Cloud Digital Leader Fundamental cloud concepts Practice Question
This GCDL practice question tests your understanding of fundamental cloud concepts. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 financial services firm is migrating a legacy application to Google Cloud. The application requires static IP addresses that must not change during migration. The network team wants to minimize downtime. Which migration strategy should they use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Set up a Cloud VPN tunnel and migrate using the same IP addresses
Option D is correct because a Cloud VPN tunnel can extend the on-premises network into Google Cloud, allowing the legacy application to retain its existing static IP addresses during migration. By establishing a VPN tunnel, traffic can be routed seamlessly between environments, minimizing downtime as the application is migrated without requiring IP address changes.
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.
✗
Use a global load balancer and update DNS
Why it's wrong here
Load balancers change the entry point IP.
✗
Lift and shift the application to Compute Engine with new IP addresses
Why it's wrong here
Changing IP addresses violates the requirement.
✗
Use Cloud Interconnect to extend the on-premises network
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Interconnect requires reconfiguration to use the same IPs.
✓
Set up a Cloud VPN tunnel and migrate using the same IP addresses
Why this is correct
Cloud VPN allows extending the on-premises network to Google Cloud, preserving IP addresses.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse connectivity solutions (like Cloud Interconnect or VPN) with IP address preservation, mistakenly thinking that a dedicated connection alone solves the static IP requirement, when in fact the VPN's ability to extend the same subnet is the key enabler.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud VPN uses IPsec tunnels to create a secure, encrypted connection between on-premises and Google Cloud VPC networks. By configuring static routes and using the same subnet ranges on both sides, the application's IP addresses remain unchanged, and traffic is forwarded through the tunnel during migration. In practice, this allows a gradual cutover where workloads can be moved incrementally, with the VPN handling traffic redirection until the migration is complete.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this GCDL question in full detail.
Fundamental cloud concepts — This question tests Fundamental cloud concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set up a Cloud VPN tunnel and migrate using the same IP addresses — Option D is correct because a Cloud VPN tunnel can extend the on-premises network into Google Cloud, allowing the legacy application to retain its existing static IP addresses during migration. By establishing a VPN tunnel, traffic can be routed seamlessly between environments, minimizing downtime as the application is migrated without requiring IP address changes.
What should I do if I get this GCDL question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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