EX200 Deploy, configure, and maintain systems Practice Question
Which THREE are valid methods to configure network bonding in RHEL 9? (Choose exactly three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates familiar with RHEL 7 or 8 may still expect `ifcfg-*` files or `teamd` to be valid, but RHEL 9 has fully removed both, making only NetworkManager-based methods (files, nmcli, nmtui) correct.
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
✓
Using a configuration file in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/.
In RHEL 9, NetworkManager stores connection profiles in `/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/`. You can manually create a bond configuration file in this directory with the proper key-value pairs (e.g., `type=bond`, `bond.options=mode=1,miimon=100`), and NetworkManager will read it on restart or reload. This is a valid method for configuring network bonding.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Using a configuration file in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/.
Why this is correct
This is valid because NetworkManager persists every connection profile as a keyfile in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/. You can manually create a file like bond0.nmconnection with a [bond] section, specify the interface-name and bond mode, then run `nmcli connection reload` and `nmcli connection up bond0`. NetworkManager reads these files natively on RHEL 8/9.
- ✓
Using nmcli to create a bond connection.
Why this is correct
nmcli is the command-line front-end for NetworkManager and supports creating bond profiles directly. For example, `nmcli connection add type bond ifname bond0 mode active-backup` creates the bond, and subsequent `nmcli connection add type ethernet ifname eth1 master bond0` attaches slave interfaces. This is a fully supported method and is the preferred way to script network configuration.
- ✓
Using nmtui interactive interface.
Why this is correct
nmtui provides a full-screen text interface that walks you through adding a new connection, choosing 'Bond', setting the bonded interface name and mode, and selecting slave interfaces from an interactive list. It edits the same NetworkManager connection profiles stored in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/ in the background, making it a legitimate alternative to nmcli for manual configuration.
- ✗
Using the teamd service.
Why it's wrong here
teamd is a user-space daemon that manages 'team' devices, a distinct link-aggregation mechanism built around the kernel team driver. It does not create bond interfaces; instead it configures teaming with its own syntax and is administered via teamdctl. On RHEL, teaming is also being deprecated, so using teamd is not a valid way to configure network bonding.
- ✗
Editing /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-bond0 directly.
Why it's wrong here
On RHEL 8 and later, the legacy network-scripts package is deprecated and NetworkManager no longer reads ifcfg files by default unless NetworkManager.conf specifies `plugins=ifcfg-rh`. Manually editing /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-bond0 without also creating slave ifcfg files, and without NetworkManager managing those devices, is unsupported and will not reliably bring up a bond.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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