EX294 Practice Question: Create content collections and execution environments
Ansible Builder fails during the build of an execution environment with error: 'No matching manifest for linux/amd64 in the manifest list entries'. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Red Hat often tests the misconception that registry authentication or syntax errors cause all build failures, but here the specific manifest list error is a clear indicator of an architecture mismatch, not a credential or syntax problem.
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 base image specified is incompatible with the host architecture.
The error 'No matching manifest for linux/amd64 in the manifest list entries' indicates that the base image specified in the execution environment definition file does not have a container image manifest for the host's CPU architecture (linux/amd64). Ansible Builder pulls the base image from a registry, and if that image only supports other architectures (e.g., linux/arm64), the build fails. This is a common issue when using a base image built for a different platform.
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 ansible-builder version is too old.
Why it's wrong here
An outdated ansible-builder still resolves and pulls images; version drift produces schema or dependency errors, not a manifest-list rejection. The error comes from the registry lacking an amd64 image. Upgrading is correct when a definition file uses newer builder syntax.
- ✗
The definition file has invalid syntax.
Why it's wrong here
Invalid YAML or schema violations fail during definition parsing, before any container pull occurs. This error arrives from the registry during image resolution, so the file parsed successfully. Syntax checking is the right step when the build aborts with parse or validation messages.
- ✗
The container registry requires authentication.
Why it's wrong here
Authentication failures surface as 401 Unauthorized or pull-access-denied errors, not manifest-list mismatches. The registry answered the request and reported no amd64 variant. Credentials would be the cause when the build cannot authenticate to a private registry at all.
- ✓
The base image specified is incompatible with the host architecture.
Why this is correct
The base image's manifest list lacks a linux/amd64 entry, so the container runtime cannot resolve a matching image for the host's architecture. Ansible Builder pulls the specified base image during execution environment creation, and this architecture mismatch halts the build before dependency installation begins.
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