PCNE Implementing hybrid interconnectivity Practice Question
This PCNE practice question tests your understanding of implementing hybrid interconnectivity. 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 company has deployed a Dedicated Interconnect with multiple VLAN attachments connected to a single Cloud Router. They want to influence inbound traffic from on-premises to Google Cloud to use a specific attachment for certain prefixes. Which BGP attribute can they manipulate on the on-premises router to achieve this?
Why wrong: AS_PATH is typically manipulated for outbound traffic engineering (shorter path preferred).
B
LOCAL_PREF
Why wrong: LOCAL_PREF is used to influence outbound traffic from Google Cloud, not inbound.
C
MED
MED can be set on routes advertised from on-premises to Google Cloud, influencing which attachment is preferred for those prefixes.
D
Community tags
Why wrong: Community tags can be used to influence routing policies if matched, but not directly for path preference; they are often used for filtering or marking.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
MED
Option C is correct because the Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED) attribute is used to influence inbound traffic from on-premises to Google Cloud when multiple paths exist via a Dedicated Interconnect. By setting a lower MED value on the on-premises router for specific prefixes, the Cloud Router will prefer that attachment for those prefixes, as MED is compared first among paths from the same neighboring AS.
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.
✗
AS_PATH
Why it's wrong here
AS_PATH is typically manipulated for outbound traffic engineering (shorter path preferred).
✗
LOCAL_PREF
Why it's wrong here
LOCAL_PREF is used to influence outbound traffic from Google Cloud, not inbound.
✓
MED
Why this is correct
MED can be set on routes advertised from on-premises to Google Cloud, influencing which attachment is preferred for those prefixes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Community tags
Why it's wrong here
Community tags can be used to influence routing policies if matched, but not directly for path preference; they are often used for filtering or marking.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between attributes that influence inbound vs. outbound traffic, and the trap here is that candidates confuse MED (inbound influence) with LOCAL_PREF (outbound influence) or AS_PATH prepending (outbound influence), assuming any attribute can be manipulated on the on-premises router to affect Google Cloud's path selection.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
MED is an optional non-transitive BGP attribute that is exchanged between ASes and is compared only when multiple paths are received from the same neighboring AS (or same set of ASes if 'bgp bestpath med confed' is configured). In a Dedicated Interconnect scenario with multiple VLAN attachments, each attachment represents a separate BGP session to the same Cloud Router, and setting a lower MED on the on-premises router for specific prefixes makes those prefixes more preferred by Google Cloud's router, effectively steering inbound traffic to the desired attachment. This is commonly used for traffic engineering, such as directing latency-sensitive traffic to a closer attachment or balancing load across redundant interconnects.
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
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Implementing hybrid interconnectivity — This question tests Implementing hybrid interconnectivity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: MED — Option C is correct because the Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED) attribute is used to influence inbound traffic from on-premises to Google Cloud when multiple paths exist via a Dedicated Interconnect. By setting a lower MED value on the on-premises router for specific prefixes, the Cloud Router will prefer that attachment for those prefixes, as MED is compared first among paths from the same neighboring AS.
What should I do if I get this PCNE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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