200-901 Infrastructure and Automation Practice Question
A network engineer is using Ansible to automate the configuration of a Cisco IOS XE device. The playbook must ensure that a specific banner is present on the device. Which Ansible module should the engineer use to accomplish this task in a vendor-supported way?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is thinking that ios_config is always the go-to module for any configuration, when specialized modules like ios_banner exist for specific tasks.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
ios_banner
Ansible provides vendor-specific modules for Cisco IOS, and the ios_banner module is designed to manage banner configurations. It ensures idempotency and handles the proper syntax for banners. While ios_config could push banner lines, it is less specialized and may not be idempotent without additional logic. Using ios_banner is the recommended and supported approach for this task.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
ios_banner
Why this is correct
The ios_banner module is specifically designed to manage banners on Cisco IOS devices. It allows you to configure the login, motd, exec, and other banners with idempotent behavior. This module is part of the cisco.ios collection and is the vendor-supported way to ensure a banner is present. Using it simplifies the playbook and ensures proper handling of device interactions.
- ✗
ios_user
Why it's wrong here
The ios_user module manages local user accounts on Cisco IOS devices, including username, password, and privilege level. It does not handle banner configuration. Using it for banners would be ineffective and outside its scope. The engineer needs a module dedicated to banners, so ios_user is not the correct choice.
- ✗
ios_command
Why it's wrong here
The ios_command module is used to execute show commands and retrieve output from Cisco IOS devices. It is not intended for configuration changes. Using it to set a banner would require sending configuration commands via an interactive session, which is not its purpose and would not be idempotent. Therefore, ios_command is incorrect for this task.
- ✗
ios_config
Why it's wrong here
While ios_config can be used to push arbitrary configuration lines, including banner commands, it is not the most specific or idempotent module for banner management. ios_banner is purpose-built for banners and handles the nuances of banner delimiters and idempotency. Using ios_config for banners may work but is less precise and could lead to unintended changes if not carefully written. Thus, it is not the best choice for this scenario.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This 200-901 question is part of Courseiva's 975-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 200-901 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-901 exam.