PCSE Configuring network security Practice Question
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of configuring network security. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 use Cloud CDN to cache content from an HTTP Load Balancer. They have a custom domain and want to serve traffic over HTTPS. What must they configure on the load balancer?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an SSL certificate resource and attach it to the HTTPS target proxy.
To serve HTTPS traffic with Cloud CDN and a custom domain, the load balancer must have an SSL certificate attached to its HTTPS target proxy. This is because Cloud CDN relies on the load balancer's target proxy to terminate TLS and present the certificate to clients. Creating an SSL certificate resource (either Google-managed or self-managed) and attaching it to the HTTPS target proxy is the required step.
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.
✓
Create an SSL certificate resource and attach it to the HTTPS target proxy.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Set up a backend bucket with a public certificate.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: backend bucket is for Cloud Storage, not for CDN with custom domain.
✗
Upload a custom SSL certificate directly to the Cloud CDN configuration.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Cloud CDN does not manage certificates separately.
✗
Enable HTTP to HTTPS redirect on the load balancer.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: redirect is for HTTP requests, but still need certificate for HTTPS.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that Cloud CDN handles SSL certificates independently, when in fact the certificate must be attached to the load balancer's HTTPS target proxy, not configured within the CDN itself.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the HTTPS target proxy references an SSL certificate resource that contains the PEM-encoded certificate and private key. Google Cloud's load balancer uses this resource to perform TLS handshake with clients, and Cloud CDN caches responses from the backend after TLS termination. A common subtlety is that Google-managed certificates automatically provision and renew, but require domain verification via DNS or a challenge URL, and the load balancer must have a valid forwarding rule pointing to the HTTPS proxy.
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.
Configuring network security — This question tests Configuring network security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create an SSL certificate resource and attach it to the HTTPS target proxy. — To serve HTTPS traffic with Cloud CDN and a custom domain, the load balancer must have an SSL certificate attached to its HTTPS target proxy. This is because Cloud CDN relies on the load balancer's target proxy to terminate TLS and present the certificate to clients. Creating an SSL certificate resource (either Google-managed or self-managed) and attaching it to the HTTPS target proxy is the required step.
What should I do if I get this PCSE 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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