EX294 Practice Question: Create content collections and execution environments
Your organization is migrating from manually maintained control nodes to using execution environments. You have created an execution environment that includes all necessary collections and Python dependencies. You want to ensure that developers use this execution environment when running playbooks. You have configured ansible-navigator on their workstations. However, some developers report that when they run a playbook, it uses the local installation of Ansible instead of the execution environment. What should you check first?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often focus on configuration details (like the image path in the config file) or container status, missing the fundamental point that the command itself (`ansible-playbook` vs `ansible-navigator run`) determines whether the execution environment is used.
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
✓
Ensure that the developers are using the 'ansible-navigator run' command instead of 'ansible-playbook'.
`ansible-navigator` is the CLI tool designed to run Ansible inside an execution environment. If developers run `ansible-playbook` directly, it uses the locally installed Ansible, bypassing the execution environment entirely. The question states that `ansible-navigator` is configured on their workstations, but the developers must use the `ansible-navigator run` subcommand to invoke playbooks within the containerized environment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Confirm that the developers have installed ansible-builder locally.
Why it's wrong here
ansible-builder only constructs execution environment images; its absence would prevent building the image, not cause playbooks to run against local Ansible. It is tempting because builder is part of the execution environment workflow, but the symptom concerns runtime selection, not image creation.
- ✓
Ensure that the developers are using the 'ansible-navigator run' command instead of 'ansible-playbook'.
Why this is correct
ansible-navigator run executes playbooks inside the configured execution environment, whereas ansible-playbook uses the locally installed Ansible. Verifying the command used directly addresses the reported behaviour of falling back to local Ansible despite correct navigator configuration.
- ✗
Verify that the ansible-navigator configuration file points to the correct execution environment image.
Why it's wrong here
The navigator config file specifies the default execution environment image; if it names the wrong image or none, ansible-navigator falls back to local Ansible. Checking it is tempting because configuration errors are common, but the reported symptom points to invocation mode instead.
- ✗
Check that the execution environment container is running on the developers' machines.
Why it's wrong here
ansible-navigator runs the execution environment as a container per invocation, so nothing needs to be running beforehand; the real check is whether the execution-environment image and pull policy are set in ansible-navigator.yml. Containerising is the right approach when you deliberately want isolated, reproducible dependencies.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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