This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network implementation. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 implementing a hybrid network using AWS Direct Connect and VPN backup. The company has two Direct Connect connections from different providers and a site-to-site VPN as a backup. The company wants to ensure that traffic is always routed through the Direct Connect connections when they are healthy, and only fails over to the VPN if both Direct Connect connections fail. Which BGP configuration should be used on the customer gateway device (CGW) to achieve this?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "always"
Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Set a lower BGP Local Preference value for routes received from the VPN connection.
Option A is correct because setting a lower Local Preference on the VPN routes makes them less preferred than Direct Connect routes. Option B is wrong because MED is used to influence inbound traffic. Option C is wrong because AS_PATH prepending would affect all traffic, including Direct Connect. Option D is wrong because community tags are not used for route preference directly.
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
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Set a lower BGP Local Preference value for routes received from the VPN connection.
Why this is correct
Lower Local Preference makes the VPN routes less preferred, so Direct Connect routes are used when available.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "always" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Apply a BGP community tag to routes received over the VPN to signal less preference.
Why it's wrong here
Community tags require additional policy configuration and are not directly used for route preference.
✗
Set a higher BGP Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED) value for routes advertised over the VPN.
Why it's wrong here
MED influences inbound traffic from on-premises to AWS, not outbound preference.
✗
Prepend AS_PATH on routes advertised over the Direct Connect connections.
Why it's wrong here
This would make Direct Connect routes less preferred, which is opposite of the goal.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
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
How to think about this question
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.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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
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.
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.
Network Implementation — This question tests Network Implementation — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set a lower BGP Local Preference value for routes received from the VPN connection. — Option A is correct because setting a lower Local Preference on the VPN routes makes them less preferred than Direct Connect routes. Option B is wrong because MED is used to influence inbound traffic. Option C is wrong because AS_PATH prepending would affect all traffic, including Direct Connect. Option D is wrong because community tags are not used for route preference directly.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "always". Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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