350-401 Question 337
Single answerA network engineer is tasked with automating the configuration of hundreds of Cisco devices in a data center. The engineer is considering using an orchestration tool but wants to avoid installing additional software or agents on the devices. Which orchestration tool would best meet this requirement?
- A
Chef
- B
Puppet
- C
Ansible
- D
SaltStack
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Agentless orchestration tools like Ansible are ideal for scenarios where no additional software or agents can be installed on managed devices. Ansible communicates via SSH or APIs, making it lightweight and easy to deploy in environments with this restriction. Chef, Puppet, and SaltStack typically rely on agent-based approaches, though SaltStack offers an agentless mode that is less commonly used.
- A. Incorrect.
Chef requires agents to be installed on the managed devices, making it unsuitable for environments where agentless solutions are preferred.
- B. Incorrect.
Puppet also relies on agents installed on the managed devices, which does not meet the requirement for an agentless solution.
- C. Correct.
Ansible is an agentless orchestration tool that uses SSH (or API calls) to communicate with managed devices, making it suitable for this scenario.
- D. Incorrect.
SaltStack primarily uses agents (called minions) on managed devices, although it does have an agentless mode. However, the agent-based approach is more common, making it less ideal for the specified requirement.