Infrastructure as Code and Configuration Management Tools DSE Practice Questions (Page 1)

Questions 1–5

1. 1expert · hard

   A company is migrating from a monolithic application to microservices. They want to use Infrastructure as Code to provision the infrastructure for each microservice independently. They also want to use configuration management to ensure that the base operating system is hardened. They want to avoid duplication of code and ensure consistency across microservices. Which approach should they use?

   • AUse a single Terraform configuration for all microservices and a single Ansible playbook for all servers.
   • BUse Terraform modules to define reusable infrastructure components and Ansible roles for common configuration.
   • CUse Terraform only and skip configuration management, because Terraform can handle hardening.
   • DWrite separate Terraform configurations and Ansible playbooks for each microservice, duplicating code.
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2. 2foundation · easy

   What does it mean for a configuration management tool to be idempotent?

   • AIt automatically rolls back changes if an error occurs
   • BIt can manage multiple servers simultaneously
   • CIt uses a declarative language to define configurations
   • DIt can run the same configuration multiple times without changing the system after the first run
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4. 3application · medium

   A system administrator notices that a configuration management tool is reporting that a server's /etc/nginx/nginx.conf file has been modified outside of the tool. The tool is configured to enforce the desired state. What is the most likely outcome when the tool runs again?

   • AThe tool will detect the drift and revert the file to the desired state.
   • BThe tool will fail with an error and require manual intervention.
   • CThe tool will ignore the change and only report it in the logs.
   • DThe tool will update its record of the desired state to match the current file.
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5. 4expert · medium

   A startup is building a new product and wants to adopt Infrastructure as Code from day one. They have a small team and want to minimize the learning curve. They also want to ensure that their infrastructure is reproducible and that changes are reviewed through code reviews. They are considering using Terraform with a remote state backend. Which additional practice should they adopt to ensure security and compliance?

   • AUse a local state file and share it via email for code reviews.
   • BUse a remote state backend with encryption and access controls, and enable versioning.
   • CAvoid using a state file altogether by using Terraform plan only.
   • DStore the Terraform state file in a version-controlled repository to track changes.
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6. 5application · medium

   A team is evaluating configuration management tools. They have a requirement that the tool must support a 'pull' model where managed nodes periodically check in with a central server to get their configuration. They also want the tool to have a strong reporting capability to show compliance status. Which tool is the best fit?

   • AAnsible, using a pull mode with ansible-pull and a central git repository.
   • BChef, using a client-server model with chef-client running on a schedule.
   • CPuppet, using a master-agent architecture where agents check in periodically.
   • DSaltStack, using a master-minion model with minions checking in.
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