A company wants to migrate its on-premises file server to Azure. The application accesses files using the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol and requires identity-based access integrated with on-premises Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). The solution must be fully managed and provide low latency for users within the same region. Which Azure solution should they choose?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Best answer
Azure Files with Active Directory authentication and Azure File Sync.
Azure Files supports SMB protocol, can be domain-joined to on-premises AD DS for identity-based access, and is fully managed. Azure File Sync can optionally cache files on-premises but is not required for the migration.
Distractor review
Azure NetApp Files with SMB volumes.
Azure NetApp Files is a fully managed high-performance file storage service that supports SMB, but it is more expensive and complex than Azure Files for a simple file server migration.
Distractor review
Azure Blob Storage with NFS 3.0 support.
Azure Blob Storage with NFS does not support SMB protocol. The application requires SMB access.
Distractor review
Azure Managed Disk with a file server VM.
This creates an IaaS file server, which is not fully managed. The company wants a fully managed solution to reduce administrative overhead.
Common exam trap
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.
Technical deep dive
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.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A company is designing hub-and-spoke networking. Spoke VNets must use a central Azure Firewall for outbound internet traffic. Which two configurations are required?
Question 2
A company is designing private access to a PaaS database from workloads in a VNet. The database should not be reachable over its public endpoint. What should be recommended?
Question 3
A data platform must support analytical queries over petabytes of files in a data lake, while preserving hierarchical namespaces and fine-grained ACLs. Which storage service should you design around?
Question 4
A database workload has an RPO of 15 minutes and an RTO of 4 hours. Cost is more important than near-zero data loss. Which design is usually more appropriate than synchronous multi-region replication?
Question 5
A hub-and-spoke Azure network must centralize outbound inspection and still allow spokes to resolve private endpoint DNS names. Which two components are commonly required? (Choose 2.)
Question 6
A multinational company uses Microsoft Entra ID and several Azure subscriptions. Security administrators need to review privileged role assignments every month and require justification for continued access. Which design should be recommended?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-305 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Files with Active Directory authentication and Azure File Sync. — Azure Files is a fully managed file share service that supports SMB protocol and can be integrated with on-premises AD DS using identity-based access. It provides low latency within a region. Azure NetApp Files is also managed but is more premium and complex. Azure Blob Storage supports NFS but not SMB natively. Using a managed disk with a file server VM is not fully managed and requires OS maintenance.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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