Before applying VLAN and interface changes, the city NOC wants operators to preview what Ansible would change. Which approach fits the 5.3.a Ansible workflow?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Ansible can dress-rehearse with check/diff—still Ansible—don’t steal Terraform’s “plan” label as the only correct 5.3.a answer.
Full Explanation
Before applying VLAN and interface changes, the city NOC can preview what Ansible would change by including check/diff mode (or a separate review play) so intended changes are visible while remaining inside Ansible. That approach fits 5.3.a because Ansible supports dry-run style workflows—check mode and diff output—letting operators review interface and VLAN deltas without requiring a different IaC tool for the preview step. Municipal change control can gate apply on a reviewed check run.
Replacing the playbook with terraform plan because preview is exclusively a 5.3.b noun fails the item’s Ansible framing: Terraform plan is a different blueprint skill, not the only way to preview, and it does not answer how an Ansible workflow previews. Skipping preview forever because Ansible cannot show intended changes fails conceptually: Ansible can show check/diff results. Requiring a Puppet agent dry-run on every switch before any play runs fails because that imports a different CM agent model unrelated to Ansible network plays.
Exam caveat: check mode is not perfect for every network module side effect—some devices or modules still need careful lab validation—but “use Ansible check/diff or a review play” remains the in-family answer. Operational check: mandate ansible-playbook --check --diff (or controller check runs) against the access_switches group for VLAN/interface plays, archive the diff in the change ticket, then run without check only after civic approval.