The answer is to increase the BGP hold timer to 90 seconds on both the on-premises router and the AWS side. This stabilizes the session because the hold timer defines how long a router waits without receiving a keepalive before declaring the peer dead; by raising it from the default 60 seconds to 90 seconds, you give the Direct Connect link more tolerance for transient delays or micro-bursts that cause intermittent flapping, without altering the keepalive interval. On the ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of BGP timer asymmetry and the trade-off between fast convergence and stability—a common trap is to decrease the hold timer thinking it speeds recovery, but that actually worsens flapping. Remember the memory tip: "Hold your horses, not your keepalives"—increase the hold timer to reduce sensitivity to short-lived glitches on a Direct Connect private VIF.
ANS-C01 Network Management and Operations Practice Question
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 uses AWS Direct Connect to connect its on-premises network to a VPC. The connection uses a private virtual interface (VIF) to access the VPC. The network team is monitoring the link and notices that the BGP session goes down intermittently. The team has checked the physical layer and found no issues. The BGP keepalive timer is set to 30 seconds on both sides. The network engineer suspects that the issue might be related to the BGP hold timer. What should the engineer do to stabilize the BGP session?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the BGP hold timer to 90 seconds on both the on-premises router and the AWS side.
Option A is correct because increasing the BGP hold timer allows more time to receive keepalives, reducing flapping due to transient issues. Option B is wrong because decreasing the hold timer would make the session more sensitive. Option C is wrong because a static route would bypass BGP and not provide redundancy. Option D is wrong because moving to a public VIF is unrelated to BGP stability.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Configure a static route on the on-premises router for the VPC CIDR.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Static routes do not provide dynamic failover and may cause blackholing.
✗
Decrease the BGP hold timer to 10 seconds on the on-premises router.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Decreasing the hold timer increases sensitivity and may cause more flapping.
✓
Increase the BGP hold timer to 90 seconds on both the on-premises router and the AWS side.
Why this is correct
Correct: A higher hold timer reduces the chance of BGP session flapping due to intermittent connectivity.
Change the virtual interface to a public VIF to improve BGP stability.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Public VIF is for accessing public AWS services, not private VPC.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
→Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
→Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
→Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related ANS-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
Network Management and Operations — This question tests Network Management and Operations — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the BGP hold timer to 90 seconds on both the on-premises router and the AWS side. — Option A is correct because increasing the BGP hold timer allows more time to receive keepalives, reducing flapping due to transient issues. Option B is wrong because decreasing the hold timer would make the session more sensitive. Option C is wrong because a static route would bypass BGP and not provide redundancy. Option D is wrong because moving to a public VIF is unrelated to BGP stability.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related ANS-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
What is the key concept behind this question?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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Question Discussion
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