350-401 Question 334
Single answerAn enterprise network engineer is tasked with automating configuration management across a large-scale infrastructure. The engineer must select an orchestration tool that does not require any additional software to be installed on managed devices, ensuring minimal impact on device resources. Which tool best meets this requirement?
- A
Chef
- B
Puppet
- C
Ansible
- D
SaltStack
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Agentless orchestration tools do not require the installation of software on managed devices, reducing resource overhead and simplifying deployment. Among the listed options, Ansible is the only tool that operates entirely agentlessly by leveraging SSH and WinRM for communication, making it the best choice for scenarios where minimal impact on device resources is required.
- A. Incorrect.
Chef is an agent-based tool, requiring the installation of the Chef client on managed devices, which makes it unsuitable for the scenario where agentless management is preferred.
- B. Incorrect.
Puppet is also an agent-based tool that requires the Puppet agent to be installed on managed devices. This does not align with the requirement of avoiding additional software installation.
- C. Correct.
Ansible is an agentless tool that uses SSH for Linux/Unix devices and WinRM for Windows devices to communicate with managed nodes, making it suitable for environments where installing additional software on devices is not desired.
- D. Incorrect.
SaltStack has both agent-based and agentless capabilities, but its primary mode of operation requires installing a Salt minion (agent) on managed devices. Therefore, it may not fully meet the requirement of an entirely agentless solution.