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Design VPC, IP plan, management, storage, SSO

Last updated: Mar 29, 2026

Quick Overview

This question evaluates competency in cloud network and platform architecture, covering VPC/subnet design and routing, CIDR/IP planning for large fleets, centralized Linux/Windows fleet management, shared concurrent storage considerations, and federated SSO and identity flows.

  • hard
  • Amazon
  • System Design
  • Software Engineer

Design VPC, IP plan, management, storage, SSO

Company: Amazon

Role: Software Engineer

Category: System Design

Difficulty: hard

Interview Round: Technical Screen

Design and deploy a multi-layer VPC architecture: how would you segment networks (public, private, management), route between layers, and enforce security with subnets, route tables, and security groups? For a fleet of 2,000 servers, plan the CIDR allocations and estimate how many IPs are required, accounting for per-subnet reserved addresses and future growth. Propose a centralized way to manage both Linux and Windows instances (e.g., configuration management, patching, access control, inventory). Recommend a shared storage solution for concurrent access by multiple servers (e.g., NFS/EFS, SMB/FSx, or alternatives) and compare performance, consistency, and cost trade-offs. Finally, design single sign-on so users authenticate once to access multiple services, including the identity provider choice, trust relationships, and token flows.

Quick Answer: This question evaluates competency in cloud network and platform architecture, covering VPC/subnet design and routing, CIDR/IP planning for large fleets, centralized Linux/Windows fleet management, shared concurrent storage considerations, and federated SSO and identity flows.

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Amazon logo
Amazon
Aug 10, 2025, 12:00 AM
Software Engineer
Technical Screen
System Design
3
0

System Design: Multi‑Layer VPC, IP Planning for 2,000 Servers, Fleet Management, Shared Storage, and SSO

Context

Design a production‑grade, multi‑AZ network and platform foundation in a major public cloud that uses VPC constructs (subnets, route tables, security groups). The environment will host a mixed Linux/Windows fleet (~2,000 servers) and multiple services requiring shared file storage and single sign‑on.

Requirements

  1. Network segmentation and routing
    • Segment networks into public, private (application), and management layers.
    • Define subnets, route tables, internet/NAT gateways, and inter‑tier routing.
    • Enforce security with security groups and (optionally) network ACLs.
  2. CIDR and IP planning for 2,000 servers
    • Plan VPC and subnet CIDR blocks across at least 3 Availability Zones.
    • Estimate required IPs (include per‑subnet reserved addresses) and future growth.
  3. Centralized fleet management (Linux and Windows)
    • Propose tools/processes for configuration management, patching, access control, and inventory.
  4. Shared storage for concurrent access
    • Recommend a solution (e.g., NFS/EFS, SMB/FSx variants) and compare performance, consistency, and cost.
  5. Single sign‑on (SSO)
    • Design SSO so users authenticate once to access multiple services.
    • Include identity provider choice, trust relationships, and token/assertion flows.

Solution

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