- A
Configure a VPN connection as a backup in case Direct Connect fails.
Why wrong: VPN is optional but not a required step for Direct Connect high availability.
- B
Order at least two Direct Connect connections from different providers or locations.
Multiple connections ensure redundancy if one fails.
- C
Configure BGP sessions over each Direct Connect connection.
BGP is used to exchange routing information and enable failover.
- D
Use a Direct Connect gateway to connect to multiple VPCs.
A Direct Connect gateway allows a single Direct Connect connection to reach multiple VPCs.
- E
Provision multiple virtual interfaces on a single Direct Connect connection.
Why wrong: Multiple virtual interfaces on one connection do not provide connection-level redundancy.
Question 261 of 1,705
Direct Connect High Availability: Essential Steps and Components
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network design. 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 wants to connect its on-premises network to AWS using AWS Direct Connect. The company has two data centers, each with a redundant connection to an AWS Direct Connect location. The company wants to ensure high availability and failover capability. Which THREE steps should be taken?
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
✓
Order at least two Direct Connect connections from different providers or locations.
Option B is correct because ordering at least two Direct Connect connections from different providers or locations ensures physical diversity, eliminating single points of failure. This aligns with AWS best practices for high availability, as a single connection or provider can fail due to outages or maintenance. Redundant connections from separate providers or locations provide independent failure domains.
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.
- ✗
Configure a VPN connection as a backup in case Direct Connect fails.
Why it's wrong here
VPN is optional but not a required step for Direct Connect high availability.
- ✓
Order at least two Direct Connect connections from different providers or locations.
Why this is correct
Multiple connections ensure redundancy if one fails.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Configure BGP sessions over each Direct Connect connection.
Why this is correct
BGP is used to exchange routing information and enable failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Use a Direct Connect gateway to connect to multiple VPCs.
Why this is correct
A Direct Connect gateway allows a single Direct Connect connection to reach multiple VPCs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Provision multiple virtual interfaces on a single Direct Connect connection.
Why it's wrong here
Multiple virtual interfaces on one connection do not provide connection-level redundancy.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume multiple virtual interfaces on a single connection provide redundancy, but they fail to recognize that the underlying physical link is a single point of failure, so true high availability requires physically diverse connections.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Direct Connect uses BGP to exchange routing information over virtual interfaces (VIFs). For failover, you must configure BGP with AS_PATH prepending or MED values to influence path selection, ensuring traffic fails over to the backup connection. In a real-world scenario, if both connections terminate at the same Direct Connect location, a facility-wide power outage could still cause a failure, so geographic diversity is critical.
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
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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: Order at least two Direct Connect connections from different providers or locations. — Option B is correct because ordering at least two Direct Connect connections from different providers or locations ensures physical diversity, eliminating single points of failure. This aligns with AWS best practices for high availability, as a single connection or provider can fail due to outages or maintenance. Redundant connections from separate providers or locations provide independent failure domains.
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.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on ANS-C01
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 has a Direct Connect connection with a private VIF to a VPC. They want to add redundant connectivity using a second Direct Connect connection from a different provider. They need to ensure that if the primary connection fails, traffic automatically fails over to the secondary. Which THREE components are required?
hard- A.An AWS Site-to-Site VPN as a backup
- B.A second private VIF on the same Direct Connect connection
- ✓ C.A second Direct Connect connection from a different provider
- ✓ D.A Direct Connect Gateway
- ✓ E.BGP sessions on both connections advertising the same prefixes
Why C: Option C is correct because the requirement specifies redundant connectivity using a second Direct Connect connection from a different provider. This ensures diverse physical paths and provider independence, which is essential for true high availability. A single provider or connection cannot provide the required fault isolation.
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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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