ANS-C01 Network Management and Operations Practice Question
A company uses AWS Transit Gateway to connect multiple VPCs and on-premises networks via AWS Direct Connect. The network team notices that traffic from an on-premises data center to a VPC is intermittently dropping. CloudWatch metrics show no errors on the Direct Connect virtual interface. What is the most likely cause of the intermittent drops?
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
✓
Asymmetric routing due to missing or incorrect route propagation in Transit Gateway route tables
The most likely cause of intermittent traffic drops from on-premises to a VPC via Direct Connect and Transit Gateway is asymmetric routing due to missing or incorrect route propagation. Asymmetric routing can occur when the forward path (on-premises to VPC) is valid, but the return path (VPC to on-premises) lacks a specific route in the Transit Gateway route table. This causes packets to be dropped intermittently as route propagation changes or routing tables are updated. Option A is incorrect because latency spikes are not typical of intermittent drops, and the VPN backup path is not mentioned as active. Option B is incorrect because MTU mismatch usually causes consistent packet loss for large packets, not intermittent drops. Option C is incorrect because BGP keepalive timer mismatches would cause sustained session loss rather than intermittent drops. Therefore, option D is correct.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Latency spikes on the Direct Connect link due to AWS VPN backup path
Why it's wrong here
VPN backup is not active unless Direct Connect fails.
- ✗
MTU mismatch causing packet fragmentation for jumbo frames
Why it's wrong here
MTU mismatch typically causes constant loss for large packets, not intermittent.
- ✗
BGP keepalive timer mismatch between the on-premises router and the Direct Connect router
Why it's wrong here
BGP timer mismatch causes sustained loss, not intermittent.
- ✓
Asymmetric routing due to missing or incorrect route propagation in Transit Gateway route tables
Why this is correct
Asymmetric routing can cause intermittent drops if return traffic takes a different path.
Quick reference
Asymmetric Encryption Algorithm Comparison
| Algorithm | Key Exchange | Signatures | Equivalent Security Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSA-3072 | Yes | Yes | 128-bit | Widely deployed; slow for bulk data |
| ECDSA P-256 | No | Yes | 128-bit | Fast signatures; standard TLS certs |
| ECDH / ECDHE | Yes | No | 128-bit | Perfect forward secrecy in TLS 1.3 |
| DH / DHE | Yes | No | 128-bit (3072-bit key) | Replaced by ECDHE in modern TLS |
| Ed25519 | No | Yes | ~128-bit | SSH keys, modern PKI |
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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.