The answer is to advertise more specific prefixes over the VPN than over Direct Connect. This works because BGP selects the most specific route (longest prefix match) first, so a /24 advertised over the VPN will be preferred over a /16 from Direct Connect for that subnet, while the Direct Connect path handles all other traffic. However, the key to automatic failover lies in BGP communities: by tagging Direct Connect routes with community 7224:7100, you lower their local preference on the AWS side, making the VPN path the active backup only when Direct Connect fails. On the ANS-C01 exam, this tests your understanding of BGP path selection combined with community-based traffic engineering for hybrid network resilience. A common trap is assuming AS path prepending alone is sufficient, but communities provide finer control. Memory tip: think “Specificity wins, but communities decide the backup” — the VPN’s more specific prefix ensures it takes over for critical subnets, while the community tag ensures Direct Connect is the primary path for everything else.
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 network engineer is designing a hybrid network with AWS Direct Connect and VPN backup. The goal is to maximize availability and ensure automatic failover. Which THREE steps should be taken? (Choose three.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure BGP community tags to influence route preference
Option C is correct because BGP community tags allow you to influence route preference on the AWS side by tagging routes from Direct Connect with a community that reduces their local preference (e.g., 7224:7100 for lower preference) or from VPN with a community that increases preference. This enables automatic failover by ensuring Direct Connect routes are preferred over VPN routes when both are available, and VPN routes take over when Direct Connect fails.
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.
✗
Set VPN BGP hold timer to a higher value than Direct Connect
Why it's wrong here
Higher hold timer would delay failover; shorter is better.
✗
Enable BGP as-prepending on the Direct Connect virtual interface
Why it's wrong here
as-prepending makes routes less preferred, but communities are more flexible.
✓
Configure BGP community tags to influence route preference
Why this is correct
BGP communities can be used to lower the preference of Direct Connect routes for faster failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Use the same BGP ASN for both Direct Connect connections
Why this is correct
Same ASN is required for redundant Direct Connect connections.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Advertise more specific prefixes over the VPN than over Direct Connect
Why this is correct
More specific prefixes are preferred, so VPN takes over when Direct Connect fails.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
AWS often tests the misconception that AS path prepending or hold timer adjustments are the primary methods for failover in hybrid Direct Connect/VPN designs, but AWS relies on BGP community tags and local preference to control route selection, making those other options ineffective or counterproductive.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
BGP community tags in AWS Direct Connect allow you to tag routes with specific values (e.g., 7224:7100 for lower preference, 7224:7200 for higher preference) to control which path is preferred. When combined with VPN backup, you can tag Direct Connect routes with a community that sets a higher local preference (e.g., 7224:7300) to ensure they are preferred, and VPN routes with a lower preference (e.g., 7224:7100) for backup. This mechanism works because AWS BGP routers evaluate local preference before other attributes, enabling deterministic failover without relying on AS path manipulation.
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 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: Configure BGP community tags to influence route preference — Option C is correct because BGP community tags allow you to influence route preference on the AWS side by tagging routes from Direct Connect with a community that reduces their local preference (e.g., 7224:7100 for lower preference) or from VPN with a community that increases preference. This enables automatic failover by ensuring Direct Connect routes are preferred over VPN routes when both are available, and VPN routes take over when Direct Connect fails.
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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Question Discussion
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