Azure VM High Availability SLA Requirements
Describe Azure compute and networking services
Answer
Correct answer: A — Deploying two virtual machines across two availability zones meets the 99.99% Azure VM SLA guarantee.
Note: The question is included in a number of questions that depicts the identical set-up. However, every question has a distinctive result. Establish if the solution satisfies the requirements. You are tasked with deploying a critical LOB application, which will be installed on a virtual machine, to Azure. You are informed that the application deployment strategy should allow for a guaranteed availability of 99.99 percent. You need to make sure that the strategy requires as little virtual machines and availability zones as possible. Solution: You include two virtual machines and two availability zones in your strategy. Does the solution meet the goal?
Community Insight
The exam tests knowledge of Azure's official SLA documentation, specifically the trap where candidates might confuse single-zone or availability set deployments (99.95%) with multi-zone deployments (99.99%).
This question tests the specific Azure Virtual Machine Service Level Agreement (SLA) for high availability using Availability Zones. It establishes that deploying two virtual machines across two availability zones is the minimum configuration required to achieve a 99.99% uptime guarantee.
Candidates often select 'No' because they mistakenly believe higher redundancy (more than two VMs/zones) is needed, or they confuse the 99.95% SLA of Availability Sets with the 99.99% SLA of Availability Zones.
Community Discussion (132 comments)
Said Ismail
👍 2
Selected: A
For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time.
RashfordUnited
👍 1
Selected: A
If there is distruption in one of the two availabity zones, the other zone can keep the uptime running
Pefl
👍 1
Selected: R
Para todas las Máquinas Virtuales que tengan dos o más instancias desplegadas en dos o más Zonas de Disponibilidad en la misma región de Azure, garantizamos que tendrás Conectividad de Máquina Virtual a al menos una instancia al menos el 99,99% de las veces.
sheiy
👍 1
Selected: A
thank you
AlekksMaciel
👍 1
Selected: A
For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time.
LePastore
👍 1
Selected: A
The answer is YES. Two virtual machines deployed in two availability zones will guarantee an SLA level of 99.99%.
SASISS46
👍 1
Selected: A
A is correct answer
kahla
👍 2
Selected: A
Availability Zones (AZs) are physically separate locations within an Azure region. Deploying VMs in two separate availability zones provides zone-level redundancy and higher availability. The SLA for VMs deployed in two availability zones with Azure Load Balancer is 99.99% availability (4 nines). Using one VM (even in one zone) gives SLA of around 99.9%, which is lower than 99.99%. Using two VMs in a single availability zone only increases fault tolerance against VM-level failure, but not zone failure.
beepic
👍 1
Selected: A
Yes, According to Microsoft official documentation , to achieve higest fault tolerance and availability , 99.99% of SLA is requried in a specific region, for that the minimum configuration requried is 2 VM in 2 availability zones.
mitddgr
👍 1
Selected: A
to ensure 99.99 SLA you need 2 VMs in 2 availability zones
Davoe
👍 1
Selected: A
yes correct
arjunyv2022
👍 1
Selected: A
The given solution meets the 99.99% availability requirement while using the minimum required VMs and Availability Zones.
ElPitu97
👍 2
Selected: A
a - yes SLA for Virtual Machines | Azure
Wazery
👍 1
Selected: A
orrekte Lösung: ✅ Mindestens zwei virtuelle Maschinen in zwei verschiedenen Verfügbarkeitszonen ✅ Azure Load Balancer, um den Datenverkehr zwischen den VMs zu verteilen
rajsonu
👍 1
Selected: A
Having Two Vms and Two Availability ZOne ensures no downtime and SLA is 99.9%.
sulina27
👍 2
no, it is 99.99%, not 99.9% For any Single Instance Virtual Machine using Premium SSD or Ultra Disk for all Operating System Disks and Data Disks, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity of at least 99.9%. For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time.
