XK0-006 Troubleshooting Practice Question
A system administrator notices that a web server is running but users cannot connect to port 443. Which ss command will show if the server is listening on that port?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is picking a broader flag set like -tuln or -tan that shows sockets but omits either the process owner or the listening-only filter needed to pinpoint port 443.
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
✓
ss -tlnp
The ss command with -tlnp shows TCP sockets (-t), in listening state (-l), with numeric ports (-n), and the owning process (-p). That combination directly answers whether anything is bound to TCP 443 and which process holds it. This is the standard diagnostic for a web server that is running but unreachable on its expected port.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ss -s
Why it's wrong here
ss -s prints only summary socket counts by protocol, so it cannot reveal whether anything is bound to port 443. It is tempting because it gives a quick overview of total sockets, which suits capacity or connection-count checks, but it lists no individual listening endpoints.
- ✓
ss -tlnp
Why this is correct
Shows TCP listening sockets with process info.
- ✗
ss -tuln
Why it's wrong here
This shows listening UDP and TCP, but no process info.
- ✗
ss -tan
Why it's wrong here
ss -tan omits the -l flag, so it lists all TCP sockets in every state rather than only listening ones, burying the port 443 listener among established and time-wait entries. It suits inspecting active connections and their states, not confirming which ports a server is bound to.
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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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