The answer is to connect to multiple AWS Direct Connect routers in the same location, but this is only one of three best practices; the full set includes using multiple connections across different Direct Connect locations for geographic redundancy. This is correct because a single connection to one location creates a single point of failure; by establishing connections to at least two separate Direct Connect locations, you ensure that if an entire AWS Direct Connect facility goes down, traffic can automatically fail over to the other location via BGP routing. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this concept tests your understanding of resilient hybrid networking design, often appearing in scenario-based questions where a trap answer suggests using multiple connections within the same location only. A common memory tip is to think "two locations, two routers, two connections" — never rely on a single Direct Connect location for high availability.
ANS-C01 Network Management and Operations Practice Question
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.
Which THREE are best practices for designing a highly available AWS Direct Connect connection? (Choose 3.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use multiple Direct Connect connections to different AWS Direct Connect locations
Option B is correct because using multiple Direct Connect connections to different AWS Direct Connect locations provides geographic redundancy. If one location experiences an outage, traffic can fail over to the other location, ensuring high availability. This aligns with AWS best practices for resilient hybrid networking.
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.
✗
Use a single Direct Connect connection with redundant virtual interfaces
Why it's wrong here
Single connection is a single point of failure.
✓
Use multiple Direct Connect connections to different AWS Direct Connect locations
Why this is correct
Diverse locations provide geographical redundancy.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Configure BGP with graceful restart and fast failover timers
Why this is correct
Speeds up convergence.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Connect to multiple AWS Direct Connect routers in the same location
Why this is correct
Device-level redundancy.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a single large Direct Connect connection instead of multiple smaller ones
Why it's wrong here
Lack of diversity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
AWS often tests the misconception that redundant virtual interfaces on a single physical connection provide high availability, but the physical link itself remains a single point of failure.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
BGP graceful restart allows the router to preserve forwarding state during a control plane restart, reducing traffic loss. Fast failover timers (e.g., BGP hold timer of 3 seconds with a keepalive of 1 second) enable rapid detection of link failures, which is critical for meeting recovery time objectives (RTOs). In a real-world scenario, combining multiple connections with BGP AS_PATH prepending and local preference tuning can control traffic flow during failover.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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: Use multiple Direct Connect connections to different AWS Direct Connect locations — Option B is correct because using multiple Direct Connect connections to different AWS Direct Connect locations provides geographic redundancy. If one location experiences an outage, traffic can fail over to the other location, ensuring high availability. This aligns with AWS best practices for resilient hybrid networking.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is designing a highly available Direct Connect connection. Which THREE components should be deployed to meet this requirement? (Select THREE.)
medium
A.A single BGP session over one of the virtual interfaces.
✓ B.Two Direct Connect connections to two different AWS Direct Connect locations.
C.A VPN connection as a backup to Direct Connect.
✓ D.Two customer routers (or one router with two physical interfaces) connecting to the two Direct Connect connections.
✓ E.Two virtual interfaces (VIFs) configured on the Direct Connect connections.
Why B: For high availability, you need at least two Direct Connect connections (preferably to different AWS locations), two customer routers (or one router with two interfaces), and two virtual interfaces (VIFs) to provide redundancy. Using BGP with multiple sessions ensures automatic failover.
Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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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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