EX294 Manage inventories and credentials Practice Question
A junior admin is troubleshooting why a job template fails with 'Permission denied' when connecting to a target host. The job template uses a machine credential that appears correct. What is the first thing to check?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'Permission denied' with a network or inventory issue, leading them to check the inventory or project sync instead of the credential's authentication details.
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
✓
Check the credential's username and private key / password
The error 'Permission denied' during SSH connection to a target host indicates an authentication failure. Since the machine credential appears correct, the most immediate cause is that the username or private key/password stored in the credential is incorrect or mismatched. This is the first thing to check because the credential directly controls authentication to the target host.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Verify the inventory contains the correct host IP
Why it's wrong here
Permission denied usually indicates authentication failure, not host unreachable.
- ✓
Check the credential's username and private key / password
Why this is correct
The error suggests the credentials are not accepted by the target host.
- ✗
Check the vault credential used in the job template
Why it's wrong here
Vault credentials are not used for SSH authentication.
- ✗
Check the project sync status
Why it's wrong here
Project sync does not affect SSH authentication.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This EX294 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Red Hat 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 EX294 exam.