Question 1mediummulti select
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Quick Answer
The answer is to configure an availability set, managed disks, and a proximity placement group. An availability set distributes VMs across multiple fault and update domains within a single Azure region, ensuring at least one instance remains available during planned maintenance while keeping VMs in the same datacenter to minimize latency. Managed disks are required for VMs in an availability set because they support automatic recovery if a physical server fails, as unmanaged disks lack the independent fault domain isolation needed for this resilience. A proximity placement group then guarantees that all VMs in the availability set are physically co-located in the same datacenter, which is critical for achieving the low latency requirement. On the AZ-104 exam, this tests your understanding that availability sets alone do not guarantee same-datacenter placement—they only spread across fault domains within a region. A common trap is forgetting managed disks, which are mandatory for automatic recovery in availability sets. Memory tip: think "AS + MD + PPG" as the three pillars for low-latency high availability.
AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 are designing a highly available application on Azure that will run on multiple virtual machines. The solution must meet the following requirements: • Distribute VMs across multiple fault domains and update domains within a single Azure region. • Guarantee that at least one VM instance is available during planned maintenance. • Support automatic recovery of VMs if a physical server fails. • Keep the VMs in the same datacenter to minimize latency. Which three options should you configure? (Choose three.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"least"Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
✓
Place the VMs in an availability set.
An availability set distributes VMs across multiple fault domains and update domains within a single Azure region, ensuring that at least one VM instance is available during planned maintenance and that VMs are in the same datacenter to minimize latency. Managed disks are required for VMs in an availability set to support automatic recovery if a physical server fails, as they provide higher durability and independent fault domains. A proximity placement group is needed to guarantee that VMs in the availability set are placed in the same datacenter, minimizing latency between them.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse availability zones with availability sets, not realizing that availability zones separate VMs across different datacenters (increasing latency), while availability sets keep VMs in the same datacenter but across different fault and update domains.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
An availability set in Azure uses fault domains (up to 3) and update domains (up to 20) to isolate VMs from hardware failures and planned maintenance events. Managed disks ensure that each VM's disk is stored in a separate storage scale unit, preventing a single storage failure from affecting all VMs. A proximity placement group is a logical grouping that ensures VMs are physically close together within an Azure datacenter, reducing network latency to single-digit milliseconds, which is critical for latency-sensitive applications like high-frequency trading or real-time analytics.
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.
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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: Place the VMs in an availability set. — An availability set distributes VMs across multiple fault domains and update domains within a single Azure region, ensuring that at least one VM instance is available during planned maintenance and that VMs are in the same datacenter to minimize latency. Managed disks are required for VMs in an availability set to support automatic recovery if a physical server fails, as they provide higher durability and independent fault domains. A proximity placement group is needed to guarantee that VMs in the availability set are placed in the same datacenter, minimizing latency between them.
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: "least", "minimum / minimize". You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
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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