OSPI Certified: Ansible Administrator

Exam objectives

The OSPI Certified: Ansible Administrator examination assesses practical configuration management and automation on live Linux hosts. Candidates write and run Ansible playbooks against multiple managed nodes in an isolated lab environment.

1. 1. Inventory, ad hoc commands, and playbook structure (25%)
   • Define static inventory groups and host variables
   • Run ad hoc modules for discovery and targeted changes
   • Author playbooks with clear task ordering and naming
   • Verify connectivity and privilege escalation behavior
2. 2. Variables, templates, handlers, and roles (25%)
   • Use variables, facts, and conditionals appropriately
   • Render configuration from Jinja2 templates
   • Trigger handlers only when state changes require them
   • Organize reusable automation into roles with defined interfaces
3. 3. Package, service, file, and user operations (25%)
   • Install packages and manage services to required states
   • Deploy files, directories, and permissions safely
   • Manage local users, groups, and sudo-related configuration
   • Apply firewall or sysctl changes where required by the scenario
4. 4. Idempotency, troubleshooting, and change discipline (25%)
   • Interpret playbook output and correct failed tasks
   • Re-run playbooks without introducing unintended drift
   • Validate end-state on all managed hosts
   • Document applied changes suitable for production handoff