CCNP Practice Question: Writes the following Ansible playbook to…

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✓

  The playbook will fail because the 'cisco.ios.ios_config' module requires the 'connection: network_cli' parameter in the play or inventory.

  Why this is correct

  ios_config is a network module in the cisco.ios collection, and Ansible must establish a persistent network_cli connection before it can send configuration commands. Without `ansible_connection: network_cli` in inventory or `connection: network_cli` at the play level, Ansible uses the default 'smart' connection, which cannot initialize the IOS CLI terminal plugin. The playbook therefore fails with a connection error rather than reaching the module logic.

• ✗

  The playbook will work correctly because the module automatically detects the device type.

  Why it's wrong here

  The ios_config module does not probe the target or auto-detect that it is a Cisco device; it executes only after Ansible selects the correct connection and terminal plugins. Auto-detection would still require an initial connection type, and without network_cli Ansible cannot even negotiate a device prompt. Even if the inventory group is named 'cisco', group names have no effect on connection selection, so the play fails before any type detection can occur.

• ✗

  The playbook will fail because 'cisco.ios.ios_config' is not a valid module name.

  Why it's wrong here

  cisco.ios.ios_config is a valid fully qualified collection module name, so a name-resolution failure is not the problem. The module is installed as part of the cisco.ios collection and appears in its documentation; an invalid name would yield an 'undefined module' error before execution. The actual failure happens during connection setup, because the play has not provided the network_cli connection required by all modules in that collection.

• ✗

  The playbook will work but only if the device is running IOS-XE 16.9 or later.

  Why it's wrong here

  Whether the device runs IOS-XE 16.9, an older IOS 15.x, or an IOS-XE 17.x version does not change how the module connects. The missing `ansible_connection: network_cli` setting is independent of software version, so the playbook will fail on any version until the connection parameter is fixed. Even if the version is correct, Ansible still cannot use its standard SSH connection to handle IOS CLI prompts, so version alone never satisfies the connection requirement.