A team lead wants to explain to stakeholders how configuration management differs from patch management, since the two are often mentioned together. Which statement best captures the essential difference?
- AConfiguration management applies only to network devices, while patch management applies only to end-user workstations and servers
- BConfiguration management is performed once at deployment, while patch management is the same activity repeated on a monthly schedule
- CConfiguration management encrypts stored configuration files, while patch management verifies the digital signatures on those same files
- DConfiguration management controls and tracks the approved settings and state of systems, while patch management specifically handles the deployment of vendor updates that fix flaws Correct
Why A is wrong: This invents a device-based split that does not exist; both practices apply across servers, workstations, and network gear, so the distinction it draws is false.
Why B is wrong: Configuration management is a continuous discipline rather than a one-time task, and calling patch management merely a repeat of it collapses two distinct practices, so the description is inaccurate.
Why C is wrong: Encryption and signature checking are supporting security techniques, not the definitions of these disciplines, so this conflates specific mechanisms with the practices themselves and misses the real difference.
Why D is correct: Configuration management is the broad discipline of establishing, recording, and controlling approved system settings and changes; patch management is the narrower activity of testing and deploying vendor fixes, which is one input to that discipline.