You must apply the same switch configuration to 200 switches without drift. What is the right approach?
Why C is the answer
Declarative automation such as Ansible, kept in version control
Automation from a versioned source of truth prevents drift and makes changes repeatable.
In detail
- Automation in version control avoids drift.
- Manual changes cause drift.
Use case
An illustrative scenario, not a real incident.
A team applies one configuration to 200 switches through Ansible, from version control.
See it in different ways
flowchart LR A["Inventory and variables"] --> B["Playbook"] B --> C["Render NVUE configuration"] C --> D["Apply to switches"] D --> E["Verify"]
sequenceDiagram participant G as Git participant A as Ansible participant S as Switches G->>A: Playbook and variables A->>S: Applies the desired state A->>S: Second run reports no changes
flowchart LR S0["Change in Git"] --> S1["Review"] --> S2["Ansible applies"] --> S3["All switches match"]
Key point: Automation prevents drift.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Configure each one by hand over the console using a checklist
- Hand changes drift.
- B. Copy and paste from a text file kept on a jump host
- Pasting drifts.
- D. Change one switch and let LLDP spread the settings
- Copying one switch by hand drifts.