WGU D417 – NETWORK AUTOMATION AND
DEPLOYMENT (BGN4) Task 1 & 2 Study
Guide | 2026 Edition with Complete
Solutions
,PART 1: AUTOMATION PROPOSAL & IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Question 1: According to the problem description, which of the following is a
challenge of manual network management?
A) Increased human error during configuration changes
B) Faster deployment of changes
C) Consistent device configurations
D) Better scalability
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔: A) Increased human error during configuration
changes
Rationale: Manual CLI changes are prone to typos and misconfigurations, leading
to downtime and security issues.
Question 2: The proposed automation solution uses which two primary tools?
A) PowerShell and Chef
B) Python and Ansible
C) Bash and Puppet
D) Java and SaltStack
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔: B) Python and Ansible
Rationale: The document specifies Python for scripting/API interaction and
Ansible for configuration management.
Question 3: Why is Ansible well-suited for network automation?
A) It requires an agent installed on each network device
B) It is agentless and uses SSH
C) It only works with Windows devices
D) It cannot handle Cisco devices
,Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔: B) It is agentless and uses SSH
Rationale: Ansible connects via SSH (or API) without needing a client agent, ideal
for network devices.
Question 4: Which file format is used to define Ansible automation playbooks?
A) JSON
B) XML
C) YAML
D) INI
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔: C) YAML
Rationale: Ansible playbooks are written in YAML (Yet Another Markup
Language).
Question 5: List four challenges of manual network management mentioned in the
problem description.
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔:
1. Human error during configuration changes
2. Time-consuming repetitive tasks
3. Inconsistent device configurations across the network
4. Limited scalability when managing multiple devices
Question 6: What are the three main hardware/software requirements specified for
the automation solution?
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔:
• Network devices (routers/switches – Cisco or similar)
• Automation server (Linux-based recommended)
, • Python 3.x, Ansible, SSH enabled, Git (optional)
Question 7: The implementation plan includes six steps. List them in order.
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔:
1. Environment Setup
2. Inventory Configuration
3. Create Automation Playbooks
4. Testing
5. Deployment
6. Documentation
Question 8: In the sample Ansible playbook, what does the hosts: routers directive
specify?
A) The playbook will run on all devices in the “routers” group
B) The playbook will only run on a single router
C) The playbook will configure switch ports
D) The playbook will gather facts from routers
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔: A) The playbook will run on all devices in the
“routers” group
Rationale: The inventory defines groups; hosts: routers targets that group.
Question 9: The sample Python script uses the netmiko library. What is its
purpose?
A) To create virtual network interfaces
B) To simplify SSH connections to network devices
DEPLOYMENT (BGN4) Task 1 & 2 Study
Guide | 2026 Edition with Complete
Solutions
,PART 1: AUTOMATION PROPOSAL & IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Question 1: According to the problem description, which of the following is a
challenge of manual network management?
A) Increased human error during configuration changes
B) Faster deployment of changes
C) Consistent device configurations
D) Better scalability
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔: A) Increased human error during configuration
changes
Rationale: Manual CLI changes are prone to typos and misconfigurations, leading
to downtime and security issues.
Question 2: The proposed automation solution uses which two primary tools?
A) PowerShell and Chef
B) Python and Ansible
C) Bash and Puppet
D) Java and SaltStack
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔: B) Python and Ansible
Rationale: The document specifies Python for scripting/API interaction and
Ansible for configuration management.
Question 3: Why is Ansible well-suited for network automation?
A) It requires an agent installed on each network device
B) It is agentless and uses SSH
C) It only works with Windows devices
D) It cannot handle Cisco devices
,Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔: B) It is agentless and uses SSH
Rationale: Ansible connects via SSH (or API) without needing a client agent, ideal
for network devices.
Question 4: Which file format is used to define Ansible automation playbooks?
A) JSON
B) XML
C) YAML
D) INI
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔: C) YAML
Rationale: Ansible playbooks are written in YAML (Yet Another Markup
Language).
Question 5: List four challenges of manual network management mentioned in the
problem description.
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔:
1. Human error during configuration changes
2. Time-consuming repetitive tasks
3. Inconsistent device configurations across the network
4. Limited scalability when managing multiple devices
Question 6: What are the three main hardware/software requirements specified for
the automation solution?
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔:
• Network devices (routers/switches – Cisco or similar)
• Automation server (Linux-based recommended)
, • Python 3.x, Ansible, SSH enabled, Git (optional)
Question 7: The implementation plan includes six steps. List them in order.
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔:
1. Environment Setup
2. Inventory Configuration
3. Create Automation Playbooks
4. Testing
5. Deployment
6. Documentation
Question 8: In the sample Ansible playbook, what does the hosts: routers directive
specify?
A) The playbook will run on all devices in the “routers” group
B) The playbook will only run on a single router
C) The playbook will configure switch ports
D) The playbook will gather facts from routers
Correct ✔✔ Answer✔✔: A) The playbook will run on all devices in the
“routers” group
Rationale: The inventory defines groups; hosts: routers targets that group.
Question 9: The sample Python script uses the netmiko library. What is its
purpose?
A) To create virtual network interfaces
B) To simplify SSH connections to network devices
