EX294 Deploy Ansible Automation Platform Practice Question
An administrator is deploying Ansible Automation Platform 2.4 with an external PostgreSQL database. The database administrator has created a database named `awx` and a user named `awx`, and has confirmed network connectivity from the AAP controller node to the database on port 5432. When the administrator runs the installer, the setup playbook fails during the database migration step with a permission error. Which configuration value is most likely missing or incorrect?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is focusing on network reachability after it has already been proven, instead of checking PostgreSQL's host-based authentication rules that govern whether the user is allowed to connect.
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 `pg_hba.conf` on the database server does not permit the `awx` user to connect from the controller's IP address
When TCP connectivity to PostgreSQL is confirmed but the installer fails on database operations, the problem is almost always authorization. PostgreSQL's host-based authentication rules in `pg_hba.conf` determine whether the `awx` user may connect from the controller's address with the configured authentication method. Adding an appropriate host entry, then reloading PostgreSQL, resolves the migration failure.
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 AAP installer requires the database password to be stored in an Ansible Vault file referenced by `vault_password_file` in the inventory
Why it's wrong here
The installer accepts the database password as a plaintext variable in the inventory, such as `pg_password`. While Ansible Vault can encrypt inventory variables, the installer does not require a vault password file to be referenced. A missing vault configuration would produce a decryption error, not a database permission error during migration.
- ✗
The `postgresql.conf` file on the database server has `listen_addresses` set to `localhost` only
Why it's wrong here
If `listen_addresses` were limited to `localhost`, the controller could not establish a TCP connection on port 5432 at all. The scenario states connectivity on port 5432 has already been confirmed, so the listener is accepting remote connections. The remaining failure must therefore be an authorization issue rather than a binding issue.
- ✓
The `pg_hba.conf` on the database server does not permit the `awx` user to connect from the controller's IP address
Why this is correct
PostgreSQL uses `pg_hba.conf` to control which users may connect from which client addresses and with which authentication method. Even with a valid user and open port, a missing or restrictive host-based rule for the controller's address causes authentication or permission failures during migration. This is the classic cause when connectivity tests succeed but the installer's database operations fail.
- ✗
The `awx` database was created with the `TEMPLATE template0` option instead of `TEMPLATE template1`
Why it's wrong here
The template used when creating a database affects initial contents and encoding, not connection permissions. The installer does not require `template1` specifically, and a database created from `template0` works fine as long as encoding and locale are compatible. This would not produce a permission error during migration, so it is not the likely cause.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every EX294 question from scratch — 392 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.