should not have.
- ✗
Assign the Contributor role at the resource group scope
Why it's wrong here
This grants far too much access, including management of unrelated resources in the same resource group.
- ✓
Create a custom role with only the required VM actions and assign it at the virtual machine scope
Why this is correct
A custom role is the least-privilege option when built-in roles are too broad. By including only the actions needed for VM password reset and restart, and assigning the role at the virtual machine scope, the administrator restricts the support desk to exactly one workload and prevents changes to disks, networking, or sizing.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use an Azure Policy assignment to allow the VMAccess extension
Why it's wrong here
Policy can enforce or deny configurations, but it does not grant operational permissions to users or groups.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose a built-in role like Virtual Machine Contributor or Contributor, mistakenly believing it provides only VM management, but these roles include broader permissions like resizing and disk management, which are explicitly prohibited in the scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The VMAccess extension uses the Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/runCommand/action to execute scripts that reset local administrator passwords. A custom role can be defined using Azure PowerShell or CLI with actions like 'Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/restart/action' and 'Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/runCommand/action', and assigned at the VM scope via Azure RBAC. This granular control ensures that even if the support desk has access to multiple VMs, they cannot modify the underlying infrastructure, which is critical in multi-tenant or compliance-sensitive environments.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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: Create a custom role with only the required VM actions and assign it at the virtual machine scope — Option C is correct because the support desk needs only specific actions (reset local admin password via VMAccess extension and restart VMs) without permissions to resize, change networking, or manage disks. A custom role at the VM scope allows you to grant precisely the required Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/runCommand/action and Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/restart/action, while excluding broader management actions. This follows the principle of least privilege and prevents unintended modifications to other resources.
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
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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