The answer is to deploy Private Service Connect to expose the VPC workloads as endpoints accessible from on-premises. This is correct because Private Service Connect (PSC) allows on-premises clients to reach specific VPC workloads via internal IP addresses without requiring VPC peering or a VPN tunnel, effectively sidestepping the IP overlap issue. PSC publishes the workloads as endpoints reachable through a separate IP address range for the endpoint on the on-premises side, so the overlapping 10.0.0.0/8 addresses remain unchanged. On the Google Professional Cloud Network Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how PSC provides targeted, secure connectivity for overlapping IPs without NAT or renumbering—a common trap is confusing PSC with VPC peering or Cloud VPN, which would fail due to the conflict. Memory tip: think of PSC as a "private bridge" that lets overlapping IPs coexist by using a distinct endpoint address range.
PCNE Configuring network services Practice Question
This PCNE practice question tests your understanding of configuring network services. 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 wants to securely connect an on-premises data center to a VPC in us-central1. The on-premises network uses RFC 1918 addresses (10.0.0.0/8) that overlap with the VPC subnet (10.0.1.0/24). They need connectivity to specific workloads in the VPC without changing IP addresses on premises. What should they do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Deploy Private Service Connect to expose the VPC workloads as endpoints accessible from on-premises.
Private Service Connect (PSC) allows on-premises clients to access specific VPC workloads via internal IP addresses (RFC 1918) without requiring VPC peering or VPN. PSC publishes the workloads as endpoints reachable through a Private Service Connect endpoint in the on-premises network, avoiding IP overlap by using a separate IP address range for the endpoint. This solution meets the requirement of not changing on-premises IPs while providing secure, targeted connectivity.
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 VPC Network Peering with a custom route exchange to filter the overlapping range.
Set up Dedicated Interconnect and configure BGP with the on-premises router, advertising a more specific prefix.
Why it's wrong here
Interconnect cannot resolve overlapping IPs; routes would conflict.
✗
Use Cloud NAT and configure a firewall rule to allow traffic from the on-premises network.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud NAT is only for outbound traffic from VMs; it doesn't provide inbound connectivity.
✓
Deploy Private Service Connect to expose the VPC workloads as endpoints accessible from on-premises.
Why this is correct
Private Service Connect allows private connectivity without route overlap by using service attachments and endpoints.
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 assume BGP or more specific prefixes can overcome IP overlap, but without NAT or a proxy mechanism, overlapping routes cause routing conflicts that break connectivity.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Private Service Connect uses a published service (e.g., a load balancer or VM) that is exposed via a Private Service Connect endpoint, which is assigned a unique IP address from a subnet in the on-premises network (or a dedicated subnet). This endpoint acts as a proxy, forwarding traffic to the VPC workload without requiring route exchange or IP overlap resolution. In real-world scenarios, PSC is often used for multi-cloud or hybrid environments where IP address space cannot be renumbered, such as when merging networks after an acquisition.
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 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.
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.
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: Deploy Private Service Connect to expose the VPC workloads as endpoints accessible from on-premises. — Private Service Connect (PSC) allows on-premises clients to access specific VPC workloads via internal IP addresses (RFC 1918) without requiring VPC peering or VPN. PSC publishes the workloads as endpoints reachable through a Private Service Connect endpoint in the on-premises network, avoiding IP overlap by using a separate IP address range for the endpoint. This solution meets the requirement of not changing on-premises IPs while providing secure, targeted connectivity.
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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