- A
Create a VPN connection over the Direct Connect and use BGP with different metrics.
Why wrong: This is unnecessary and adds complexity.
- B
Create two separate route tables and associate each with half the subnets.
Why wrong: This would not load balance traffic; each subnet would use only one connection.
- C
Use AWS Transit Gateway with equal cost multipath routing.
Why wrong: Transit Gateway does not change ECMP behavior; Direct Connect still installs routes in the VPC route table.
- D
Allow BGP to install both routes; AWS will automatically load balance across them using ECMP.
When identical routes are learned from two Direct Connect connections, AWS uses ECMP.
Question 1,126 of 1,705
ANS-C01 Network Design Practice Question
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network design. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 has a VPC with a CIDR of 10.0.0.0/16 and needs to connect to two on-premises locations via AWS Direct Connect. Each Direct Connect connection uses a private VIF. The company wants to use BGP to exchange routes. The on-premises routers advertise the same prefix 10.0.0.0/8 for both connections. How should the network engineer configure the VPC route tables to ensure traffic is load balanced across both Direct Connect connections?
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
✓
Allow BGP to install both routes; AWS will automatically load balance across them using ECMP.
Option D is correct because AWS Direct Connect private VIFs support BGP route exchange, and when two separate connections advertise the same prefix (10.0.0.0/8), BGP installs both routes in the VPC route table. AWS automatically performs Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) routing across the two Direct Connect connections, load-balancing traffic without additional configuration. This behavior is inherent to how AWS handles multiple BGP-learned routes with identical prefixes and metrics.
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.
- ✗
Create a VPN connection over the Direct Connect and use BGP with different metrics.
Why it's wrong here
This is unnecessary and adds complexity.
- ✗
Create two separate route tables and associate each with half the subnets.
Why it's wrong here
This would not load balance traffic; each subnet would use only one connection.
- ✗
Use AWS Transit Gateway with equal cost multipath routing.
Why it's wrong here
Transit Gateway does not change ECMP behavior; Direct Connect still installs routes in the VPC route table.
- ✓
Allow BGP to install both routes; AWS will automatically load balance across them using ECMP.
Why this is correct
When identical routes are learned from two Direct Connect connections, AWS uses ECMP.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume AWS requires Transit Gateway or VPN overlay to achieve load balancing, but AWS natively supports ECMP across multiple Direct Connect private VIFs attached to the same VPC, as long as the BGP-advertised prefixes are identical and the routes are installed in the same route table.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, AWS uses BGP multipath (ECMP) when multiple BGP sessions advertise the same prefix with equal AS-path length and local preference. The VPC route table automatically installs both routes as active, and the underlying hypervisor performs flow-based hashing (e.g., using source/destination IP, protocol, and port) to distribute traffic across the two Direct Connect connections. In a real-world scenario, if one connection fails, BGP withdraws the route, and traffic seamlessly shifts to the remaining connection without manual intervention.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Visual reference
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: Allow BGP to install both routes; AWS will automatically load balance across them using ECMP. — Option D is correct because AWS Direct Connect private VIFs support BGP route exchange, and when two separate connections advertise the same prefix (10.0.0.0/8), BGP installs both routes in the VPC route table. AWS automatically performs Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) routing across the two Direct Connect connections, load-balancing traffic without additional configuration. This behavior is inherent to how AWS handles multiple BGP-learned routes with identical prefixes and metrics.
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: Jul 4, 2026
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