XK0-006 Automation, Orchestration, and Scripting Practice Question
A Linux administrator needs a scheduled task to run a backup script at 02:30 every day of the week. The system uses cron, and the administrator is editing the crontab for the `backup` user. Which crontab entry accomplishes this?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is reversing the minute and hour fields, since the larger-looking number is often mistaken for the hour.
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
✓
30 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/backup.sh
A standard crontab line places minute first, then hour, day-of-month, month, and day-of-week. The requested 02:30 daily schedule requires minute 30 and hour 2 with asterisks in the remaining fields. Transposing the time fields, restricting the day of month, or leaving the minute as a wildcard all produce schedules that do not run the backup once daily at the intended time.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
30 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/backup.sh
Why this is correct
The five fields of a crontab entry are minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week. `30 2 * * *` means minute 30 of hour 2 (02:30) on every day of every month and every day of the week. This matches the requirement to run the backup script daily at 02:30.
- ✗
2 30 * * * /usr/local/bin/backup.sh
Why it's wrong here
This entry specifies minute 2 of hour 30, which is not a valid hour value because cron hours range from 0 to 23. Even if accepted by some implementations, it would not run at 02:30. The fields are transposed relative to the requested schedule, so the backup would not execute at the intended time.
- ✗
30 2 1 * * /usr/local/bin/backup.sh
Why it's wrong here
This entry runs at 02:30 on the first day of each month only, because the day-of-month field is set to 1 rather than an asterisk. The administrator needs a daily backup, so this schedule would skip every day except the first. The time portion is correct but the day restriction is wrong.
- ✗
* 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/backup.sh
Why it's wrong here
This entry runs the script every minute during the 02:00 hour, resulting in sixty executions instead of one. The minute field must be a specific value or list to run once. It does not match the requested 02:30 single daily execution and would cause excessive and unintended backup runs.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
System Backup and Recovery
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
crontab
Crontab is a time-based job scheduler in Unix-like operating systems that allows users to automate the execution of scripts or commands at specified intervals.
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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
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