Given the provided Puppet code, what will happen with the exec resource?

The reason the exec resource will not run if the onlyif condition does not pass is rooted in how Puppet evaluates exec resources. The onlyif attribute is a guard condition that specifies whether the command within exec should be executed. If this condition evaluates to false, meaning the specified command doesn't return a successful exit code, then Puppet will skip executing the command specified in the exec resource.

In practical applications, this is used to control when a command should be executed based on the state of the system or specific criteria that you define. For instance, if the onlyif condition checks for a certain file's existence or the output of another command, and that check fails, Puppet knows it should not run the command associated with the exec resource.

This behavior ensures that commands are only executed when necessary, preventing unintended changes or actions on the server and enhancing idempotency—an essential concept in configuration management.