AZ-305 Design infrastructure solutions Practice Question
You need to design a storage solution for unstructured data that requires low latency (single-digit milliseconds) for frequently accessed files and must support NFS and SMB protocols. Which Azure storage solution should you recommend?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse Azure Files (which supports SMB and NFS) with Azure NetApp Files, overlooking the critical performance requirement for single-digit millisecond latency that only Azure NetApp Files can consistently deliver for high-frequency access patterns.
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
✓
Azure NetApp Files
Azure NetApp Files is a fully managed, high-performance file share service that supports both NFS (v3/v4.1) and SMB protocols natively, and is designed for low-latency (single-digit milliseconds) access to unstructured data. It provides the required protocol flexibility and performance for frequently accessed files, making it the correct choice for this scenario.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Azure Files
Why it's wrong here
Azure Files does support SMB and NFS (v4.1) in the premium tier, but it does not consistently deliver single-digit millisecond latency for high-frequency access patterns. Azure NetApp Files is required for that performance level.
- ✗
Azure Blob Storage
Why it's wrong here
Blob Storage exposes REST, NFSv3 and SMB only through separate accounts or preview features, and its hot tier does not guarantee single-digit millisecond latency for file shares. It suits massive unstructured object data, not concurrent NFS and SMB file access.
- ✗
Azure Disk Storage
Why it's wrong here
Azure Disk Storage provides block-level virtual hard disks attached to a single VM, not a shared file service, so it cannot serve NFS and SMB concurrently to multiple clients. It suits VM operating system and data disks requiring high IOPS, not multi-protocol file shares.
- ✓
Azure NetApp Files
Why this is correct
Azure NetApp Files delivers single-digit-millisecond latency and natively supports both NFS and SMB, satisfying the performance and protocol constraints. Azure Files and Blob storage cannot meet the sub-millisecond-class latency requirement for frequently accessed unstructured data at this tier.
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