EX294 Deploy Ansible Automation Platform Practice Question
An administrator is deploying a redundant Ansible Automation Platform 2.4 cluster with two controller nodes and one database node. They want to ensure that the automation controller remains available if one controller node fails. Which configuration should they implement?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse database high availability with controller node high availability; they are separate components with different redundancy strategies.
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
✓
Configure the two controller nodes behind a load balancer that performs health checks on port 443.
High availability for the automation controller in AAP is achieved by deploying multiple controller nodes behind a load balancer that performs health checks. This ensures that if one node becomes unavailable, traffic is automatically routed to the remaining healthy node, minimizing downtime. Other options do not provide automatic failover for the controller service.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Deploy a single controller node with a hot standby that is manually activated during an outage.
Why it's wrong here
A manually activated standby does not provide automatic failover and would result in downtime while an administrator intervenes. This approach lacks the automated health checks and traffic redirection needed for high availability. It is not a recommended practice for a redundant AAP deployment.
- ✗
Install the automation controller on both nodes and use a shared NFS mount for the project directory.
Why it's wrong here
While sharing project directories can be useful, it does not provide high availability for the controller service itself. If one controller node fails, the service on that node is unavailable unless a load balancer redirects traffic. A shared NFS mount alone does not ensure failover or health monitoring.
- ✓
Configure the two controller nodes behind a load balancer that performs health checks on port 443.
Why this is correct
In a redundant AAP cluster, controller nodes are placed behind a load balancer that distributes traffic and monitors node health. If one node fails, the load balancer routes traffic to the remaining healthy node, maintaining availability. This is the standard high-availability configuration for the automation controller component.
- ✗
Set up database replication between the two controller nodes and configure automatic failover.
Why it's wrong here
Controller nodes do not host the database in a redundant setup; the database is external and typically on a separate node. Replicating databases between controller nodes is not a supported architecture and would not provide controller high availability. The database node itself may have its own redundancy, but that is separate from controller node failover.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Red Hat exam blueprint
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.