MD-102 Manage and maintain devices Practice Question
Your organization uses Microsoft Intune to manage macOS devices. You need to deploy a custom configuration profile that sets a specific firewall rule. However, the profile fails to apply on a subset of devices. The Intune console shows 'Conflict' status. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse 'Conflict' with 'Error' or 'Not applicable' — Microsoft Intune exams often test the specific Intune status codes, where 'Conflict' uniquely points to overlapping settings, not version or connectivity issues.
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
✓
Another profile with overlapping settings is assigned
The 'Conflict' status in Microsoft Intune indicates that two or more configuration profiles are attempting to apply different values to the same setting on the device. Since the question specifies a custom firewall rule, the most likely cause is that another profile (e.g., a built-in or custom profile) is also configuring firewall settings, creating a conflict. Intune cannot resolve overlapping settings, so it marks the profile as 'Conflict' and does not apply it.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The user does not have a macOS license
Why it's wrong here
Licensing failures block enrolment or show as unlicensed, not as a settings 'Conflict' between assigned profiles. It is tempting because licensing does gate Intune features, but the conflict status specifically indicates overlapping configuration payloads targeting the same macOS setting.
- ✗
The macOS version is not supported by the profile
Why it's wrong here
An unsupported OS build yields an applicability or error status, not 'Conflict', which arises when two profiles assign contradictory values to one setting. Version mismatch is tempting because it commonly breaks profile deployment, but Intune distinguishes inapplicability from settings collision.
- ✓
Another profile with overlapping settings is assigned
Why this is correct
Overlapping settings from a second assigned profile cause Intune to report 'Conflict', because macOS configuration profiles cannot merge contradictory payload values — one payload wins and the other is rejected. Removing the duplicate firewall setting from one profile, or consolidating both into a single profile, resolves the conflict status.
- ✗
The device is not connected to the internet
Why it's wrong here
A connectivity gap produces 'Not applicable' or pending status, not 'Conflict', which Intune reports when two assigned profiles set the same setting to different values. Offline devices are tempting because they explain non-delivery, but the console would show a pending state instead.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managing Microsoft 365 Apps and Office Updates
Key term
Firewall
A firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined security rules to protect trusted internal networks from untrusted external networks.
Key term
Microsoft Intune
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service that helps organizations manage employee devices, apps, and security policies without needing to own or control the physical hardware.
About these practice questions
This MD-102 question is part of Courseiva's 556-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This MD-102 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 MD-102 exam.