- A
Deploy the workload as a virtual machine scale set instead of a standalone VM.
A VM scale set is the Azure compute service designed for identical, horizontally scalable instances. It gives the administrator a single resource to manage for deployment, scaling, and placement across multiple instances.
- B
Enable zone distribution for the scale set in a region that supports availability zones.
Zone distribution allows the scale set to place instances across zones, improving resilience against a datacenter failure. This is the correct way to add zone-level protection while keeping the workload managed as one scalable unit.
- C
Configure autoscale so the instance count can change according to demand.
Autoscale is the feature that adds and removes instances based on defined rules or schedules. It matches the requirement for increasing capacity during business hours without manual intervention.
- D
Place all instances in a single availability set and scale them manually.
Why wrong: An availability set helps with host-level resilience, but it does not provide zone-level fault isolation. Manual scaling also misses the requirement for automatic instance growth during busy periods.
- E
Deploy only one zonal VM and use snapshots to recover if the datacenter fails.
Why wrong: One VM is still a single point of failure, and snapshots do not provide active service continuity. The requirement calls for multiple instances and automated scaling, which a VM scale set supports.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to configure autoscale so the instance count can change according to demand, which is achieved by deploying a Virtual Machine Scale Set (VMSS) across Availability Zones. A stateless web tier must survive a datacenter outage and autoscale, and VMSS is the only Azure service that inherently combines distribution across fault domains with automatic scaling rules. By placing the scale set across multiple Availability Zones, you ensure that even if an entire datacenter fails, the remaining zones keep the application running, while autoscale rules adjust capacity to handle increased traffic during business hours. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that a single VM cannot survive a zone outage, and that autoscale alone without zone distribution does not meet the resilience requirement—a common trap is to select “load balancer” instead of the scale set. Remember the mnemonic: “Zones for survival, rules for arrival.”
AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. 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 stateless web tier must survive a datacenter outage in a region that supports availability zones, and the number of instances should increase during business hours. Which three actions should the administrator take? Select three.
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
Deploy the workload as a virtual machine scale set instead of a standalone VM.
A virtual machine scale set (VMSS) provides automatic scaling and high availability across multiple instances, which is essential for a stateless web tier that must survive a datacenter outage. By deploying as a scale set instead of a standalone VM, the administrator gains the ability to distribute instances across availability zones and configure autoscale rules to adjust capacity based on demand, meeting both the resilience and elasticity requirements.
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.
- ✓
Deploy the workload as a virtual machine scale set instead of a standalone VM.
Why this is correct
A VM scale set is the Azure compute service designed for identical, horizontally scalable instances. It gives the administrator a single resource to manage for deployment, scaling, and placement across multiple instances.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Enable zone distribution for the scale set in a region that supports availability zones.
Why this is correct
Zone distribution allows the scale set to place instances across zones, improving resilience against a datacenter failure. This is the correct way to add zone-level protection while keeping the workload managed as one scalable unit.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Configure autoscale so the instance count can change according to demand.
Why this is correct
Autoscale is the feature that adds and removes instances based on defined rules or schedules. It matches the requirement for increasing capacity during business hours without manual intervention.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Place all instances in a single availability set and scale them manually.
Why it's wrong here
An availability set helps with host-level resilience, but it does not provide zone-level fault isolation. Manual scaling also misses the requirement for automatic instance growth during busy periods.
- ✗
Deploy only one zonal VM and use snapshots to recover if the datacenter fails.
Why it's wrong here
One VM is still a single point of failure, and snapshots do not provide active service continuity. The requirement calls for multiple instances and automated scaling, which a VM scale set supports.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse availability sets (which protect against rack failures) with availability zones (which protect against datacenter outages), leading them to select option D instead of the correct zone distribution in option B.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, a virtual machine scale set with zone distribution uses Azure’s fault domain and update domain isolation across physically separate datacenters within a region, ensuring that if one zone fails, the other zones continue serving traffic. Autoscale uses metrics like CPU or memory thresholds to trigger scale-out or scale-in operations via the Azure Monitor autoscale engine, which can add or remove instances in minutes to match business-hour demand. In a real-world scenario, combining a scale set with a load balancer and health probes ensures that failed instances are automatically replaced and traffic is routed only to healthy VMs.
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.
- →
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute 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?
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: Deploy the workload as a virtual machine scale set instead of a standalone VM. — A virtual machine scale set (VMSS) provides automatic scaling and high availability across multiple instances, which is essential for a stateless web tier that must survive a datacenter outage. By deploying as a scale set instead of a standalone VM, the administrator gains the ability to distribute instances across availability zones and configure autoscale rules to adjust capacity based on demand, meeting both the resilience and elasticity requirements.
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 →
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.