Quick Answer
The answer is AWS CloudWatch, as it provides the native metrics needed to monitor Direct Connect latency and packet loss on virtual interfaces. CloudWatch exposes key metrics like VirtualInterfaceRxNoPacket and VirtualInterfaceTxNoPacket to directly track packet loss, while latency can be inferred by analyzing throughput metrics such as VirtualInterfaceBpsEgress and VirtualInterfaceBpsIngress, or by setting up custom metrics from ping-based round-trip time data. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding that CloudWatch, not Direct Connect itself, is the monitoring service for these performance indicators—a common trap is assuming Direct Connect or VPC Flow Logs handle latency metrics. Remember the mnemonic “CloudWatch Watches the Wire”: for any Direct Connect performance metric, from packet drops to latency, CloudWatch is the single pane of glass, and you can build dashboards and alarms directly from its built-in VIF metrics.
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network management and operations. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 is using AWS Direct Connect to connect its on-premises data center to AWS. The network team wants to monitor the latency and packet loss on the Direct Connect virtual interfaces. Which AWS service should be used to measure these metrics?
AWS Config
Why wrong: Config tracks resource changes, not performance.
AWS CloudWatch
CloudWatch metrics for Direct Connect include latency and packet loss.
AWS X-Ray
Why wrong: X-Ray is for application tracing.
AWS CloudTrail
Why wrong: CloudTrail logs API calls, not network performance.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS CloudWatch
AWS CloudWatch is the correct service because it provides built-in metrics for Direct Connect virtual interfaces, including 'VirtualInterfaceRxNoPacket' and 'VirtualInterfaceTxNoPacket' for packet loss, and you can derive latency by monitoring the 'VirtualInterfaceBpsEgress' and 'VirtualInterfaceBpsIngress' metrics with appropriate alarms. CloudWatch also supports custom metrics and logs that can be used to calculate round-trip time (RTT) by analyzing ping results or using AWS Direct Connect's native health checks. This allows the network team to set up dashboards and alarms for latency and packet loss directly from the Direct Connect metrics.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Config tracks resource changes, not performance.
AWS CloudWatch
Why this is correct
CloudWatch metrics for Direct Connect include latency and packet loss.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS X-Ray
Why it's wrong here
X-Ray is for application tracing.
AWS CloudTrail
Why it's wrong here
CloudTrail logs API calls, not network performance.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse AWS CloudWatch with AWS X-Ray, assuming X-Ray can measure network latency because it traces HTTP requests, but X-Ray operates at the application layer and cannot measure Layer 2 or Layer 3 packet loss or latency on a Direct Connect virtual interface.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, Direct Connect virtual interfaces expose CloudWatch metrics at one-minute intervals, and you can use the 'AWS/NetworkMonitor' namespace with the 'Probes' metric to track latency and packet loss when using the AWS Direct Connect Network Monitoring feature, which sends ICMP probes every 5 seconds. In a real-world scenario, if the company has multiple VIFs, they can create a CloudWatch dashboard combining 'VirtualInterfaceBpsEgress' and 'VirtualInterfaceBpsIngress' with a custom latency metric derived from ping RTT to isolate which VIF is experiencing degradation. This approach is critical for SLA compliance and troubleshooting asymmetric routing issues.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Network Management and Operations — This question tests Network Management and Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS CloudWatch — AWS CloudWatch is the correct service because it provides built-in metrics for Direct Connect virtual interfaces, including 'VirtualInterfaceRxNoPacket' and 'VirtualInterfaceTxNoPacket' for packet loss, and you can derive latency by monitoring the 'VirtualInterfaceBpsEgress' and 'VirtualInterfaceBpsIngress' metrics with appropriate alarms. CloudWatch also supports custom metrics and logs that can be used to calculate round-trip time (RTT) by analyzing ping results or using AWS Direct Connect's native health checks. This allows the network team to set up dashboards and alarms for latency and packet loss directly from the Direct Connect metrics.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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