P_BASNET
👍 3
A. Yes Deploying two virtual machines across two availability zones can meet the goal of achieving 99.99% availability. Here’s why: Availability Zones: Using two availability zones provides high availability by ensuring that if one zone experiences a failure, the other zone can continue to operate, thereby reducing the risk of total service disruption. Virtual Machines: With two virtual machines spread across these availability zones, you achieve redundancy and fault tolerance. If one virtual machine fails, the other can handle the workload, ensuring continuous operation. This setup meets the requirements for high availability with minimal resource use, aligning with the goal of 99.99% availability. So, the correct answer is A. Yes.
siculoct
👍 3
Its A the right answer
siculoct
👍 3
yes 2 vm and 2 Available zone
siculoct
👍 2
it's A Two virtual machines and two availability zones meet the 99.9%
Jeenia
👍 4
Selected: A
Having 2 VMs at two different locations/availability zones solves the problem.
Lekshmi_rl
👍 1
Answer is A
MAFA56
👍 2
Selected: A
A - For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time.
intentando
👍 3
Selected: A
A
Edgy_San
👍 1
Loved how you cut right through the chase from the very first word. Leaving no room for misinterpretation. It's good to be decisive like that.
AntonioTech
👍 11
The answer is A. Yes The solution meets the goal. Deploying two virtual machines across two availability zones is a suitable strategy for achieving a guaranteed availability of 99.99 percent with the least virtual machines and availability zones. Azure Availability Zones are physically separate datacenters within an Azure region, providing redundancy and high availability. By deploying the application to two virtual machines, each in a different availability zone, you ensure that even if one availability zone experiences an issue, the application remains available in the other availability zone. This setup minimizes the risk of downtime and meets the specified availability requirement of 99.99 percent.
Rainheart
👍 2
No, the solution does not meet the goal. To achieve a guaranteed availability of 99.99%, you need to deploy your virtual machine in at least three availability zones. This is because Azure guarantees a 99.99% availability SLA for virtual machines that are deployed in three availability zones.
tlh45342
👍 3
A
jana90
👍 2
yes, 99.99% For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time. https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/legal/sla/virtual-machines/v1_8/
louloua
👍 2
two or more instances in two or more availability zones in the same azure region is 99.99%
👍 10
Selected: A
It's A you noobs
kasho0
👍 7
A is the correct answer SLA for Virtual Machines Updated: 11/2020 For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time. https://www.azure.cn/en-us/support/sla/virtual-machines/
navid1365
👍 2
Selected: A
A is correct, details in BinuRaj's comment
Ehaan
👍 2
Selected: A
A
ClaGar
👍 2
Two VMs required in EACH of the two Availability Zones to meet the 99.99 % requirement or just one VM in each Availability Zone ?
ClaGar
👍 3
Solution statement ''You include two virtual machines and two availability zones in your strategy'' might lead to confusion because it might mean ONE VM in each of the two Availability Zone.
CaseySanchez
👍 2
we need at least two virtual machine instances in at least two availability zones to ensure a 99.99% availability
rwpsanders
👍 3
Correct answer is A.
LuchoGonzalez
👍 1
This website is for China, are you sure this apply for azure.com?
Logan987
👍 1
Selected: A
A is the correct answer
morpheusbn
👍 2
Selected: A
TWO virtual machines and TWO availability zones are the basic configuration. Answer is A
Zaidsdb
👍 1
Selected: A
its A because it's not in d=the same zone
globy118
👍 1
Selected: A
Answer should be A
Pm91680
👍 1
Selected: A
a IS RIGHT
Souban07
👍 3
A. Yes, the solution meets the goal of guaranteed availability of 99.99 percent. By including two virtual machines and two availability zones in your deployment strategy, you are providing a level of redundancy and resiliency that can help ensure the availability of your critical LOB application. With two virtual machines, you can set up load balancing to distribute incoming traffic across both instances, reducing the risk of a single point of failure. By deploying the virtual machines in two separate availability zones, you are providing an additional layer of protection against outages or failures in a single location. However, it's important to note that availability targets are best-effort and not guaranteed. To further ensure the availability of your application, you should also implement disaster recovery strategies and backup solutions, such as Azure Backup or Azure Site Recovery, to ensure the recoverability of your application in the event of a failure.
