hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CV0-004 Practice Question: A cloud operations team uses a configuration…
A cloud operations team uses a configuration management tool (e.g., Chef, Puppet) to manage a fleet of Linux servers in a public cloud. After a recent update, the team notices that some servers are failing to apply the new configuration. The logs on the failing servers show connection timeouts to the configuration management server. Other servers in the same subnet and security group apply configurations successfully. The configuration management server is reachable from the admin's workstation. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?
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 failing servers have a misconfigured DNS resolver.
A misconfigured DNS resolver on the failing servers can cause hostname resolution failures, leading to connection timeouts when trying to reach the configuration management server by hostname. This explains why only some servers are affected, as DNS configuration can vary per server. Option A is wrong because if the agent were missing, logs would show errors like 'agent not found' or 'service not installed', not connection timeouts. Option B is wrong because an expired certificate would typically cause SSL/TLS errors, not generic connection timeouts, and would likely affect all servers. Option C is wrong because all servers share the same security group, so outbound firewall rules are identical; the issue is not a firewall block.
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 failing servers are missing the configuration management agent.
Why it's wrong here
Missing agent logs would show agent not found or not running, not connection timeouts.
- ✗
The configuration management server certificate has expired.
Why it's wrong here
An expired certificate would cause SSL errors, not just timeouts, and would affect all servers.
- ✗
The failing servers have a firewall rule blocking outbound connections.
Why it's wrong here
Since other servers in the same subnet and security group work, firewall rules are not the issue.
- ✓
The failing servers have a misconfigured DNS resolver.
Why this is correct
DNS misconfiguration prevents the server from resolving the configuration management server's hostname, causing timeouts.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 977 original CV0-004 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.