- A
Verify that the internet gateway is attached to the VPC
Why wrong: Internet gateway is not used for VPN traffic.
- B
Verify that the VPC route table has a route to the on-premises network via the virtual private gateway
Without this route, traffic from VPC to on-premises is dropped.
- C
Verify that the security group for the instances allows outbound ICMP
Why wrong: Security groups are stateful and allow outbound traffic by default.
- D
Verify that the VPN tunnel is up on both ends
Why wrong: The tunnel is already UP.
Question 732 of 1,705
VPN Tunnel UP but No Connectivity? Fix Missing VPC Route to Virtual Private Gateway
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network implementation. 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 has an AWS Site-to-Site VPN connection between their on-premises network and a VPC. The VPN tunnel status shows 'UP'. However, instances in the VPC cannot ping an on-premises server at 192.168.1.10. Which step should be taken to troubleshoot?
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
✓
Verify that the VPC route table has a route to the on-premises network via the virtual private gateway
Option B is correct because even though the VPN tunnel is 'UP', traffic from the VPC to the on-premises network must be routed through the virtual private gateway (VGW). If the VPC route table does not contain a route for the on-premises CIDR (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24) pointing to the VGW, the instances have no path to reach the on-premises server, regardless of tunnel status.
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.
- ✗
Verify that the internet gateway is attached to the VPC
- ✓
Verify that the VPC route table has a route to the on-premises network via the virtual private gateway
Why this is correct
Without this route, traffic from VPC to on-premises is dropped.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Verify that the security group for the instances allows outbound ICMP
Why it's wrong here
Security groups are stateful and allow outbound traffic by default.
- ✗
Verify that the VPN tunnel is up on both ends
Why it's wrong here
The tunnel is already UP.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates see 'VPN tunnel status UP' and assume connectivity is fully functional, overlooking the critical requirement of a VPC route pointing to the virtual private gateway for traffic to traverse the tunnel.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the VPC route table must have a static route for the on-premises CIDR (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24) with a target of the virtual private gateway (vgw-xxxx). Even if the VPN tunnel is established, the VPC's subnet router will drop packets destined for 192.168.1.10 if no such route exists. In real-world scenarios, this is often overlooked when the on-premises network uses a non-standard subnet or when route propagation from the VGW is not enabled or accepted.
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.
Visual reference
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 Implementation — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Network Implementation practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All ANS-C01 questions
1,705 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
ANS-C01 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related ANS-C01 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Network Management and Operations practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Management and Operations.
Network Security, Compliance and Governance practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Security, Compliance and Governance.
Network Design practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Design.
Network Implementation practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to Network Implementation.
ANS-C01 fundamentals practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to ANS-C01 fundamentals.
ANS-C01 scenario practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to ANS-C01 scenario.
ANS-C01 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise ANS-C01 questions linked to ANS-C01 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free ANS-C01 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ANS-C01 question test?
Network Implementation — This question tests Network Implementation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Verify that the VPC route table has a route to the on-premises network via the virtual private gateway — Option B is correct because even though the VPN tunnel is 'UP', traffic from the VPC to the on-premises network must be routed through the virtual private gateway (VGW). If the VPC route table does not contain a route for the on-premises CIDR (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24) pointing to the VGW, the instances have no path to reach the on-premises server, regardless of tunnel status.
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 set up a site-to-site VPN connection between its on-premises network and AWS. The tunnel status shows 'UP' on both sides, but traffic from on-premises cannot reach EC2 instances in the VPC. What is the most likely cause?
medium- A.The pre-shared keys are mismatched.
- ✓ B.The VPC route tables do not have a route pointing to the virtual private gateway for the on-premises CIDR.
- C.The VPN tunnel has been idle for too long and needs to be re-initiated.
- D.The security group associated with the EC2 instances does not allow inbound traffic from the VPN gateway.
Why B: Option B is correct because the most likely cause is that the VPC route tables lack a route pointing to the virtual private gateway (VGW) for the on-premises CIDR. Even though the VPN tunnel is UP (indicating Phase 1 and Phase 2 IPsec SAs are established), traffic from on-premises cannot reach EC2 instances if the VPC does not know how to forward return traffic back through the VGW. Without this route, the VPC drops inbound packets or sends them to the internet gateway instead of the VPN tunnel.
Keep practising
More ANS-C01 practice questions
- A financial services company has a VPC with a public subnet and a private subnet. EC2 instances in the private subnet ne…
- A company is designing a network security architecture for a multi-account environment using AWS Transit Gateway. The se…
- A company is using AWS Direct Connect to connect its on-premises network to AWS. The company wants to encrypt all traffi…
- A company uses AWS Transit Gateway to connect multiple VPCs and on-premises networks via AWS Site-to-Site VPN. The secur…
- A company runs a web application on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The application must be acc…
- A global e-commerce company uses a hub-and-spoke network topology with a transit VPC in us-east-1. Each spoke VPC has an…
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.