CDM Infrastructure Automation & Configuration Management

Question 1

What is infrastructure automation?

Accepted Answer

Managing infrastructure automatically

Answer

Infrastructure automation involves using software and scripts to provision, configure, and manage IT infrastructure components like servers, networks, and databases, rather than performing these tasks manually. This approach ensures consistency, reduces human error, and significantly speeds up the deployment and scaling of environments. It is a cornerstone of modern DevOps practices, enabling environments to be treated as code.

Question 2

Which tool is commonly used for configuration management?

Accepted Answer

Ansible

Answer

Ansible is a popular open-source automation engine widely used for configuration management, application deployment, and orchestration. It operates agentlessly, using SSH to connect to target machines, and uses simple YAML syntax for its playbooks, making it relatively easy to learn and implement. Other common tools include Puppet, Chef, and SaltStack.

Question 3

What does 'idempotency' mean in configuration management?

Accepted Answer

Same result without side effects

Answer

In configuration management, idempotency means that applying a configuration script or command multiple times will produce the exact same system state as applying it once, without causing unintended side effects or errors on subsequent runs. This property is crucial because it allows automation tools to be run repeatedly and safely, ensuring that systems consistently conform to their desired configuration regardless of their initial state. It prevents unnecessary changes and ensures reliability.

Question 4

Why is version control important in configuration management?

Accepted Answer

Track and maintain configuration history

Answer

Version control is vital in configuration management because it allows teams to track every change made to configuration files and scripts over time. This provides a complete audit trail, enabling easy rollback to previous, stable configurations if a new change introduces issues. It also facilitates collaboration among team members on infrastructure definitions and ensures consistency across different environments.

Question 5

What is 'infrastructure as code' (IaC)?

Accepted Answer

Infrastructure managed as code

Answer

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a practice where infrastructure (networks, virtual machines, databases, etc.) is provisioned and managed using machine-readable definition files, rather than through manual processes or interactive tools. These definition files are versioned, tested, and deployed just like application code. IaC brings the benefits of software development practices, such as version control, automated testing, and continuous integration, to infrastructure management, ensuring consistency and repeatability.

(CDM) Certified DevOps Master Practice Test

(CDM) Certified DevOps Master Practice Test

CDM Infrastructure Automation & Configuration Management