200-901 Infrastructure and Automation Practice Question
A team uses Chef to manage network device configurations. Which component of Chef is responsible for storing configuration policy and distributing it to nodes?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between the Chef Server (policy storage/distribution) and the Chef Client (policy execution), tempting candidates to confuse the agent with the central repository.
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
✓
Chef Server
The Chef Server is the central hub that stores configuration policies (cookbooks, roles, environments, data bags) and distributes them to nodes via a REST API. When a Chef Client runs on a node, it authenticates with the Chef Server and downloads the relevant policy to converge the node to the desired state. This makes the Chef Server the authoritative source of configuration policy in a Chef architecture.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Knife
Why it's wrong here
Knife is the command-line tool used to upload cookbooks, manage nodes and query the Chef Infra Server; it neither stores policy nor pushes it to nodes. It is tempting because Knife is the interface administrators use to interact with Chef, and would be correct if the question asked which tool uploads cookbooks or bootstraps nodes.
- ✓
Chef Server
Why this is correct
Chef Server acts as the central hub, storing cookbooks, recipes and policy data, then distributing them to managed nodes on request. This satisfies the stem's requirement for the component holding configuration policy and pushing it out, unlike the workstation or client, which author or apply it locally.
- ✗
Chef Client
Why it's wrong here
Chef Client runs on each managed node, pulling cookbooks from the Chef Infra Server and applying them locally; it stores no policy and distributes nothing. It is tempting because the client is the component that actually executes configuration on devices, and would be the correct answer if the question asked which component applies policy on a node.
- ✗
Supermarket
Why it's wrong here
Supermarket is Chef's public community cookbook repository, hosting downloadable cookbooks; it does not store your organisation's policy or distribute it to nodes. It is tempting because it does hold and serve cookbook content, and would be the correct choice if the question asked where to obtain community cookbooks rather than where internal policy is stored.
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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.