XK0-006 Automation, Orchestration, and Scripting Practice Question
A Linux administrator is configuring a systemd timer to run a maintenance script daily. The administrator creates maint.service and maint.timer unit files, then runs systemctl start maint.timer. The script does not run at the expected time. Which command should the administrator run to enable the timer so it starts automatically at boot and triggers on schedule?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse systemctl start, which activates a unit only for the current session, with systemctl enable, which ensures the unit starts at boot.
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
✓
systemctl enable maint.timer
A systemd timer must be enabled, not merely started, to be activated at boot. Enabling creates the appropriate symlink in the timer's target directory so systemd starts it automatically, and the timer then triggers the associated service according to its OnCalendar or OnUnitActiveSec schedule. Enabling the service or reloading the unit does not achieve persistent scheduled execution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
systemctl reload maint.timer
Why it's wrong here
Reloading re-reads the unit file after a configuration change but does not create the boot-time activation symlink. The timer would remain a session-only activation and would not survive a reboot, so the daily schedule would still be unreliable across system restarts.
- ✗
systemctl enable maint.service
Why it's wrong here
Enabling the service makes systemd start the service directly at boot, bypassing the timer's schedule entirely. The service is meant to be triggered by the timer, not started independently, so this action would run the script at boot and ignore the daily timing configured in the timer unit.
- ✓
systemctl enable maint.timer
Why this is correct
Enabling a timer creates the symlink needed for it to be started at boot by systemd, allowing its schedule to fire reliably. Starting a timer only activates it for the current session; enabling ensures persistence across reboots, which is required for a recurring daily maintenance task in this scenario.
- ✗
systemctl daemon-reexec
Why it's wrong here
This command re-executes the systemd manager process itself, typically after a systemd upgrade or to apply manager-level changes. It does not enable units or create boot symlinks, so it does nothing to make the maint.timer start automatically at boot or fire on its daily schedule.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Installing Linux and Package Management
Key term
Linux
Linux is an open-source operating system that manages computer hardware and software, widely used in servers, desktops, and embedded systems.
Key term
systemd
systemd is a system and service manager for Linux operating systems that initializes and manages processes, services, and system resources after the kernel boots.
About these practice questions
This XK0-006 question is part of Courseiva's 781-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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.