- A
Project Owner on the host project
Why wrong: Project Owner has full access, which is excessive and violates least privilege.
- B
Compute Instance Admin (roles/compute.instanceAdmin) on the service project
Why wrong: This role allows instance creation but does not grant subnet usage rights; the user also needs network user on the subnet.
- C
Compute Network User (roles/compute.networkUser) on the specific subnet
This role grants permission to use the subnet for creating resources, which is the recommended approach.
- D
Compute Network Admin (roles/compute.networkAdmin) on the host project
Why wrong: This role grants full control over all networking resources in the host project, which is too broad.
Question 422 of 1,000
PCNE Practice Question: Designing, Planning, and Prototyping a GCP Network
This PCNE practice question tests your understanding of designing, planning, and prototyping a gcp network. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 company has a Shared VPC setup with a host project and several service projects. They want to grant a service project's network admin the ability to create VM instances using a specific subnet from the host project. Which IAM role should they assign at the subnet level?
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
✓
Compute Network User (roles/compute.networkUser) on the specific subnet
Shared VPC allows granting IAM roles on individual subnets. The Compute Network User role (roles/compute.networkUser) allows a principal to use a subnet to create resources, without giving them broader network management permissions.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Project Owner on the host project
Why it's wrong here
Project Owner has full access, which is excessive and violates least privilege.
- ✗
Compute Instance Admin (roles/compute.instanceAdmin) on the service project
Why it's wrong here
This role allows instance creation but does not grant subnet usage rights; the user also needs network user on the subnet.
- ✓
Compute Network User (roles/compute.networkUser) on the specific subnet
Why this is correct
This role grants permission to use the subnet for creating resources, which is the recommended approach.
Related concept
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
- ✗
Compute Network Admin (roles/compute.networkAdmin) on the host project
Why it's wrong here
This role grants full control over all networking resources in the host project, which is too broad.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
- Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
- Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
- The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
- Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
- Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
- Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Visual reference
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related PCNE subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
- →
Designing, Planning, and Prototyping a GCP Network — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCNE question test?
Designing, Planning, and Prototyping a GCP Network — This question tests Designing, Planning, and Prototyping a GCP Network — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Compute Network User (roles/compute.networkUser) on the specific subnet — Shared VPC allows granting IAM roles on individual subnets. The Compute Network User role (roles/compute.networkUser) allows a principal to use a subnet to create resources, without giving them broader network management permissions.
What should I do if I get this PCNE question wrong?
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related PCNE subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
What is the key concept behind this question?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
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