AZ-305 Question 116
Single answerContoso runs several business-critical Windows and Linux VMs on Azure that host transactional databases and a custom web application. They require a backup strategy with minimal administrative overhead, daily restore points, and a 90-day retention policy. Azure-native features must be used to ensure application-consistent backups, especially for the databases. Which solution should you recommend?
- A
Configure custom scripts on each VM to copy data to an Azure Storage account on a daily schedule.
- B
Use Azure Backup with a Recovery Services vault to handle VM-level backups and enable application consistency.
- C
Enable Azure Site Recovery to replicate the VMs continuously to a secondary region for failover.
- D
Create custom VM images in Azure on a weekly basis and store them in a Shared Image Gallery for versioning.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Azure Backup with a Recovery Services vault is the most appropriate solution for daily backups and 90-day retention with minimal overhead. It supports application-consistent backups for both Windows and Linux VMs, which is crucial for protecting transactional databases. Azure Site Recovery (ASR) serves a different purpose (disaster recovery), and ad hoc solutions like scripting file copies or custom images do not meet enterprise-level backup requirements. For more details, refer to Microsoft Docs on Azure Backup (https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/backup).
- A. Incorrect.
Option 1 (Incorrect): While scripting data copies to Azure Storage can work as a simple backup, it introduces significant administrative overhead. It also may not guarantee application-consistent backups for databases unless you handle quiescing within the scripts.
- B. Correct.
Option 2 (Correct): Azure Backup with a Recovery Services vault is designed for VM-level backups, providing daily restore points, long-term retention, and application-consistent backups (including for databases). It also integrates natively with Azure workloads, minimizing administration.
- C. Incorrect.
Option 3 (Incorrect): Azure Site Recovery (ASR) is primarily a disaster recovery solution for replicating VMs to another region. Although it helps ensure business continuity, it does not itself provide the granular backup and retention policy needed for daily backups and 90-day retention.
- D. Incorrect.
Option 4 (Incorrect): Creating custom images in a Shared Image Gallery is more suitable for deploying standardized VM instances rather than performing regular backups. Images do not inherently provide the required retention or the application-consistent backup capabilities.