XK0-006 System Management Practice Question
A Linux engineer is troubleshooting a boot issue. The system boots to a command-line interface but does not start the graphical interface. Which systemd target should be set as default to boot into a graphical environment?
⚠ Common exam trap
XK0-006 often tests the mapping between systemd targets and old runlevels — candidates confuse multi-user.target (runlevel 3, CLI) with graphical.target (runlevel 5, GUI) and pick multi-user because it sounds more complete.
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
✓
graphical.target
graphical.target is the systemd target that starts the graphical login manager and desktop environment (it pulls in multi-user.target plus the display manager). Setting it as the default with 'systemctl set-default graphical.target' causes the system to boot into the GUI. The current default can be verified with 'systemctl get-default'.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
emergency.target
Why it's wrong here
emergency.target launches a minimal single-user shell with only the root filesystem mounted, so no graphical session starts. It is tempting as a rescue mode for repairing a broken system, and would be correct when recovering from boot failures.
- ✗
rescue.target
Why it's wrong here
rescue.target starts a single-user maintenance shell with minimal services and no display manager, so it cannot provide a graphical session. It is the correct target for repairing a broken system. graphical.target is the target that pulls in the display manager and desktop.
- ✓
graphical.target
Why this is correct
Setting the default to graphical.target pulls in multi-user.target plus the display manager and graphical session units, satisfying the stem's requirement to boot into a graphical environment rather than the command-line interface. systemctl set-default graphical.target makes this persistent across reboots, resolving the boot issue.
- ✗
multi-user.target
Why it's wrong here
Setting multi-user.target as default starts only non-graphical services, leaving the display manager unstarted, so the boot issue persists. It is tempting because multi-user.target is the standard choice for headless servers needing networking and login shells without a GUI, which is precisely when it would be correct.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
System Troubleshooting and Performance Tuning
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.
Key term
GUI
A Graphical User Interface (GUI) is a visual way for users to interact with a computer or device using icons, buttons, and windows instead of typing text commands.
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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
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.