- A
BGP communities
Correct. BGP communities allow AWS to assign route preference, enabling failover from Direct Connect to VPN by setting higher local preference for Direct Connect routes.
- B
Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED)
Why wrong: Incorrect. Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED) is used to influence inbound route selection from external ASes, not outbound preference between Direct Connect and VPN within the same AS.
- C
Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)
Why wrong: Incorrect. Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) provides fast link failure detection but does not influence BGP route preference or failover logic.
- D
AS_PATH prepending
Why wrong: Incorrect. AS_PATH prepending is used to make a route less preferred inbound, typically for influencing traffic from external peers, not for failover between Direct Connect and VPN.
BGP Communities for Failover
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 network engineer is designing a hybrid network with Direct Connect and VPN backup. The company has multiple VPCs connected via Transit Gateway. They want to use BGP to exchange routes. Which BGP feature should be configured to fail over from Direct Connect to VPN if the Direct Connect link goes down?
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
BGP communities
BGP communities allow AWS to tag routes from Direct Connect and VPN with different community values, enabling route preference control. By configuring the VPN routes with a lower preference (higher local preference via communities), traffic prefers Direct Connect when available. If Direct Connect fails, the VPN routes become active, providing failover. Option B (MED) influences inbound routing from external peers, not outbound preference within AWS. Option C (BFD) detects link failures faster but does not control route selection. Option D (AS_PATH prepending) is used to deprioritize routes outbound, not between Direct Connect and VPN.
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.
- ✓
BGP communities
- ✗
Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED)
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED) is used to influence inbound route selection from external ASes, not outbound preference between Direct Connect and VPN within the same AS.
- ✗
Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) provides fast link failure detection but does not influence BGP route preference or failover logic.
- ✗
AS_PATH prepending
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. AS_PATH prepending is used to make a route less preferred inbound, typically for influencing traffic from external peers, not for failover between Direct Connect and VPN.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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 ANS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ANS-C01 question test?
Network Management and Operations — This question tests Network Management and Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: BGP communities — BGP communities allow AWS to tag routes from Direct Connect and VPN with different community values, enabling route preference control. By configuring the VPN routes with a lower preference (higher local preference via communities), traffic prefers Direct Connect when available. If Direct Connect fails, the VPN routes become active, providing failover. Option B (MED) influences inbound routing from external peers, not outbound preference within AWS. Option C (BFD) detects link failures faster but does not control route selection. Option D (AS_PATH prepending) is used to deprioritize routes outbound, not between Direct Connect and VPN.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which ANS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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