Question 280 of 528

Manage automation security and operations →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Resolving Host Connection Failures Due to Incorrect SSH Key Credentials

This EX294 practice question tests your understanding of manage automation security and operations. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.

A company has deployed Ansible Automation Platform with a single automation controller node. The operations team uses a workflow that includes three job templates: A, B, and C, each requiring different credentials. Recently, the workflow started failing intermittently with errors such as 'Timeout' and 'Connection refused' on certain hosts. The inventory is dynamic from a cloud provider. The administrator checks that the credentials are valid and the hosts are online. The job execution history shows that the failures occur only when the workflow attempts to run job template B on a subset of hosts that are located in a different subnet. Job templates A and C run fine on all hosts. What is the most likely cause and the best course of action?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

A
The hosts in the problematic subnet are not reachable due to a firewall; add those hosts to a separate inventory and use a different cloud credential.
Why wrong: This is incorrect because a firewall would affect all job templates, not just B. Also, adding hosts to a separate inventory and using a different cloud credential does not address the connection refused error.
B
The credential used by job template B is associated with an incorrect SSH key for those hosts; create a new credential for that subnet and update the job template.
Why wrong: This is incorrect because an incorrect SSH key results in 'Permission denied (publickey)', not 'Connection refused'. The error indicates a TCP connection failure, not an authentication failure.
C
The automation controller does not have network access to the problematic subnet; install a second automation controller node in that subnet and configure clustering.
This is correct as it identifies the most likely cause: network access limitation from the controller to the subnet. The solution of adding a second controller node directly addresses the connectivity problem.
D
The job template B requires a sudo escalation that is not configured on those hosts; update the playbook to use become_method: su.
Why wrong: This is incorrect because sudo escalation issues cause permission denied or authentication errors after connection, not 'Connection refused' or 'Timeout'.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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 automation controller does not have network access to the problematic subnet; install a second automation controller node in that subnet and configure clustering.

Option C is correct because the errors 'Connection refused' and 'Timeout' on a specific subnet indicate a network connectivity issue, not an authentication problem. Since job templates A and C run fine on all hosts, the issue is specific to job template B possibly using a different SSH port or network path that is blocked in that subnet. Installing a second automation controller node in that subnet and configuring clustering would provide direct network access to resolve the connectivity failure.

Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

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 hosts in the problematic subnet are not reachable due to a firewall; add those hosts to a separate inventory and use a different cloud credential.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because a firewall would affect all job templates, not just B. Also, adding hosts to a separate inventory and using a different cloud credential does not address the connection refused error.
✗
The credential used by job template B is associated with an incorrect SSH key for those hosts; create a new credential for that subnet and update the job template.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because an incorrect SSH key results in 'Permission denied (publickey)', not 'Connection refused'. The error indicates a TCP connection failure, not an authentication failure.
✓
The automation controller does not have network access to the problematic subnet; install a second automation controller node in that subnet and configure clustering.
Why this is correct
This is correct as it identifies the most likely cause: network access limitation from the controller to the subnet. The solution of adding a second controller node directly addresses the connectivity problem.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The job template B requires a sudo escalation that is not configured on those hosts; update the playbook to use become_method: su.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because sudo escalation issues cause permission denied or authentication errors after connection, not 'Connection refused' or 'Timeout'.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates confuse network-level connectivity issues (firewall, routing) with authentication-level failures, assuming 'Connection refused' always means a firewall block rather than an SSH key rejection or credential mismatch.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

When Ansible connects via SSH, it uses the private key or password specified in the credential. If the public key is not deployed on the target host or the password is incorrect, SSH returns 'Permission denied' or 'Connection refused' after timeout. The intermittent nature could be due to load balancer or DNS resolution issues on that subnet, but the credential mismatch is the most direct cause given the pattern. In real-world scenarios, different subnets may use different SSH key pairs for security segmentation, and a single credential cannot authenticate across all.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.

TExam Day Tips

Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Key takeaway

Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A network engineer segments a warehouse floor into three subnets: 20 scanners, 5 printers, and 2 management hosts. Picking the wrong mask wastes addresses or leaves too few usable hosts. Exam questions test whether you can apply CIDR notation, calculate block size, and identify the correct usable-host range for a given prefix.

Visual reference

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this EX294 question test?

Manage automation security and operations — This question tests Manage automation security and operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: The automation controller does not have network access to the problematic subnet; install a second automation controller node in that subnet and configure clustering. — Option C is correct because the errors 'Connection refused' and 'Timeout' on a specific subnet indicate a network connectivity issue, not an authentication problem. Since job templates A and C run fine on all hosts, the issue is specific to job template B possibly using a different SSH port or network path that is blocked in that subnet. Installing a second automation controller node in that subnet and configuring clustering would provide direct network access to resolve the connectivity failure.

What should I do if I get this EX294 question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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