easyMultiple Choice
XK0-006 Practice Question: A technician has just performed system…
A technician has just performed system maintenance and wants to verify that the server has been running continuously for the past 30 days. Which command should the technician use?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates might confuse `uptime` with commands that show service status (`systemctl`) or process lists (`ps`), thinking they can infer system uptime indirectly, but only `uptime` provides the exact boot-to-present duration.
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
✓
uptime
The `uptime` command displays how long the system has been running since the last boot, including the current time, number of logged-in users, and load averages. By checking the output, the technician can verify if the server has been running continuously for the past 30 days (e.g., 'up 30 days'). This directly answers the question without querying logs or processes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
uptime
Why this is correct
`uptime` reads `/proc/uptime` and reports the current time, logged-in users, load averages and, crucially, the elapsed time since the last boot. That single figure directly satisfies the stem's requirement to confirm 30 days of continuous running, unlike `top` or `who`, which show current activity rather than boot duration.
- ✗
systemctl status rsyslog
Why it's wrong here
systemctl status rsyslog reports whether the logging daemon is active and its recent log entries; it does not expose kernel boot time or elapsed uptime. uptime reads that value from the kernel. Checking rsyslog is tempting after maintenance, but a service's state says nothing about how long the system has run.
- ✗
ps aux
Why it's wrong here
ps aux lists running processes with CPU and memory usage; it exposes no boot timestamp or elapsed uptime. The technician needs uptime, which reports current time, elapsed time and load averages. ps aux is tempting as a general system-inspection command, but process listings cannot confirm 30 days of continuous operation.
- ✗
date
Why it's wrong here
date prints the current system date and time only; it carries no record of when the kernel booted, so elapsed runtime cannot be derived. uptime reports the current time, time since boot and load averages directly. date is tempting because it relates to time, but it answers a different question.
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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.