- A
Deploy the VMs in an Availability Set.
An Availability Set distributes VMs across fault domains (different racks) and update domains within a datacenter, protecting against hardware failures and maintenance.
- B
Deploy the VMs in different Availability Zones.
Why wrong: Availability Zones are physically separate datacenters within a region. They protect against a datacenter failure, not just hardware failure within a single datacenter.
- C
Deploy the VMs in a single Virtual Machine Scale Set with a large instance count.
Why wrong: A scale set distributes VMs across fault domains only if configured with a placement group. The primary purpose is auto-scaling, not guaranteed fault isolation for a small number of VMs.
- D
Deploy each VM in a separate resource group.
Why wrong: Resource groups are logical containers and do not provide any physical fault isolation. VMs in different resource groups can still reside on the same physical host.
Quick Answer
The correct choice is to deploy the VMs in an Availability Set. An Availability Set provides intra-datacenter fault tolerance by logically grouping VMs across multiple fault domains—each representing distinct physical servers, racks, and network switches—and update domains within a single Azure datacenter. This architecture ensures that if a hardware failure occurs, only one fault domain is affected, keeping the application available. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of high-availability strategies at the datacenter level, often contrasting Availability Sets with Availability Zones, which span separate physical locations. A common trap is choosing Availability Zones for intra-datacenter protection, but remember: zones are for inter-datacenter resilience across regions, not for failures within one datacenter. Memory tip: think of an Availability Set as a “safety net” inside one building, while an Availability Zone is a “backup building” across town.
AZ-305 Design infrastructure solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design infrastructure solutions. 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 company plans to deploy a stateless web application on Azure virtual machines. They want to ensure that the application remains available in the event of a hardware failure within a single Azure datacenter. The VMs must be placed in a way that ensures they are on different physical servers and racks, but are still within the same datacenter. Which deployment strategy should they use?
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 VMs in an Availability Set.
An Availability Set ensures that VMs are distributed across multiple fault domains (different physical servers, racks, and network switches) and update domains within a single Azure datacenter. This protects against hardware failures in that datacenter by guaranteeing that not all VMs are affected by the same local failure, while keeping them in the same datacenter for low-latency communication.
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 VMs in an Availability Set.
Why this is correct
An Availability Set distributes VMs across fault domains (different racks) and update domains within a datacenter, protecting against hardware failures and maintenance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Deploy the VMs in different Availability Zones.
Why it's wrong here
Availability Zones are physically separate datacenters within a region. They protect against a datacenter failure, not just hardware failure within a single datacenter.
- ✗
Deploy the VMs in a single Virtual Machine Scale Set with a large instance count.
Why it's wrong here
A scale set distributes VMs across fault domains only if configured with a placement group. The primary purpose is auto-scaling, not guaranteed fault isolation for a small number of VMs.
- ✗
Deploy each VM in a separate resource group.
Why it's wrong here
Resource groups are logical containers and do not provide any physical fault isolation. VMs in different resource groups can still reside on the same physical host.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Availability Zones (which span multiple datacenters) with Availability Sets (which operate within a single datacenter), leading them to select the zone-based option when the question explicitly requires staying within the same datacenter.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
An Availability Set groups VMs into up to 3 fault domains and up to 20 update domains within a single datacenter. Fault domains represent a shared physical rack with its own power, cooling, and network; by placing VMs in different fault domains, Azure guarantees they are on different physical servers and racks. This design is ideal for stateless web applications that require high availability within a datacenter but do not need cross-datacenter redundancy.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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-305 question test?
Design infrastructure solutions — This question tests Design infrastructure solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deploy the VMs in an Availability Set. — An Availability Set ensures that VMs are distributed across multiple fault domains (different physical servers, racks, and network switches) and update domains within a single Azure datacenter. This protects against hardware failures in that datacenter by guaranteeing that not all VMs are affected by the same local failure, while keeping them in the same datacenter for low-latency communication.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 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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