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Question 364 of 1,705

Network Implementation →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct answer is to deploy a Network Load Balancer with a TLS listener in front of the RDS instance. This works because the NLB terminates the TLS connection from the application servers—which cannot be modified to use encryption—and then re-encrypts the traffic to the RDS instance using TLS, ensuring end-to-end encryption without any application code changes. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of TLS termination and re-encryption patterns, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly enable SSL on RDS alone, forgetting that the client must also initiate encryption. The key insight is that an NLB acts as a transparent encryption proxy, offloading the TLS handshake from the application while still enforcing encrypted transit to the database. A helpful memory tip: “NLB TLS listener = encryption without application changes—terminate, re-encrypt, and protect.”

ANS-C01 Network Implementation Practice Question

This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network implementation. 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 financial services company is migrating its on-premises data center to AWS. The company has a three-tier application that consists of web servers, application servers, and a database. The application servers must communicate with the database using a private IP address. The database is hosted on an Amazon RDS for MySQL instance in a private subnet. The application servers are in a public subnet. The company has a security requirement that all traffic between the application servers and the database must be encrypted in transit. The network engineer has created a security group for the RDS instance that allows inbound traffic on port 3306 from the security group of the application servers. The engineer has also enabled encryption at rest for the RDS instance. During a security audit, it is discovered that traffic between the application servers and the database is not encrypted. The application team confirms that the application is configured to connect to the database using standard MySQL client library without any SSL/TLS options. The network engineer must ensure that all traffic between the application servers and the database is encrypted without modifying the application code. What should the network engineer do?

Question 1hardmultiple choice

Review the full subnetting walkthrough →

A
Create an AWS Site-to-Site VPN connection between the application servers' subnet and the database subnet to encrypt all traffic.
Why wrong: VPN encrypts at the IP layer, but the application still connects without TLS; the encryption is at the network level, not end-to-end between app and DB.
B
Enable the 'require_secure_transport' parameter in the RDS parameter group and set it to ON.
Why wrong: This forces RDS to reject non-SSL connections, but the application does not use SSL, so connectivity will break.
C
Deploy a Network Load Balancer (NLB) with a TLS listener in front of the RDS instance. Configure the NLB to terminate TLS from the application servers and forward traffic to the RDS instance using TLS.
The NLB can offload TLS encryption, allowing the application to connect without modification while ensuring encryption.
D
Modify the security group for the RDS instance to only allow traffic from the application servers' security group on port 3306 with the 'tls' protocol.
Why wrong: Security groups do not enforce encryption; they only filter traffic based on IP and port.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Deploy a Network Load Balancer (NLB) with a TLS listener in front of the RDS instance. Configure the NLB to terminate TLS from the application servers and forward traffic to the RDS instance using TLS.

Option B is correct because using a Network Load Balancer (NLB) with TLS termination between the application servers and the RDS instance allows offloading the SSL/TLS encryption from the application. The NLB can be configured with a TLS listener that terminates the client's TLS connection and then re-encrypts traffic to the RDS instance using TLS. This requires the RDS instance to have SSL/TLS enabled. Option A is incorrect because the application does not support TLS, so enabling SSL on RDS alone will not encrypt traffic if the client does not request it. Option C is incorrect because a VPN connection between subnets is unnecessarily complex and still requires the application to use TLS. Option D is incorrect because creating a new security group does not enforce encryption at the transport layer.

Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.

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 an AWS Site-to-Site VPN connection between the application servers' subnet and the database subnet to encrypt all traffic.
Why it's wrong here
VPN encrypts at the IP layer, but the application still connects without TLS; the encryption is at the network level, not end-to-end between app and DB.
✗
Enable the 'require_secure_transport' parameter in the RDS parameter group and set it to ON.
Why it's wrong here
This forces RDS to reject non-SSL connections, but the application does not use SSL, so connectivity will break.
✓
Deploy a Network Load Balancer (NLB) with a TLS listener in front of the RDS instance. Configure the NLB to terminate TLS from the application servers and forward traffic to the RDS instance using TLS.
Why this is correct
The NLB can offload TLS encryption, allowing the application to connect without modification while ensuring encryption.
Related concept
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
✗
Modify the security group for the RDS instance to only allow traffic from the application servers' security group on port 3306 with the 'tls' protocol.
Why it's wrong here
Security groups do not enforce encryption; they only filter traffic based on IP and port.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses

Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.

KKey Concepts to Remember

CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.

TExam Day Tips

Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.

Key takeaway

Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related ANS-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this ANS-C01 question test?

Network Implementation — This question tests Network Implementation — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Deploy a Network Load Balancer (NLB) with a TLS listener in front of the RDS instance. Configure the NLB to terminate TLS from the application servers and forward traffic to the RDS instance using TLS. — Option B is correct because using a Network Load Balancer (NLB) with TLS termination between the application servers and the RDS instance allows offloading the SSL/TLS encryption from the application. The NLB can be configured with a TLS listener that terminates the client's TLS connection and then re-encrypts traffic to the RDS instance using TLS. This requires the RDS instance to have SSL/TLS enabled. Option A is incorrect because the application does not support TLS, so enabling SSL on RDS alone will not encrypt traffic if the client does not request it. Option C is incorrect because a VPN connection between subnets is unnecessarily complex and still requires the application to use TLS. Option D is incorrect because creating a new security group does not enforce encryption at the transport layer.

What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?

What is the key concept behind this question?

CIDR notation defines the prefix length.

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