Quick Answer
The answer is to use different customer gateway devices and different Direct Connect locations for the highest availability. This configuration provides physical diversity at both the device and facility level, eliminating any single point of failure in the network path. By terminating the redundant Direct Connect connections at separate AWS Direct Connect locations and using distinct customer gateways, you ensure that a hardware failure or a location outage cannot disrupt both connections simultaneously. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of high-availability design principles for hybrid networking, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly assume that simply adding a second connection at the same location is sufficient. A common memory tip is "two different devices, two different places" — think of it as ensuring both the hardware and the physical site are fully independent to achieve true redundancy for Direct Connect.
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network management and operations. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company has a Direct Connect connection with a private VIF to a VPC. They want to add a second Direct Connect connection for redundancy. The two connections will terminate on different AWS Direct Connect locations. Which configuration will provide the HIGHEST availability?
Use the same customer gateway device for both connections
Why wrong: Single point of failure.
Use the same Direct Connect location for both connections
Why wrong: No location diversity.
Use the same BGP ASN for both connections
Why wrong: ASN same is fine, but not the key factor.
Use different customer gateway devices and different Direct Connect locations
Physical diversity.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Use different customer gateway devices and different Direct Connect locations
Option C is correct because using two different devices and different locations provides physical diversity, increasing availability. Option A is incorrect because using the same device introduces a single point of failure. Option B is incorrect because using the same location reduces diversity. Option D is incorrect because using the same ASN can cause issues but is not the primary concern.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Use the same customer gateway device for both connections
Why it's wrong here
Single point of failure.
Use the same Direct Connect location for both connections
Why it's wrong here
No location diversity.
Use the same BGP ASN for both connections
Why it's wrong here
ASN same is fine, but not the key factor.
Use different customer gateway devices and different Direct Connect locations
Why this is correct
Physical diversity.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Common exam traps
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related ANS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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FAQ
Network Management and Operations — This question tests Network Management and Operations — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: Use different customer gateway devices and different Direct Connect locations — Option C is correct because using two different devices and different locations provides physical diversity, increasing availability. Option A is incorrect because using the same device introduces a single point of failure. Option B is incorrect because using the same location reduces diversity. Option D is incorrect because using the same ASN can cause issues but is not the primary concern.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related ANS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This ANS-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the ANS-C01 exam.
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