Several worker VMs in a Standard Load Balancer backend pool must reach external APIs through a shared public address. The operations team also wants to control how many SNAT ports each instance receives so that egress capacity is predictable. Which configuration provides this?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
Outbound rules on a Standard Load Balancer tie backend pool members to frontend IPs for SNAT, and they let you set the allocated outbound ports per instance. That gives predictable egress capacity. Inbound NAT pools handle incoming connections, floating IP changes how inbound packets are addressed, and HA ports rules concern inbound distribution across all ports.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Inbound NAT pool entries forward incoming connections on specific frontend ports to backend instances. They do not manage the outgoing SNAT allocations for backend VMs.
- C. A floating IP exposes the frontend address to the backend for certain high-availability and direct server return designs. It does not define how backend members share an address for egress traffic.
- D. HA ports rules balance inbound flows across all ports for a backend pool. They do not give the team control over outbound port allocation for SNAT.