LPaul
👍 1
With two virtual machines , is that means this both vm is Availability Set in datacenter , hence again , vm 1 will redundant in zone 1 and Vm 2 will redundant in zone 2.etc
emptyH
👍 2
Selected: A
2VMs + 2 Zones equal great fail over and 99.9% uptime
Kanders
👍 2
A. Yes
Verxes
👍 2
Selected: A
A correct
kazan
👍 3
Selected: A
A is correct as as AZ can go down and so could one VM in the other AZ. So you need 2 VMs and 2 AZs
Luansi
👍 3
Selected: A
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/legal/sla/virtual-machines/v1_9/ For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time.
wyabcp
👍 1
Yes, you are correct, wish i could delete my comment :)
Kris_ETL
👍 6
Selected: A
To have 99.99 SLA, you need two virtual machines and two availability zones
Faycal_IT
👍 2
For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time. https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/legal/sla/virtual-machines/v1_9/
wyabcp
👍 1
Selected: B
Answer is No - as you can get 99.99% with single VM and premium SSD (this is the minimum option)
EzBL
👍 2
No. For any Single Instance Virtual Machine using Premium SSD, Ultra Disk or Premium SSD v2 for all Operating System Disks and Data Disks, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity of at least 99.9%. You request 99.99% not 99.9%
KostaStern
👍 4
You get 99.9% with premium SSD But the question was 99.99%
AlbertKwan
👍 2
The Solution should be rewritten as: You deploy two virtual machine instances ACROSS two availability zones in your strategy. Then the Solution will meet the guaranteed availability of 99.99 percent.
m4p0g0
👍 1
A must be true
MarMar2022
👍 2
Selected: A
This is correct answer A
MestreCholas
👍 2
Selected: A
As BinuRaj said: For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time. For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed in the same Availability Set or in the same Dedicated Host Group, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.95% of the time. For any Single Instance Virtual Machine using Premium SSD or Ultra Disk for all Operating System Disks and Data Disks, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity of at least 99.9%. For any Single Instance Virtual Machine using Standard SSD Managed Disks for Operating System Disk and Data Disks, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity of at least 99.5%. For any Single Instance Virtual Machine using Standard HDD Managed Disks for Operating System Disks and Data Disks, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity of at least 95%.
Thiago_Ferreira
👍 3
Selected: A
Is the correct answer.
Yeuri
👍 2
Selected: A
Is the correct answer
Yarin_Ben_Aharon
👍 2
Selected: A
For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time.
apchardware
👍 2
A is the correct PEOPLE!
jerborder
👍 4
Selected: A
>=2 VMs and >= 2 ARs = 99.99% availability.
Laveshin
👍 3
Selected: A
This is because there are 2 machine deployed across 2 AZ which satisfies the requirement for the critical LOB app
cramtime6
👍 2
Selected: A
There are at least 2 instances for both VMs and Availability Zones so the answer is A
fg2022
👍 4
Selected: A
A is correct
rdelgadof13
👍 3
Correct is A
Mandal6002
👍 4
Selected: A
Two or more virtual machine with two or more availability zone
Custodian
👍 2
Selected: A
2 2 = A
dJeePe
👍 2
Selected: A
A is correct
bountersz
👍 1
The answer is A, Yes. For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time.
henrick
👍 1
Selected: A
A
Meyti
👍 1
Selected: A
A is correct. https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/legal/sla/virtual-machines/v1_9/
cramtime6
👍 2
Selected: A
A is correct
LiturghianPope
👍 1
Selected: A
A is correct
Huayra_J
👍 1
Selected: A
For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time.
rameshsee
👍 1
Selected Answer: A
GetulioJr
👍 1
Selected: A
A is correct
Aditt
👍 2
A is correct
VMLaza
👍 3
Selected: A
Answ is A.
JG990
👍 3
Selected: A
since there are 2 VMs and 2 Availability zones.
