Question 1hardmulti select
Full question →hardmulti selectObjective-mapped
A partner integration sends a custom binary TCP protocol to a service running on EC2 instances in private subnets. The partners require static endpoint IPs for allowlisting, and the application must see the original client source IP for rate limiting. Which two changes best fit the protocol and network requirements? Select two.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
Replace the Application Load Balancer with a Network Load Balancer.
A Network Load Balancer is the right choice for TCP traffic and low-latency forwarding at layer 4. It also supports static IP behavior that is important for partner allowlisting. This directly matches the custom binary protocol and source-IP requirement.
B
Best answer
Use a TCP listener on the load balancer instead of an HTTP or HTTPS listener.
A TCP listener avoids HTTP parsing and preserves the protocol as raw TCP, which is required for a custom binary service. It keeps the load balancer aligned with the application protocol rather than forcing a web-oriented layer 7 design. That is the correct protocol-level fit here.
C
Distractor review
Put the service behind API Gateway REST API and use Lambda integration.
API Gateway is designed for API requests, not arbitrary custom binary TCP sessions. It would not preserve the required protocol semantics or satisfy the static allowlisting requirement for this use case. It is the wrong abstraction for raw TCP traffic.
D
Distractor review
Use CloudFront to cache the binary packets at edge locations.
CloudFront is optimized for HTTP and HTTPS content delivery and caching, not for arbitrary TCP application protocols. It does not solve static IP allowlisting or source-IP preservation for a custom binary service. Caching is irrelevant to the described workload.
E
Distractor review
Terminate the traffic with an Amazon RDS proxy to stabilize the connections.
RDS Proxy is for database connection management, not for fronting a TCP application service. It has no role in preserving source IP for a custom binary protocol or in providing allowlisted endpoint addresses. This is a mismatch to the workload.
Common exam trap
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.
Technical deep dive
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.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A team needs to distribute TCP traffic (not HTTP) across multiple services. The services must see the original client source IP for auditing. Which AWS load balancer is the best fit?
Question 2
A team wants to run containerized services with AWS-managed orchestration and autoscaling. They do NOT require Kubernetes compatibility. Which AWS service choice is most appropriate to meet these goals?
Question 3
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a IoT ingestion API. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
Question 4
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a claims portal. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
Question 5
A team wants to delegate IAM management to developers, but must ensure developers can never grant themselves permissions beyond a specific limit. Which AWS mechanism best matches this requirement?
Question 6
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a healthcare document service. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Replace the Application Load Balancer with a Network Load Balancer. — The best fit for a custom binary TCP service is a Network Load Balancer with a TCP listener. NLB is built for layer 4 traffic, preserves the protocol without HTTP interpretation, and supports the static endpoint behavior that partners need for allowlisting. Together, these settings match both the protocol requirements and the source-IP/routing constraints of the scenario. API Gateway, CloudFront, and RDS Proxy solve very different problems and do not front raw TCP services properly. They either require HTTP semantics or are intended for other AWS workloads entirely. The scenario is specifically about custom binary traffic, static allowlisting, and source IP preservation, which are load balancer layer-4 concerns.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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