- A
Establish a single Direct Connect connection with a VPN backup.
Why wrong: A VPN backup adds redundancy but the VPN uses the public internet, which may have variable performance and reliability. A second Direct Connect connection is more reliable.
- B
Establish two Direct Connect connections to the same AWS Direct Connect location.
Why wrong: Having two connections to the same location provides device-level redundancy but still depends on the same physical location. If that location experiences an outage, both connections could fail.
- C
Establish two Direct Connect connections to different AWS Direct Connect locations.
This configuration provides the highest availability by avoiding a single point of failure at the location level. If one location fails, traffic can be rerouted to the other connection.
- D
Use multiple virtual interfaces on a single Direct Connect connection.
Why wrong: Multiple virtual interfaces provide logical separation but do not add physical redundancy. A single physical connection failure will bring down all virtual interfaces.
Quick Answer
The answer is to establish two Direct Connect connections to different AWS Direct Connect locations. This configuration provides the highest availability because it eliminates a single point of failure at the facility level; if one Direct Connect location suffers an outage, the geographically redundant connection remains operational, ensuring continuous hybrid connectivity. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of designing resilient network architectures—specifically that high availability requires both physical and location diversity, not just multiple connections at the same site. A common trap is assuming two connections at the same location are sufficient, but that still leaves you vulnerable to a facility-wide failure. For the exam, remember the memory tip: “Two locations, not just two lines” to reinforce that geographic separation is the key to maximum uptime.
SOA-C02 Networking and Content Delivery Practice Question
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of networking and content delivery. 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 an on-premises data center connected to AWS via an AWS Direct Connect connection. The SysOps administrator needs to ensure high availability for the connectivity. Which configuration provides the highest availability for the Direct Connect connection?
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
Establish two Direct Connect connections to different AWS Direct Connect locations.
Option C is correct because establishing two Direct Connect connections to different AWS Direct Connect locations provides geographic redundancy. If one AWS Direct Connect location experiences an outage, the other connection remains operational, ensuring high availability. This configuration eliminates single points of failure at the facility level, which is the most resilient design for hybrid connectivity.
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.
- ✗
Establish a single Direct Connect connection with a VPN backup.
Why it's wrong here
A VPN backup adds redundancy but the VPN uses the public internet, which may have variable performance and reliability. A second Direct Connect connection is more reliable.
- ✗
Establish two Direct Connect connections to the same AWS Direct Connect location.
Why it's wrong here
Having two connections to the same location provides device-level redundancy but still depends on the same physical location. If that location experiences an outage, both connections could fail.
- ✓
Establish two Direct Connect connections to different AWS Direct Connect locations.
Why this is correct
This configuration provides the highest availability by avoiding a single point of failure at the location level. If one location fails, traffic can be rerouted to the other connection.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use multiple virtual interfaces on a single Direct Connect connection.
Why it's wrong here
Multiple virtual interfaces provide logical separation but do not add physical redundancy. A single physical connection failure will bring down all virtual interfaces.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume multiple connections to the same location provide redundancy, but AWS Direct Connect locations are single points of failure; true high availability requires geographic diversity across different locations.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Direct Connect uses Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) for routing between on-premises and AWS. With two connections to different locations, you can configure BGP AS_PATH prepending or local preference to control traffic flow and enable active/active or active/passive failover. In a real-world scenario, a construction crew accidentally cuts a fiber cable at one Direct Connect location; the second connection at a different location automatically takes over traffic via BGP convergence, typically within seconds.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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.
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Networking and Content Delivery — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Networking and Content Delivery — This question tests Networking and Content Delivery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Establish two Direct Connect connections to different AWS Direct Connect locations. — Option C is correct because establishing two Direct Connect connections to different AWS Direct Connect locations provides geographic redundancy. If one AWS Direct Connect location experiences an outage, the other connection remains operational, ensuring high availability. This configuration eliminates single points of failure at the facility level, which is the most resilient design for hybrid connectivity.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 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
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SOA-C02 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 SOA-C02 exam.
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