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XK0-006 Practice Question: A cron job that runs a backup script at 2 AM has…
A cron job that runs a backup script at 2 AM has not been executing. The syslog shows no errors from cron. What is the most likely reason the job is not running?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume cron errors must appear in syslog if a job fails, but if the daemon itself is not running, there is no process to generate logs, making the absence of errors a key clue.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The cron daemon (crond) is not running
The most likely reason is that the cron daemon (crond) is not running. Cron jobs are executed by the cron daemon, which must be active in the background to read the crontab files and launch scheduled tasks. If crond is stopped or not started, no cron jobs will run, and syslog may not show cron-related errors because the daemon is not logging activity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The system time zone is incorrect
Why it's wrong here
Would still attempt at the wrong time, but logs would show.
- ✗
The filesystem is full
Why it's wrong here
Would show 'no space left' errors.
- ✓
The cron daemon (crond) is not running
Why this is correct
Cron jobs require the daemon to be active.
- ✗
The script has incorrect permissions
Why it's wrong here
Would cause a 'permission denied' error in logs.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
System Backup and Recovery
Key term
Syslog
Syslog is a standard protocol used to send and store log messages from network devices and servers to a central logging server for monitoring and troubleshooting.
Key term
cron
Cron is a time-based job scheduler in Unix-like operating systems that automatically runs commands or scripts at specified dates and times.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This XK0-006 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the XK0-006 exam.