Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies (AZ-300) Practice Exam

Which action is an example of scaling up?

1. Adding more web servers into a web farm

2. Updating a virtual machine to a larger size

3. Adding additional databases

4. Integrating a new queuing service

The correct answer is: Updating a virtual machine to a larger size

Scaling up, often referred to as vertical scaling, involves increasing the resources of a single instance to improve its performance. In the context of the question, updating a virtual machine to a larger size exemplifies this concept well. When you scale up a virtual machine, you increase its CPU, RAM, or disk space capacity, allowing it to handle more workloads or run resource-intensive applications more efficiently. In contrast, adding more web servers to a web farm represents scaling out, which involves distributing the load across multiple instances rather than enhancing a single instance's capabilities. Similarly, adding databases and integrating new queuing services are also examples of enhancing the overall architecture rather than boosting the capabilities of an individual component. These actions are usually indicative of scaling out or adding more resources to handle increased demand rather than enhancing the performance of a single resource.