Question

Difficulty: MediumCapabilities of Configuration Management Mechanisms (Puppet, Chef, Ansible)

A network operations team is preparing to automate configuration backups and interface descriptions across Cisco IOS XE switches without installing background agent daemons on the managed devices. Which operational characteristics specifically distinguish Ansible from Puppet and Chef in this deployment scenario? (Select two.)

  1. It uses an agentless architecture that relies on transport protocols such as SSH or NETCONF to manage target devices.Answer
  2. Playbooks are formatted using YAML and executed via a push-based operational model from a central control node.Answer
  3. C
    Managed nodes periodically run a local client daemon that pulls declarative manifest configurations over TCP port 8140.
  4. D
    Configurations are defined in Ruby-based recipe scripts and retrieved continuously by managed nodes using HTTPS over TCP port 443.

Answer

Ansible is distinguished by its agentless architecture utilizing SSH/NETCONF for communication and its push-based deployment model using YAML-formatted Playbooks.
Ansible operates without needing software agents installed on network nodes. It utilizes standard SSH or NETCONF sessions to push configurations directly to switches and routers, relying on Playbooks formatted in YAML.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Ansible's agent architecture and transport method.
Ansible communicates with managed devices natively using SSH, NETCONF, or RESTCONF without requiring agent software running on target switches.
Cisco network devices frequently operate closed operating systems where installing third-party agent daemons is impractical or unsupported.
2
Analyze Ansible's data syntax and execution workflow.
Ansible uses human-readable YAML for Playbooks and operates via a push mechanism driven by the Ansible control node.
Puppet and Chef rely primarily on pull-based agent models that periodically fetch state updates from a master server using DSL environments (Puppet DSL or Ruby).

Key Concept

Architectural differences between Ansible (Agentless, Push, SSH/YAML) versus Puppet and Chef (Agent-based, Pull, DSLs).
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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