Quick Answer
The correct tools are iperf and traceroute. Iperf directly measures network throughput between two endpoints by generating controlled TCP or UDP traffic, allowing you to see the maximum achievable bandwidth and identify bottlenecks. Traceroute complements this by revealing the exact path packets take across the network and displaying per-hop latency, which helps pinpoint where delays or packet loss occur between EC2 instances in different Availability Zones. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between diagnostic tools: iperf is for throughput, traceroute for path and latency, while common traps include confusing ping (which measures round-trip time, not throughput) or tcpdump (a packet capture tool, not a throughput measurer). A useful memory tip is that iperf is for “performance” and traceroute is for “route,” so when you need to measure network throughput between EC2 instances, think “iperf for bandwidth, traceroute for the road.”
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network management and operations. 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 troubleshooting a slow network connection between two EC2 instances in the same VPC but different Availability Zones. Which TWO tools can be used to measure throughput and diagnose performance issues?
iperf
iperf measures network throughput.
tcpdump
Why wrong: tcpdump captures packets, does not measure throughput.
traceroute
traceroute shows path and hop latency, useful for diagnosis.
nslookup
Why wrong: nslookup resolves DNS names, not throughput.
ping
Why wrong: ping measures latency, not throughput.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
iperf
Option A and Option D are correct. iperf measures network throughput, and traceroute shows the path and latency. Option B is wrong because nslookup does not measure throughput. Option C is wrong because tcpdump captures packets but does not measure throughput. Option E is wrong because ping measures latency but not throughput.
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.
iperf
Why this is correct
iperf measures network throughput.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
tcpdump
Why it's wrong here
tcpdump captures packets, does not measure throughput.
traceroute
Why this is correct
traceroute shows path and hop latency, useful for diagnosis.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
nslookup
Why it's wrong here
nslookup resolves DNS names, not throughput.
ping
Why it's wrong here
ping measures latency, not throughput.
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: iperf — Option A and Option D are correct. iperf measures network throughput, and traceroute shows the path and latency. Option B is wrong because nslookup does not measure throughput. Option C is wrong because tcpdump captures packets but does not measure throughput. Option E is wrong because ping measures latency but not throughput.
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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