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Configuring network services →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is that the load balancer’s STANDARD network tier is the cause, because it does not support internal traffic from within the same VPC. A load balancer with network tier STANDARD uses external, internet-facing IP addresses that are not routable from inside the VPC without a public IP and specific routing rules; clients on a Compute Engine instance in the same VPC cannot reach the load balancer’s IP since STANDARD tier IPs are designed for egress to the internet, not for internal VPC communication. On the Google Professional Cloud Network Engineer exam, this tests your understanding that only the Premium Tier (network tier PREMIUM) supports internal client traffic within a VPC, a common trap where engineers assume any load balancer IP is reachable locally. Remember the mnemonic: “Standard is stranded from the inside; Premium is for internal mayhem.”

PCNE Configuring network services Practice Question

This PCNE practice question tests your understanding of configuring network services. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.

Exhibit

$ gcloud compute forwarding-rules describe my-https-lb --region=us-central1
---
creationTimestamp: '2024-01-15T10:30:00.000-08:00'
description: ''
IPAddress: 34.123.45.67
IPProtocol: TCP
loadBalancingScheme: INTERNAL_MANAGED
name: my-https-lb
networkTier: STANDARD
portRange: 443-443
region: us-central1
target: https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/my-project/regions/us-central1/targetHttpsProxies/my-https-proxy

Refer to the exhibit. A network team has created this load balancer. Clients inside the VPC are unable to connect to the load balancer's IP address from a Compute Engine instance in the same VPC. What is the most likely cause?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

  • Clue: "most likely"

    Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

Question 1hardmultiple choice
Full question →

Exhibit

$ gcloud compute forwarding-rules describe my-https-lb --region=us-central1
---
creationTimestamp: '2024-01-15T10:30:00.000-08:00'
description: ''
IPAddress: 34.123.45.67
IPProtocol: TCP
loadBalancingScheme: INTERNAL_MANAGED
name: my-https-lb
networkTier: STANDARD
portRange: 443-443
region: us-central1
target: https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/my-project/regions/us-central1/targetHttpsProxies/my-https-proxy

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

✓

The load balancer is configured with network tier STANDARD, which does not support internal traffic.

Option B is correct because a load balancer configured with network tier STANDARD uses the Premium Tier's external IP addressing, which does not support internal traffic routing within the same VPC. Clients inside the VPC attempting to connect to the load balancer's IP address from a Compute Engine instance in the same VPC will fail because STANDARD tier IPs are designed for external internet-facing traffic and cannot be reached from within the VPC without a public IP and appropriate routing. The load balancer must use the Premium Tier (network tier PREMIUM) to support internal client traffic within the same VPC.

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.

  • ✗

    The target HTTPS proxy is not properly configured to use a backend service.

    Why it's wrong here

    The exhibit shows a valid target; the issue is the network tier, not the proxy configuration.

  • ✓

    The load balancer is configured with network tier STANDARD, which does not support internal traffic.

    Why this is correct

    Internal load balancers must use Premium Tier. Standard tier is for external load balancers only.

    Clue confirmation

    The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • ✗

    The load balancer is using INTERNAL_MANAGED scheme, which requires the clients to be in a different region.

    Why it's wrong here

    Internal managed load balancers are regional and can serve clients within the same region.

  • ✗

    The load balancer does not have a backend service configured.

    Why it's wrong here

    While a backend service is needed for traffic to reach instances, clients can still establish TCP connections to the load balancer IP even without a backend.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Google Cloud often tests the distinction between network tier STANDARD and PREMIUM, trapping candidates who assume all load balancer IPs are reachable from within the VPC regardless of tier, when in fact STANDARD tier IPs are external-only and require public internet routing.

Trap categories for this question

  • Command / output trap

    The exhibit shows a valid target; the issue is the network tier, not the proxy configuration.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, the network tier determines the IP address type: STANDARD uses an external ephemeral IP that is not routable within the VPC without a NAT or VPN, while PREMIUM uses Google's global anycast network that supports both internal and external traffic. A subtle behavior is that even if the load balancer's IP is reachable from the internet, internal VPC instances cannot use it because the VPC routing table does not include a route for that external IP unless explicitly configured with a custom route or Cloud NAT. In real-world scenarios, this often occurs when teams mistakenly select STANDARD tier for internal-only applications, expecting the IP to be reachable within the VPC.

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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.

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.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this PCNE question test?

Configuring network services — This question tests Configuring network services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: The load balancer is configured with network tier STANDARD, which does not support internal traffic. — Option B is correct because a load balancer configured with network tier STANDARD uses the Premium Tier's external IP addressing, which does not support internal traffic routing within the same VPC. Clients inside the VPC attempting to connect to the load balancer's IP address from a Compute Engine instance in the same VPC will fail because STANDARD tier IPs are designed for external internet-facing traffic and cannot be reached from within the VPC without a public IP and appropriate routing. The load balancer must use the Premium Tier (network tier PREMIUM) to support internal client traffic within the same VPC.

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.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026

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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.