- A
Set a higher BGP local preference on the VPN connection.
Why wrong: Higher local preference is more preferred, which would prefer VPN over Direct Connect.
- B
Prepend AS path on the VPN connection to make it less preferred.
Longer AS path is less preferred, so Direct Connect will be chosen.
- C
Use the same BGP attributes for both connections and let ECMP handle load balancing.
Why wrong: ECMP would load share, not provide active/backup.
- D
Set a higher Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED) on the Direct Connect connection.
Why wrong: Higher MED is less preferred, which would make Direct Connect less preferred.
Question 176 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 is designing a hybrid network using AWS Direct Connect and AWS Site-to-Site VPN as backup. They want to ensure that traffic from on-premises to AWS uses Direct Connect when available and fails over to VPN automatically. Which BGP configuration should be used?
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
✓
Prepend AS path on the VPN connection to make it less preferred.
Option B is correct because prepending the AS path on the VPN connection increases the AS path length, making the VPN route less preferred compared to the Direct Connect route. BGP selects the path with the shortest AS path length by default, so the Direct Connect path will be chosen as the primary path. When Direct Connect fails, the VPN route becomes the only available path and traffic automatically fails over.
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 a higher BGP local preference on the VPN connection.
Why it's wrong here
Higher local preference is more preferred, which would prefer VPN over Direct Connect.
- ✓
Prepend AS path on the VPN connection to make it less preferred.
Why this is correct
Longer AS path is less preferred, so Direct Connect will be chosen.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use the same BGP attributes for both connections and let ECMP handle load balancing.
Why it's wrong here
ECMP would load share, not provide active/backup.
- ✗
Set a higher Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED) on the Direct Connect connection.
Why it's wrong here
Higher MED is less preferred, which would make Direct Connect less preferred.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
AWS often tests the misconception that MED is used to influence inbound traffic preference from a single AS, but here the trap is that candidates confuse MED (which is compared only for paths from the same neighboring AS) with AS path prepending, which works across different AS paths and is the correct method for this failover design.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AS path prepending works by adding repeated copies of the local AS number to the BGP AS_PATH attribute, artificially inflating the path length. BGP's path selection algorithm compares AS path length before MED or local preference (after weight and local preference), making prepending a reliable method to deprioritize a backup path. In a real-world scenario, you might prepend multiple times (e.g., 'set as-path prepend 3') to ensure the VPN path is never selected unless Direct Connect is completely down.
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: Prepend AS path on the VPN connection to make it less preferred. — Option B is correct because prepending the AS path on the VPN connection increases the AS path length, making the VPN route less preferred compared to the Direct Connect route. BGP selects the path with the shortest AS path length by default, so the Direct Connect path will be chosen as the primary path. When Direct Connect fails, the VPN route becomes the only available path and traffic automatically fails over.
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: Jun 30, 2026
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