200-901 Infrastructure and Automation Practice Question
A network engineer uses Ansible to apply a standard ACL to multiple routers. The playbook runs without errors, but the ACL is not applied on some routers. Upon checking, those routers have a different configuration revision due to a previous manual change. What is the best practice to ensure consistent application?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'replace' with 'backup' or think that setting the correct network OS variable is sufficient to handle configuration conflicts, but Cisco tests the understanding that only a full configuration replacement guarantees consistency when devices have divergent configuration revisions.
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
✓
Use the 'replace' parameter to overwrite the entire config
The 'replace' parameter in Ansible's ios_config module forces a full configuration replacement on the target device, overwriting the entire running configuration with the intended configuration. This ensures that any prior manual changes or configuration revisions are eliminated, guaranteeing consistent ACL application across all routers regardless of their current state.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use the 'replace' parameter to overwrite the entire config
Why this is correct
The replace parameter forces the device to replace its running config with the provided config, ensuring consistency.
- ✗
Use the ansible_network_os variable correctly
Why it's wrong here
Setting the OS variable alone does not enforce configuration consistency.
- ✗
Use the 'backup' option in ios_config
Why it's wrong here
Backup creates a backup file but does not ensure the configuration is applied.
- ✗
Use the 'ignore_errors' directive
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring errors would hide issues, not solve them.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every 200-901 question from scratch — 989 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.