easyMultiple Choice
CV0-004 Practice Question: A cloud administrator needs to automate the…
A cloud administrator needs to automate the process of patching multiple virtual machines in a private cloud. Which of the following is the best tool for this purpose?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse hypervisor-level automation (scheduled tasks in the console) with guest OS automation, forgetting that patching requires executing commands inside the VM, which hypervisor tools cannot do natively.
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
✓
Ansible playbook
An Ansible playbook is the best tool for automating patching across multiple VMs because it is agentless, uses SSH for Linux or WinRM for Windows, and supports idempotent execution. This allows the administrator to define the desired patch state declaratively and apply it consistently across the entire fleet without manual intervention.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Virtual machine templates
Why it's wrong here
Templates standardise the initial build of a VM; they do not push patches to already-running machines. It is tempting because templates are a core provisioning tool and bake in a patched baseline, and they would be correct where the requirement is deploying new, consistently configured VMs rather than updating existing ones.
- ✓
Ansible playbook
Why this is correct
Ansible playbooks are agentless, connecting over SSH or WinRM to run idempotent patch tasks across many VMs simultaneously. This satisfies the agentless, multi-VM automation constraint, unlike manual patching or single-host scripting, and requires no persistent agent installation on each target.
- ✗
SSH with manual commands
Why it's wrong here
SSH with manual commands requires an administrator to run each patch by hand on every VM, which is not automation. It is tempting because SSH is the standard remote-access mechanism and works fine for one-off patching, and it would be correct where only a single host needs an occasional manual update.
- ✗
Scheduled tasks in the hypervisor management console
Why it's wrong here
Hypervisor scheduled tasks can power operations or snapshots, but they do not execute in-guest patch installation across heterogeneous VMs. It is tempting because scheduling is central to automation, and it would be correct where the task is a hypervisor-level action such as snapshotting or starting VMs.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CV0-004 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 CV0-004 exam.