AZ-305 Practice Question: Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions
Your company is implementing a monitoring solution for Azure virtual machines. You need to collect performance counters and log events from the VMs and send them to a centralized Log Analytics workspace. Which agent should you install on the VMs?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse the legacy Log Analytics agent (MMA) as the correct choice because it was the standard for years, but Azure Monitor Agent is the modern replacement explicitly tested in the AZ-305 exam as the recommended solution for centralized log and performance collection.
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 Monitor Agent
Azure Monitor Agent (AMA) is the current recommended agent for collecting performance counters and log events from Azure VMs and sending them to a Log Analytics workspace. It replaces the legacy Log Analytics agent (MMA) and offers centralized management via data collection rules (DCRs), improved security, and support for both Windows and Linux VMs. The AMA uses the Azure Monitor service pipeline and supports multi-homing to multiple workspaces natively.
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 Monitor Agent
Why this is correct
Azure Monitor Agent (AMA) is the current, cross-platform data-collection agent that collects performance counters, Windows and Linux event logs, and other telemetry directly into a Log Analytics workspace. Unlike legacy agents, AMA is governed by configurable Data Collection Rules (DCRs), which allow you to scope, filter, and route data to multiple workspaces without redeploying or reconfiguring the agent. It is Microsoft's recommended replacement for the Log Analytics agent and is required for the latest Azure Monitor features.
- ✗
Log Analytics agent (MMA)
Why it's wrong here
The Log Analytics agent, also known as the Microsoft Monitoring Agent (MMA), is the legacy agent that sends data to Log Analytics using a workspace ID and key. It is on a deprecation path, and Microsoft has announced that it will be retired, with AMA as the designated successor. Because it lacks Data Collection Rules and has limited capability to filter or route data across multiple workspaces, it is no longer the correct choice for a new monitoring deployment.
- ✗
Diagnostics Extension
Why it's wrong here
The Azure Diagnostics Extension is primarily used to capture guest OS-level diagnostics and send them to Azure Storage or Event Hubs, not directly to Log Analytics. While you can configure a sink to route some diagnostic data to Log Analytics, its primary role is for boot diagnostics or integration with tools that consume from those endpoints. It is not a general-purpose agent for collecting arbitrary performance counters and events into Log Analytics, so it does not satisfy the requirement.
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Dependency Agent
Why it's wrong here
The Dependency Agent is a specialized agent that collects network connection and process-level dependency data for Azure Monitor's VM Insights and Service Map. It does not gather general performance counters or system logs, and it is designed to run alongside a primary monitoring agent rather than replace it. Therefore, using only the Dependency Agent would leave the solution without the required performance and event telemetry.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.