Azure Compute Flashcards
What is the primary trade-off when comparing different Azure compute options?
The primary trade-off is between flexibility and how much management the user is responsible for. IaaS offers more flexibility but requires more management, while PaaS offers less flexibility but less management.
Which Azure compute service is considered Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)?
Azure Virtual Machines is considered the Infrastructure as a Service option.
What is the key characteristic that differentiates Azure Scale Sets from Availability Sets?
Scale Sets are for automatically scaling identical VMs, while Availability Sets provide high availability for unique or non-identical VMs.
Explain the purpose of a fault domain in the context of Azure Availability Sets.
A fault domain is a physical server rack with shared power and networking. Spreading VMs across fault domains protects against failures of a single server rack.
How does an update domain contribute to high availability for virtual machines?
An update domain is a group of hypervisors on the same maintenance schedule. Spreading VMs across update domains reduces the risk of multiple VMs being down simultaneously during updates.
What type of application is Azure App Service best suited for?
Azure App Service is best suited for long-running web applications.
Describe the primary characteristic and trigger for Azure Functions.
Azure Functions are short-lived, event-driven applications triggered by external events.
When would you choose Azure Container Instances over Azure Kubernetes Service for deploying containers?
You would choose Azure Container Instances for quickly and easily deploying single containers at a low cost.
What is the main use case scenario for Azure Virtual Desktops?
The main use case for Azure Virtual Desktops is secure remote work and secure handling of sensitive data in a centrally managed environment.
Why is managing virtual machines considered a higher management overhead compared to most PaaS services?
Managing virtual machines involves being responsible for the operating system, software installation, patching, and overall configuration, which requires more user effort compared to the managed nature of most PaaS services.
What are Availability Sets?
A high-availability option for unique or non-identical VMs within a single zone or datacenter, distributing VMs across update and fault domains.
What is the Azure App Service?
A Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering ideal for hosting long-running web applications.
What is Azure Container Instances (ACI)?
A PaaS offering for quickly and easily deploying single containers at a low cost.
What are Azure Functions?
A Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering designed for short-lived, event-driven applications.
What is Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?
A Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering for managing complex, high-powered containerized applications with auto-scaling and load balancing.
What are Azure Virtual Desktops?
A centrally hosted, virtualized desktop environment on Azure, suitable for secure remote work and data handling.
What is a Fault Domain?
A physical server rack with shared power and networking, used by Availability Sets to protect against hardware failures.
What is Flexibility vs. Management?
The core trade-off in Azure compute, where more flexibility typically means more user management responsibility.
What is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)?
Cloud computing model providing fundamental compute, storage, and networking resources, requiring users to manage the operating system and software.
What is Platform as a Service (PaaS)?
Cloud computing model providing a platform for developing, running, and managing applications without the complexity of building and maintaining the underlying infrastructure.
What are Scale Sets?
Automatically scaling groups of identical virtual machines (VMs) managed centrally, facilitating horizontal scaling based on load.
What is an Update Domain?
A logical grouping of hypervisors on the same update or maintenance schedule, used by Availability Sets to minimize downtime during maintenance events.
What are Virtual Machines (VMs)?
The fundamental Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) compute offering, allowing users to create and manage virtualized servers in the cloud.
