PCNE Practice Question: Designing, Planning, and Prototyping a GCP Network
A company uses Shared VPC with multiple service projects. They need to allow certain service projects to create internal load balancers (ILBs) that are accessible from all projects in the organization. What is the best practice?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume 'global access' on an ILB enables cross-project access, but global access only allows clients from any region within the same VPC network to reach the ILB, not clients from different projects.
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
✓
Create the ILB in the host project and share the backend
In a Shared VPC architecture, the host project owns the VPC network and its resources, including internal load balancers (ILBs). By creating the ILB in the host project and sharing its backend (e.g., instance groups from service projects), the ILB becomes accessible from all projects in the organization without additional connectivity. This approach centralizes network control and ensures the ILB's IP address is routable within the shared VPC, meeting the requirement for cross-project access.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Deploy ILB in each service project and use global access
Why it's wrong here
This creates multiple ILBs, not a single shared LB; global access allows cross-region clients to reach a regional ILB but does not solve cross-project access.
- ✓
Create the ILB in the host project and share the backend
Why this is correct
ILB in host project is accessible to all service projects in the Shared VPC.
- ✗
Use Cloud NAT for outbound connectivity
Why it's wrong here
Cloud NAT is for outbound internet, not internal LB.
- ✗
Use VPC peering between each service project and the host project
Why it's wrong here
Peering does not automatically allow access to host project resources.
- ✗
Enable Private Service Connect
Why it's wrong here
Private Service Connect is for exposing managed services, not internal LB.
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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.