- A
Advertise a more specific prefix over Direct Connect and a less specific prefix over VPN, and set a higher MED value on the VPN routes.
BGP prefers more specific prefixes. Higher MED on VPN makes Direct Connect routes preferred when both are available.
- B
Advertise the same prefix over both connections but prepend AS_PATH multiple times on the Direct Connect routes.
Why wrong: Longer AS_PATH makes a route less preferred, so this would prefer VPN over Direct Connect.
- C
Set a higher BGP weight on the VPN routes.
Why wrong: Higher weight makes a route more preferred, so this would prefer VPN.
- D
Set a lower BGP local preference on the Direct Connect routes.
Why wrong: Lower local preference makes a route less preferred, so this would prefer VPN.
Question 292 of 1,705
ANS-C01 Network Design Practice Question
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network design. 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 runs a critical application on Amazon EC2 instances in a VPC. The application receives data from an on-premises data center over an AWS Direct Connect connection. The company wants to add redundant connectivity using a VPN connection over the internet. They need to ensure that traffic from on-premises to AWS uses the Direct Connect connection when it is healthy, and only fails over to the VPN if Direct Connect fails. Which configuration achieves this?
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
✓
Advertise a more specific prefix over Direct Connect and a less specific prefix over VPN, and set a higher MED value on the VPN routes.
Option A is correct because advertising a more specific prefix (e.g., /24) over Direct Connect and a less specific prefix (e.g., /20) over VPN, combined with a higher MED value on the VPN routes, ensures that the Direct Connect path is preferred when healthy. BGP selects the most specific prefix first, and if prefixes are identical, lower MED is preferred; here, the more specific prefix over Direct Connect wins, and the higher MED on VPN acts as a tie-breaker for any overlapping less specific routes, guaranteeing failover only when Direct Connect is unavailable.
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.
- ✓
Advertise a more specific prefix over Direct Connect and a less specific prefix over VPN, and set a higher MED value on the VPN routes.
- ✗
Advertise the same prefix over both connections but prepend AS_PATH multiple times on the Direct Connect routes.
Why it's wrong here
Longer AS_PATH makes a route less preferred, so this would prefer VPN over Direct Connect.
- ✗
Set a higher BGP weight on the VPN routes.
Why it's wrong here
Higher weight makes a route more preferred, so this would prefer VPN.
- ✗
Set a lower BGP local preference on the Direct Connect routes.
Why it's wrong here
Lower local preference makes a route less preferred, so this would prefer VPN.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The ANS-C01 exam often tests the misconception that AS_PATH prepending or local preference adjustments alone can force primary path selection, but the trap here is that candidates overlook the critical role of prefix specificity in BGP path selection, which takes precedence over MED, AS_PATH, and local preference when prefixes differ.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
BGP path selection uses multiple attributes in a specific order: highest weight, highest local preference, locally originated routes, shortest AS_PATH, lowest origin type, lowest MED, and then path selection via eBGP over iBGP. In this scenario, prefix specificity is evaluated before MED; by advertising a more specific prefix over Direct Connect, BGP inherently prefers that path regardless of other attributes. The higher MED on VPN routes only matters if prefixes are identical, providing a safety net. In real-world deployments, this technique is often combined with BFD (Bidirectional Forwarding Detection) on the Direct Connect link to detect failures faster than BGP keepalives, ensuring sub-second failover to the VPN.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ANS-C01 question test?
Network Design — This question tests Network Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Advertise a more specific prefix over Direct Connect and a less specific prefix over VPN, and set a higher MED value on the VPN routes. — Option A is correct because advertising a more specific prefix (e.g., /24) over Direct Connect and a less specific prefix (e.g., /20) over VPN, combined with a higher MED value on the VPN routes, ensures that the Direct Connect path is preferred when healthy. BGP selects the most specific prefix first, and if prefixes are identical, lower MED is preferred; here, the more specific prefix over Direct Connect wins, and the higher MED on VPN acts as a tie-breaker for any overlapping less specific routes, guaranteeing failover only when Direct Connect is unavailable.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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