PCNE Configuring Network Services Practice Question
A company is migrating on-premises DNS to Google Cloud. They have a hybrid network using Cloud VPN and want to resolve on-premises hostnames from Compute Engine instances without custom scripts. Which service should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between inbound and outbound DNS policies; the trap here is confusing the direction of DNS resolution, leading candidates to choose a forwarding zone (outbound) when the requirement is for Compute Engine to resolve on-premises hostnames (inbound).
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
✓
Use Cloud DNS inbound server policy to forward queries to on-premises DNS.
Cloud DNS inbound server policy allows on-premises DNS servers to receive DNS queries from Compute Engine instances by creating a VPC-scoped policy that forwards queries to the IP addresses of on-premises DNS resolvers over Cloud VPN. This enables hybrid name resolution without custom scripts, as the policy automatically handles the forwarding of DNS requests from Google Cloud resources to the on-premises DNS infrastructure.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use Cloud DNS inbound server policy to forward queries to on-premises DNS.
Why this is correct
Cloud DNS inbound server policy enables DNS queries from GCP to be forwarded to on-premises DNS servers via VPN or Interconnect.
- ✗
Create a forwarding zone in Cloud DNS and associate it with the VPC.
Why it's wrong here
Forwarding zones resolve from GCP to other DNS servers; inbound server policy is needed for the reverse direction (GCP querying on-prem).
- ✗
Enable Private Google Access on the VPC subnet.
Why it's wrong here
Private Google Access allows instances to reach Google APIs and services, not on-premises DNS.
- ✗
Configure Cloud NAT to forward DNS queries to on-premises DNS servers.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud NAT does not support DNS forwarding; it provides outbound internet connectivity.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This PCNE question is part of Courseiva's 961-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCNE 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 PCNE exam.