Ahmed_Root
👍 1
Selected: A
A might be right
youssef1452
👍 2
Selected: B
B. is correct
Shivani1310
👍 1
A is right answer
Fyrus
👍 3
Selected: A
"For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time." https://www.azure.cn/en-us/support/sla/virtual-machines/
Fyrus
👍 1
Selected: A
https://www.azure.cn/en-us/support/sla/virtual-machines
AD1112
👍 2
Ans: A ref: two virtual machines and two availability zones (Microsoft SLA: "we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time")
nuNce
👍 2
Selected: A
As stated in this page: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/legal/sla/virtual-machines/v1_9/ For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time.
ko97
👍 1
A is correct answer
NewInAZ
👍 4
Selected: A
Answer is A, because of: "For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time."
NewInAZ
👍 3
Answer is "YES". Please, kindly read: "For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time."
Sazzy21
👍 3
Selected: A
Better Choice
Foow
👍 2
Selected: B
Got on exam, answer is B.
Foow
👍 4
Sorry I mean A.
Wsafi
👍 2
Selected: A
A is correct
MS_Learner
👍 2
Key here is "Strategy requires as little virtual machines and availability zones as possible". Solution: You include two virtual machines and two availability zones in your strategy. So Answer is YES as you do not have to have 2 VM's in each AZ.
Bigtee70
👍 1
Check the reference site, it clearly says; "To ensure resiliency, a minimum of three separate availability zones are present in all availability zone-enabled regions." The answer has to be B and not A
Bigtee70
👍 1
Check the reference site, it clearly says; "To ensure resiliency, a minimum of three separate availability zones are present in all availability zone-enabled regions." The answer has to be A
Shreyas
👍 1
it says 2 Vms with 2 AZs. So if we think about it. We are talking 1 VM in each AZ. This should meet the requirement. Why is it still a No though. Its not mandatory that it has to be 2 VMs. additonally there is a condition that VM used should be minimum. Also there is a missunderstanding here where although they say 2 or more. i believe they are counting total servers deployed across AZs not on a single AZ. if lets say its actually 2VMs per AZ. then its an expensive option to get that availability which compared to other Platforms is not so good.
Shreyas
👍 1
So i say the answer is A
nsp24
👍 4
Selected: A
Answer has been updated its correct now.
nav777
👍 2
Should the Answer be Yes. Because 2 VMs and 2 AZs = 99.99% For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time
Nathi91061651
👍 2
i fail to understand why people are choosing B/voting for B, help.
wyabcp
👍 1
you could have a single VM with premium storage that has 99.99% availability. This would be the option with minimum vm's and zones...
joergsi
👍 2
Don't understand either! Keyword is: 99,99% availability. Here you find: For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time. To get 99,99% YOU MUST HAVE: => two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region
ITprof99
👍 6
Recent update to the q? A lot of answers say no but then say the correct solution would have a minimum of 2 for both. Answer: A
cpearcyy1
👍 2
I think the answer has been updated as per corrections from collaborators. Answer on question is now correct
Micha_
👍 6
Selected: B
What I don’t see anyone pointing out is that with a single VM, you can’t possibly be using multiple AZs, since a VM only exists in one of those by definition.
Dicer
👍 2
The answer is B. The key point is: "You need to make sure that the strategy requires as little virtual machines and availability zones as possible." 1 VM + 1 Availability zone is enough to meet the target.
shadeey
👍 1
while the answer is indeed B, to ensure 99.99 SLA you need 2 VMs and 2 availability zones.
glhs
👍 2
B is correct. Two VMs and two zones are needed
ryaneven
👍 4
An Availability Zone in an Azure region is a combination of a fault domain and an update domain. For example, if you create three or more VMs across three zones in an Azure region, your VMs are effectively distributed across three fault domains and three update domains. The Azure platform recognizes this distribution across update domains to make sure that VMs in different zones are not scheduled to be updated at the same time.
Adediwura
👍 2
Thanks for this explanation.
Georgess
👍 6
Actually, with only on VM, the best SLA you get is 99.9% (for any Single Instance Virtual Machine using Premium SSD or Ultra Disk for all Operating System Disks and Data Disks, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity of at least 99.9%). 99.95 is 2+ VM's in the same Availability Set or in the same dedicated host group.
jrmunoza
👍 1
I think A is Correct
awsORbust
👍 7
The correct answer is B - NO: The question clearly states that they are looking for 99.99% guaranteed availability and the solution is to include one virtual machine and two availability zones in your strategy. When only One Virtual Machine is used the best availability percentage you can get is 99.95% so the this is not a good solution and the answer is B - NO.
jrmunoza
👍 4
One VM with Two instances and two or more availability Zones we gan get 99.99 % availability.
