The answer is to establish an AWS Site-to-Site VPN over an AWS Direct Connect connection. This approach is correct because it combines the private, dedicated bandwidth of a Direct Connect private virtual interface with the IPsec encryption of a Site-to-Site VPN, ensuring encrypted data replication via VPN over Direct Connect without traversing the public internet. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of hybrid networking and the distinction between a private VIF (which lacks native encryption) and a public VIF or internet-based VPN. A common trap is assuming Direct Connect alone provides encryption; it does not, which is why the VPN overlay is essential for compliance with in-transit encryption requirements. Memory tip: think of Direct Connect as the private highway and the VPN as the armored truck—you need both to keep the cargo secure and off public roads.
ANS-C01 Network Design Practice Question
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network design. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 is designing a disaster recovery solution that requires replicating data from an on-premises database to an Amazon RDS instance in a different AWS region. The data transfer must be encrypted in transit and should not traverse the public internet. Which approach meets these requirements?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Establish an AWS Site-to-Site VPN over an AWS Direct Connect connection
Option B is correct because an AWS Site-to-Site VPN over an AWS Direct Connect connection provides encrypted IPsec tunnels for data in transit while keeping traffic entirely within the private network, avoiding the public internet. The Direct Connect private VIF establishes a dedicated private link to AWS, and the VPN overlay adds encryption, meeting both requirements for an on-premises to RDS cross-region replication scenario.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Use an AWS Direct Connect connection with public VIF
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect; Direct Connect with public VIF does not encrypt traffic.
✓
Establish an AWS Site-to-Site VPN over an AWS Direct Connect connection
Why this is correct
Correct; this provides encryption and uses a private connection.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Establish an AWS Site-to-Site VPN over the internet
Use VPC Peering between the on-premises network and the RDS VPC
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect; VPC Peering is not supported between on-premises and VPC.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume a Direct Connect public VIF (Option A) provides encryption because it is a private circuit, but it does not encrypt the payload; only a VPN overlay or dedicated encrypted transport (e.g., MACsec) satisfies the encryption requirement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Site-to-Site VPN over Direct Connect uses IPsec in tunnel mode with AES-256 encryption and SHA-256 hashing, encapsulated within the private VIF’s VLAN. A subtle behavior is that the VPN tunnel’s maximum transmission unit (MTU) may be reduced due to IPsec overhead, requiring path MTU discovery or MSS clamping to avoid fragmentation for database replication traffic. In a real-world scenario, this setup is often used for hybrid cloud disaster recovery where regulatory compliance mandates both private transport and encryption, such as for financial or healthcare data.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Network Design — This question tests Network Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Establish an AWS Site-to-Site VPN over an AWS Direct Connect connection — Option B is correct because an AWS Site-to-Site VPN over an AWS Direct Connect connection provides encrypted IPsec tunnels for data in transit while keeping traffic entirely within the private network, avoiding the public internet. The Direct Connect private VIF establishes a dedicated private link to AWS, and the VPN overlay adds encryption, meeting both requirements for an on-premises to RDS cross-region replication scenario.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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