easyMultiple Choice
CAS-004 Practice Question: Needs to ensure consistent configuration across…
An organization needs to ensure consistent configuration across multiple Linux servers. They want to automate this process with a solution that requires minimal agent installation and uses push-based communication. Which approach is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse agent-based tools like Puppet or DSC with agentless ones, or assume that containerization inherently reduces agent footprint, when in fact it introduces its own runtime dependencies.
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 Ansible playbooks to define and enforce server configurations.
Ansible is the most appropriate choice because it is agentless (no agent installation required) and uses push-based communication over SSH to enforce configurations. It uses YAML-based playbooks to define desired states, making it ideal for automating consistent configuration across multiple Linux servers with minimal overhead.
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 PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) with Linux extensions.
Why it's wrong here
PowerShell DSC with Linux extensions needs the Open Management Infrastructure agent installed on every server, and Linux push configuration relies on a pull server model, so it fails the minimal-agent and push requirements. It is tempting because DSC genuinely unifies Windows and Linux configuration in mixed estates.
- ✓
Use Ansible playbooks to define and enforce server configurations.
Why this is correct
Ansible operates agentlessly over SSH, pushing modules to managed Linux nodes on demand, which directly satisfies the minimal-installation and push-based constraints. Playbooks declaratively define and enforce consistent configuration across all servers, unlike pull-based alternatives such as Puppet or Chef that require an installed agent on every node.
- ✗
Run a Docker container on each server with a configuration management tool inside.
Why it's wrong here
A container still requires a Docker runtime and daemon on every host, so agent footprint is not minimised, and the tool inside typically pulls configuration rather than receiving pushes. Agentless push-based configuration management, such as Ansible over SSH, matches the stated requirements.
- ✗
Deploy Puppet with a master server and agents on each system.
Why it's wrong here
Puppet's master-agent architecture requires a Puppet agent installed and running on every managed node, contradicting the minimal-agent requirement, and its default model is agent pull rather than push. Puppet is the right choice when a full agent-based configuration management platform with central reporting is acceptable.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CAS-005 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 CAS-005 exam.