- A
Configure the target availability set in the VM replication settings in the Recovery Services vault
For managed disk VMs, ASR provides an option to select the target availability set in the replication configuration, ensuring automatic placement after failover.
- B
Create a recovery plan and add a manual step or script to move VMs to the availability set after failover
Why wrong: Using a script is possible but not the primary or simplest method; the built-in configuration is more efficient and less error-prone.
- C
Convert the managed disks to unmanaged disks for replication, then specify the availability set
Why wrong: Converting to unmanaged disks is not necessary and is not recommended; ASR supports availability sets with managed disks natively.
- D
Azure Site Recovery does not support placing VMs into an availability set in the target region
Why wrong: ASR does support target availability sets for both managed and unmanaged disk VMs.
Quick Answer
The answer is to configure the target availability set in the VM replication settings within the Recovery Services vault. This is correct because Azure Site Recovery (ASR) allows you to specify the target availability set during the enable replication process, under the compute and network settings for each VM. When a failover occurs, ASR automatically places the recovered VM into that designated availability set, preserving the multi-tier application architecture without requiring post-failover manual reassignment. On the AZ-305 exam, this tests your understanding of disaster recovery configuration for high availability, often appearing as a scenario where you must ensure application consistency across regions. A common trap is assuming availability sets are configured at the vault level or during failover planning, but the setting is per-VM in the replication blade. Memory tip: think “per-VM, pre-failover” — the target set is chosen when you first enable replication, not during the actual failover.
AZ-305 Design business continuity solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design business continuity solutions. 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 company uses Azure Site Recovery to replicate critical Azure virtual machines (VMs) to a secondary Azure region for disaster recovery. The VMs use managed disks and are part of a multi-tier application. After a failover, the recovery VMs must be automatically placed into a specific availability set to maintain the application architecture. How should the administrator configure this in Azure Site Recovery?
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
Configure the target availability set in the VM replication settings in the Recovery Services vault
Option A is correct because Azure Site Recovery (ASR) allows you to configure the target availability set directly in the replication settings for each VM. When you enable replication for a VM, under the 'Target availability set' setting, you can select an existing availability set in the target region. ASR will then automatically place the recovered VM into that availability set during failover, ensuring the multi-tier application architecture is maintained without manual intervention.
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.
- ✓
Configure the target availability set in the VM replication settings in the Recovery Services vault
Why this is correct
For managed disk VMs, ASR provides an option to select the target availability set in the replication configuration, ensuring automatic placement after failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a recovery plan and add a manual step or script to move VMs to the availability set after failover
Why it's wrong here
Using a script is possible but not the primary or simplest method; the built-in configuration is more efficient and less error-prone.
- ✗
Convert the managed disks to unmanaged disks for replication, then specify the availability set
Why it's wrong here
Converting to unmanaged disks is not necessary and is not recommended; ASR supports availability sets with managed disks natively.
- ✗
Azure Site Recovery does not support placing VMs into an availability set in the target region
Why it's wrong here
ASR does support target availability sets for both managed and unmanaged disk VMs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume ASR lacks native support for availability sets and default to manual recovery plans or unnecessary disk conversions, overlooking the straightforward configuration option in the replication settings.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, when you configure replication for an Azure VM with managed disks, ASR stores the target availability set as part of the replication policy. During failover, the Azure Resource Manager (ARM) API call to create the recovery VM includes the availability set ID, ensuring the VM is placed in the correct fault and update domains. This is critical for multi-tier applications where VMs must be distributed across availability sets to meet SLA requirements and avoid single points of failure.
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.
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Design business continuity solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-305 question test?
Design business continuity solutions — This question tests Design business continuity solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure the target availability set in the VM replication settings in the Recovery Services vault — Option A is correct because Azure Site Recovery (ASR) allows you to configure the target availability set directly in the replication settings for each VM. When you enable replication for a VM, under the 'Target availability set' setting, you can select an existing availability set in the target region. ASR will then automatically place the recovered VM into that availability set during failover, ensuring the multi-tier application architecture is maintained without manual intervention.
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
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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