Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company is migrating a legacy on-premises application to Azure. The application runs on multiple Windows Server virtual machines and requires a shared file system that multiple servers can mount simultaneously using the SMB protocol. The data must also be accessible from on-premises servers in a hybrid configuration. The IT team wants to minimize management overhead and avoid provisioning additional servers solely for file sharing. Which Azure service should they use?
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.
A
Distractor review
Azure Blob Storage
Azure Blob Storage is designed for unstructured object data (e.g., images, backups, logs) and does not natively support the SMB protocol required for simultaneous mounting by multiple VMs via a file system. While it can be accessed via REST APIs or with third-party tools, it is not the correct choice for a shared SMB file system in this scenario.
B
Best answer
Azure Files
Azure Files offers fully managed file shares accessible via the SMB protocol. Multiple VMs can mount the same file share concurrently, and Azure File Sync enables hybrid access by caching files on on-premises servers. This service meets all the requirements while minimizing operational overhead.
C
Distractor review
Azure Disk Storage
Azure Disk Storage provides persistent block storage for VMs, but each disk can be attached to only one VM at a time (unless using shared disks, which have limitations and are not designed for general-purpose SMB file sharing). It does not support simultaneous mounting by multiple servers as a shared file system.
D
Distractor review
Azure NetApp Files
Azure NetApp Files is a high-performance, enterprise-grade file service that supports SMB and NFS protocols. While it could technically fulfill the requirement, it introduces greater complexity and cost compared to Azure Files. For a basic shared file system with minimal management overhead, Azure Files is the simpler and more appropriate choice.
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 developer is building a serverless application that requires integration with an on-premises SQL Server database for real-time data processing. The on-premises network is connected to Azure via a site-to-site VPN. Which Azure service would allow the function to securely access the on-premises database without exposing it to the public internet?
Question 2
A solutions architect is designing a storage solution for a large media company. The company needs to store video files that are accessed infrequently but must be retained for several years for compliance. Which two Azure storage options meet these requirements? (Select two.)
Question 3
A company deploys a multi-tier application using Azure virtual machines. The web tier VMs must be evenly distributed across two distinct data centers within an Azure region to avoid a single point of failure from an infrastructure outage. Which Azure construct should they use to meet this requirement?
Question 4
A company wants to enforce a set of security policies across all their Azure subscriptions. They have created several individual policy definitions. Which Azure construct should they use to group these policies together and assign them as a single package?
Question 5
A company deploys a line-of-business application on an Azure virtual machine. The IT team wants to ensure the application remains secure. According to the shared responsibility model, which of the following security tasks is the sole responsibility of the customer (the company)?
Question 6
A company develops a web API that runs on Azure App Service. The development team wants to deploy a new version of the API to a staging environment, run integration tests against it, and then gradually shift production traffic to the new version. If any issues are detected, they want to immediately roll back to the previous version without redeploying. Which Azure App Service feature should the team use to meet these requirements?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-900 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 — Azure Files provides fully managed file shares that support the SMB protocol, making it the appropriate choice for scenarios where multiple VMs need to mount the same file share simultaneously. Azure File Sync can also be used to cache files on-premises, enabling hybrid access. Azure Blob Storage is an object storage service that does not natively support SMB mounting (though it can be mounted via third-party tools, it is not the best fit). Azure Disk Storage provides block-level storage volumes that can be attached to a single VM only. Azure NetApp Files is an enterprise-grade file service but introduces additional complexity and cost compared to Azure Files, which is simpler for this basic SMB sharing requirement.
What should I do if I get this AZ-900 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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