Direct Connect High Availability: Two Connections from Different Providers
A company uses AWS Direct Connect with multiple virtual interfaces (VIFs) to connect to multiple VPCs. The network team wants to ensure high availability and failover. Which configuration provides the best resiliency?
Quick Answer
The answer is to provision two Direct Connect connections from different providers and configure BGP. This configuration provides the best resiliency because it ensures true physical path diversity; if one connection or provider fails, the other independent link can handle all traffic, eliminating any single point of failure. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding that Direct Connect high availability design requires redundant physical links, not just redundant virtual interfaces or software configurations. A common trap is assuming multiple VIFs on a single connection offer failover, but they all share the same physical cable. Another trap is relying on a VPN backup over the same internet connection, which lacks true diversity. For the exam, remember the memory tip: “Two pipes, two providers, BGP for the win” — physical diversity is the foundation of high availability, and BGP enables automatic failover between those diverse paths.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Provision two Direct Connect connections from different providers and configure BGP
Using two separate Direct Connect connections from different providers provides path diversity and eliminates single points of failure. If one connection fails, BGP will route traffic through the other connection. Option B is wrong because a single Direct Connect connection with a VPN backup still shares the same physical infrastructure and the internet backup may not provide the same SLA. Option C is wrong because multiple AS paths on the same connection do not provide physical redundancy; they only affect route selection. Option D is wrong because multiple private VIFs on a single connection still depend on that single physical link.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Provision two Direct Connect connections from different providers and configure BGP
Why this is correct
Two separate connections from different providers provide physical diversity and high availability.
- ✗
Use a single Direct Connect connection with a VPN backup over the internet
Why it's wrong here
VPN over internet may have variable performance and still relies on the internet connection.
- ✗
Configure BGP with multiple AS paths on the same Direct Connect connection
Why it's wrong here
BGP path manipulation does not provide physical redundancy.
- ✗
Create multiple private VIFs on a single Direct Connect connection
Why it's wrong here
Multiple VIFs on one connection share the same physical link, creating a single point of failure.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on ANS-C01
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is designing a multi-region network with Direct Connect. They have two Direct Connect connections in each region. They want to achieve the HIGHEST availability and lowest latency for cross-region traffic. Which THREE design elements should they include?
hard- ✓ A.Configure BGP ASN prepending to influence path selection
- ✓ B.Use different Direct Connect providers in each region
- ✓ C.Use different Direct Connect locations within each region
- D.Use multiple virtual interfaces per Direct Connect connection
- E.Use the same BGP ASN for all Direct Connect connections
Why A: Options A, B, and C are correct. Using different Direct Connect providers in each region avoids a single point of failure and enhances availability. Using different Direct Connect locations within each region provides physical diversity, further increasing resilience. ASN prepending allows you to influence BGP path selection, enabling you to choose lower-latency paths for cross-region traffic. Option D is incorrect because multiple virtual interfaces per connection are not necessary for the highest availability; they would still share the same underlying physical connection. Option E is incorrect because using the same BGP ASN for all connections can cause routing issues and does not improve availability or latency.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.