Google PCA Packet Mirroring Practice Question
An organization wants to monitor network traffic between VMs in a VPC for troubleshooting. Which TWO services can provide this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between services that capture raw packet data (Packet Mirroring) versus those that log only metadata or metrics (VPC Flow Logs). Candidates may incorrectly think only one is correct, but both can be used for troubleshooting network traffic between VMs, depending on the depth of information needed.
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
✓
Packet Mirroring (Network Intelligence Center)
Packet Mirroring (Network Intelligence Center) clones actual packet contents (headers and payload) from VM instances for deep packet inspection, enabling detailed troubleshooting. VPC Flow Logs capture IP traffic metadata (source/destination IP, ports, protocol, packet count) flowing to and from VMs, providing visibility into network traffic patterns and bottlenecks. Both services are useful for monitoring network traffic between VMs in a VPC, with Packet Mirroring offering full packet capture and VPC Flow Logs providing metadata-level logging.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cloud Audit Logs
Why it's wrong here
Records admin activity, not network traffic.
- ✓
Packet Mirroring (Network Intelligence Center)
Why this is correct
Provides deep packet inspection.
- ✓
VPC Flow Logs
Why this is correct
Captures network traffic metadata.
- ✗
Cloud Monitoring
Why it's wrong here
Provides metrics, not traffic details.
- ✗
Cloud Logging
Why it's wrong here
Stores logs, but not the generation service.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Google Cloud Resource Hierarchy and Organization
Key term
Organization
An Organization is a top-level container in Google Cloud that represents your company or entities and serves as the root node for all your cloud resources, policies, and access control.
Key term
Packet
A packet is a small unit of data that is sent over a network, containing both the actual data and control information for delivery.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCA 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 PCA exam.