- A
Deploy an active-passive configuration with Azure Front Door and Traffic Manager
Why wrong: This solution provides global load balancing but does not handle VM replication; it would require additional replication mechanisms and likely exceed RPO/RTO.
- B
Implement Azure Site Recovery for the VMs
Azure Site Recovery provides continuous replication with RPO as low as 15 seconds and RTO of minutes, meeting the requirements cost-effectively.
- C
Configure the VMs in an availability zone across East US and West US
Why wrong: Availability zones are within the same region, not across regions, so this does not provide cross-region DR.
- D
Use Azure Backup with cross-region restore for the VMs
Why wrong: Azure Backup typically has a maximum RPO of 24 hours for daily backups, not 15 minutes.
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 multinational corporation is designing a disaster recovery strategy for a critical application running on Azure VMs. The application must have a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 15 minutes and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 1 hour. The primary region is East US, and the secondary region is West US. The solution must minimize costs while meeting the requirements. What should you recommend?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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
Implement Azure Site Recovery for the VMs
Azure Site Recovery provides orchestrated replication with RPO as low as 15 minutes and RTO of minutes. It is the most cost-effective option for VM-level DR.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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 an active-passive configuration with Azure Front Door and Traffic Manager
Why it's wrong here
This solution provides global load balancing but does not handle VM replication; it would require additional replication mechanisms and likely exceed RPO/RTO.
- ✓
Implement Azure Site Recovery for the VMs
Why this is correct
Azure Site Recovery provides continuous replication with RPO as low as 15 seconds and RTO of minutes, meeting the requirements cost-effectively.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "primary", "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- ✗
Configure the VMs in an availability zone across East US and West US
Why it's wrong here
Availability zones are within the same region, not across regions, so this does not provide cross-region DR.
- ✗
Use Azure Backup with cross-region restore for the VMs
Why it's wrong here
Azure Backup typically has a maximum RPO of 24 hours for daily backups, not 15 minutes.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related AZ-305 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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Design infrastructure solutions — study guide chapter
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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 — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Implement Azure Site Recovery for the VMs — Azure Site Recovery provides orchestrated replication with RPO as low as 15 minutes and RTO of minutes. It is the most cost-effective option for VM-level DR.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related AZ-305 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary", "minimum / minimize". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
This AZ-305 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-305 exam.
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