350-401 Automation Practice Question
A network engineer wants to automate configuration backups for a fleet of Cisco IOS XE devices using Ansible. The engineer uses the ios_config module with the backup: yes option and sets the backup directory via the ANSIBLE_BACKUP_DIR environment variable. After running the playbook, the engineer finds that no backup files are created on the control node. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that Ansible uses environment variables to configure module-specific options like backup directories, when in fact such options are defined within the playbook task itself.
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
✓
The ANSIBLE_BACKUP_DIR environment variable is not recognized by Ansible; the backup directory must be specified using the backup_options parameter in the task.
The ios_config module's backup feature saves the device configuration to the Ansible control node. The directory for these backups is not controlled by an environment variable like ANSIBLE_BACKUP_DIR; instead, it is set using the backup_options parameter, specifically the dir_path sub-option. Without specifying this, backups may go to a default location or fail to be created, leading to the observed issue.
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 ios_config module does not support the backup option; the ios_command module must be used instead.
Why it's wrong here
The ios_config module does support the backup option, which saves the running configuration to the control node. Using ios_command would not automatically create a backup file; it would only execute show commands. Therefore, this is not the cause of the missing backups.
- ✗
The ios_config module requires the backup option to be set to a file path, not a boolean value.
Why it's wrong here
The backup option is a boolean; setting it to yes enables backup functionality. It does not accept a file path. The directory is specified separately via backup_options. Thus, this is not the reason for the failure.
- ✓
The ANSIBLE_BACKUP_DIR environment variable is not recognized by Ansible; the backup directory must be specified using the backup_options parameter in the task.
Why this is correct
Ansible does not use an environment variable named ANSIBLE_BACKUP_DIR to set the backup directory. Instead, the ios_config module provides the backup_options parameter, which includes a dir_path sub-option to specify where backups are stored. Without this, backups may be saved to a default location or not at all, depending on the Ansible version.
- ✗
The Ansible control node must have the paramiko library installed for backups to work; otherwise, backups are silently skipped.
Why it's wrong here
While paramiko is a common SSH library used by Ansible, its absence would typically cause connection failures, not silently skip backups. The backup feature itself does not depend on paramiko specifically; other connection plugins like network_cli can be used. This is not the root cause.
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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
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