Google ACE Practice Question: Ensuring Successful Operation of a Cloud Solution
You want to monitor the uptime of an external HTTP endpoint from multiple locations around the world. Which TWO steps should you take? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
ACE often tests the trap of confusing uptime checks with logging or notification mechanisms, leading candidates to select log-based metrics or Pub/Sub channels instead of the core uptime check configuration.
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
✓
Select multiple locations (e.g., us-west1, europe-west1, asia-east1) for the uptime check
Option D is correct because a Cloud Monitoring uptime check is the native resource designed to probe an HTTP(S) endpoint from Google-managed probers and report up/down status and latency. Option C is correct because an uptime check lets you select multiple geographic regions (e.g., us-west1, europe-west1, asia-east1) so the endpoint is tested from several locations worldwide, which is exactly the requirement. Option A is not appropriate because a log-based metric derives values from log entries and does not itself perform external HTTP probing from multiple regions. Option B is not appropriate because a Pub/Sub notification channel only delivers alerts; it does not create the monitoring check or provide multi-region probing. Option E is not appropriate because VPC flow logs capture IP traffic metadata within a VPC and cannot monitor an external HTTP endpoint's uptime.
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 log-based metric for the endpoint response time
Why it's wrong here
A log-based metric counts entries in ingested logs, and an external endpoint produces no logs in your project, so response time cannot be derived. It is tempting because it measures latency, and would be correct for timing requests your own services log, not for probing an external URL.
- ✗
Create a notification channel of type Pub/Sub
Why it's wrong here
A Pub/Sub notification channel delivers alerts; it does not perform the probing of the endpoint. It is tempting because alerting is part of uptime monitoring, and would be correct once an uptime check exists and you need to route its alerts, not as a step to establish multi-region probing.
- ✓
Select multiple locations (e.g., us-west1, europe-west1, asia-east1) for the uptime check
Why this is correct
Choosing several geographic locations makes the uptime check probe the endpoint from distinct regions, so an outage or regional network fault is distinguished from a localised failure. This directly satisfies the requirement to monitor availability from multiple locations around the world.
- ✓
Create an uptime check in Cloud Monitoring with the HTTP endpoint URL
Why this is correct
The uptime check is the Cloud Monitoring resource that periodically issues HTTP requests to the specified URL and records success or failure. Creating it with the endpoint URL establishes the probe itself, which the multi-region location selection then configures.
- ✗
Enable VPC flow logs for the endpoint
Why it's wrong here
VPC flow logs record IP traffic metadata within a VPC, capturing nothing about an external HTTP endpoint's availability. They are tempting because they are a network observability tool, and would be correct for diagnosing connectivity or traffic patterns to resources inside your own VPC, not for worldwide uptime checks.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Google Cloud Deploy for CD
Key term
Pub/Sub
Pub/Sub is a messaging pattern where publishers send messages without knowing who receives them, and subscribers receive only the messages they care about.
Key term
VPC
A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is a logically isolated section of a cloud provider's network where you can launch and manage resources like servers and databases with complete control over IP addressing, subnets, route tables, and security.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Google Cloud exam blueprint
This ACE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud 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 ACE exam.