Quick Answer
The answer is /26. This is the smallest subnet prefix that meets the requirement because you need at least 50 usable IP addresses: 34 VM NICs, 5 private endpoints, and 6 extra IPs for scale-out total 45, plus Azure reserves 5 IPs in every subnet (the first four and the last one), bringing the minimum to 50. A /26 subnet provides 64 total IPs, with 59 usable after subtracting the 5 reserved, which comfortably covers your workload, while a /27 offers only 32 total IPs (27 usable) and falls short. On the AZ-104 exam, this tests your ability to perform an Azure subnet size calculation under real-world constraints, often appearing as a scenario where you must account for both reserved addresses and future growth—a common trap is forgetting the 5 reserved IPs or miscounting the scale-out buffer. To remember, think “/26 gives 64 total, minus 5 reserved leaves 59 usable,” and for quick recall: “26 is enough for 50-plus, 27 is too tight for the bus.”
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of implement and manage virtual networking. 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.
You are planning a subnet for an application tier in a new spoke virtual network. The subnet must support 34 VM NICs, 5 private endpoints, and 6 extra IP addresses for short-term scale-out during maintenance windows. Azure reserves 5 IP addresses in every subnet. What is the smallest subnet prefix that meets the requirement?
/27
Why wrong: A /27 provides only 27 usable addresses after Azure reservations, which is not enough here.
/26
A /26 provides 59 usable addresses after Azure reservations, which covers all required and buffer IPs.
/25
Why wrong: A /25 would work, but it allocates far more addresses than the scenario requires.
/28
Why wrong: A /28 is much too small for dozens of NICs, private endpoints, and spare capacity.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
/26
The subnet must support 34 VM NICs, 5 private endpoints, and 6 extra IPs for scale-out, totaling 45 required IPs. Azure reserves 5 IP addresses in every subnet (first 4 and last 1). Therefore, the subnet needs at least 50 usable IP addresses. A /26 subnet provides 64 total IPs, of which 59 are usable (64 - 5), meeting the requirement. /27 provides only 32 total IPs (27 usable), which is insufficient.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
/27
Why it's wrong here
A /27 provides only 27 usable addresses after Azure reservations, which is not enough here.
/26
Why this is correct
A /26 provides 59 usable addresses after Azure reservations, which covers all required and buffer IPs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
/25
Why it's wrong here
A /25 would work, but it allocates far more addresses than the scenario requires.
/28
Why it's wrong here
A /28 is much too small for dozens of NICs, private endpoints, and spare capacity.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often forget to add the 5 Azure-reserved IPs to the total requirement, leading them to incorrectly select /27 (thinking 34+5+6=45 fits in 32 usable IPs) or /28 (underestimating the scale-out need).
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
A /25 would work, but it allocates far more addresses than the scenario requires.
Detailed technical explanation
Azure reserves the first four IP addresses (x.x.x.0–x.x.x.3) and the last IP address (x.x.x.255 for /24 or broadcast equivalent) in every subnet for protocol operations like DHCP, DNS, and default gateway. Private endpoints each consume one IP from the subnet, and VM NICs each require one IP. When calculating subnet size, always subtract 5 from the total address count to get usable IPs, and ensure the total addresses are a power of 2 (e.g., /26 = 64 addresses).
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Implement and Manage Virtual Networking — This question tests Implement and Manage Virtual Networking — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: /26 — The subnet must support 34 VM NICs, 5 private endpoints, and 6 extra IPs for scale-out, totaling 45 required IPs. Azure reserves 5 IP addresses in every subnet (first 4 and last 1). Therefore, the subnet needs at least 50 usable IP addresses. A /26 subnet provides 64 total IPs, of which 59 are usable (64 - 5), meeting the requirement. /27 provides only 32 total IPs (27 usable), which is insufficient.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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