HA0
👍 3
B is correct. https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/legal/sla/virtual-machines/v1_9/
AlbertKwan
👍 1
Elaborate.
RaySmith
👍 2
Answer is: B
kate_py
👍 2
With Availability Zones, Azure offers industry best 99.99% VM uptime SLA. --> https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/availability-zones/az-overview SLA for Virtual Machines Last updated: July 2020 For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time. https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/legal/sla/virtual-machines/v1_9/
kate_py
👍 4
We will need at least two VMs.
ddponder
👍 29
The correct answer is B. The correct solution would have a minimum of 2 for both.
pgcool
👍 7
its mentioned 2 for both. Please dont give wrong answer
tlh45342
👍 5
Please watch your google search. The solution IN THIS CASE was to deploy 2 VMs. I almost fell into the same trap. The question I was looking at was to deploy 1 VM. If 1 VM deployed this fails. if 2 VMs (as in this question) then A / True.
Sarmad_Mansour
👍 12
minimum of 2 for both, then the correct answer should be A.
AlbertKwan
👍 1
Source?
BinuRaj
👍 99
SLA for Virtual Machines Last updated: July 2020 For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time. For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed in the same Availability Set or in the same Dedicated Host Group, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.95% of the time. For any Single Instance Virtual Machine using Premium SSD or Ultra Disk for all Operating System Disks and Data Disks, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity of at least 99.9%. For any Single Instance Virtual Machine using Standard SSD Managed Disks for Operating System Disk and Data Disks, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity of at least 99.5%. For any Single Instance Virtual Machine using Standard HDD Managed Disks for Operating System Disks and Data Disks, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity of at least 95%.
iwarakorn
👍 2
nswer is NO For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.99% of the time. For all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed in the same Availability Set or in the same Dedicated Host Group, we guarantee you will have Virtual Machine Connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.95% of the time.
Comments & Corrections
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Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
According to Microsoft's official Azure Virtual Machine SLA, a 99.99% uptime guarantee is provided for all Virtual Machines that have two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones in the same Azure region. The solution proposes exactly this: two virtual machines and two availability zones. This meets the requirement for guaranteed availability while using the minimum number of resources specified (as one VM cannot span multiple zones, and one zone does not provide the zone-redundant SLA).Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option B ('No') is incorrect because it implies the strategy fails to meet the goal. However, since the proposed strategy aligns perfectly with the definition of the 99.99% SLA, the answer must be Yes. Any configuration with fewer than two zones or fewer than two instances would typically fall back to lower SLAs like 99.95% (for single zone/availability sets) or 99.0%/99.9% depending on OS.Community Comment Notes
There was significant confusion in the community due to ambiguous phrasing in some versions of this question. Some users argued for 'No' based on older interpretations or misreading the question as proposing only one VM. However, the consensus among experts and verified comments confirms that 'Yes' is correct when two VMs and two zones are explicitly stated. As noted by user BinuRaj, the SLA documentation explicitly states the 99.99% guarantee applies to VMs with "two or more instances deployed across two or more Availability Zones." User AntonioTech also confirmed this alignment with the official SLA text.Official Reference
Exam Strategy
Memorize the specific SLA percentages for Azure services, particularly the distinction between 99.95% (Availability Sets/Single Zone) and 99.99% (Multi-Zone). When questions ask for the 'minimum' resources to hit a specific SLA target, map the target directly to the architectural requirement in the SLA table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn't 99.95% sufficient for this question?
The question explicitly requires a guaranteed availability of 99.99%. The 99.95% SLA applies to Availability Sets or single-zone deployments, which do not meet the stricter requirement.
Can I achieve 99.99% SLA with just one Availability Zone?
No. To receive the 99.99% SLA for Virtual Machines, you must deploy at least two instances across two or more Availability Zones within the same region.
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