XK0-006 System Management Practice Question
An administrator wants to change the default systemd target to multi-user.target so the system boots to a text console. Which command should be used?
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 set-default multi-user.target
systemctl set-default multi-user.target sets the default target. systemctl isolate changes the current target but not the default. enable and mask are for services, not targets.
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 isolate multi-user.target
Why it's wrong here
isolate starts the named target immediately in the running session without altering the default boot target, so the change does not persist across reboots. It is correct when switching the current system state on demand, not when setting what systemd activates at startup.
- ✓
systemctl set-default multi-user.target
Why this is correct
systemctl set-default multi-user.target writes the default target symlink, so systemd boots to a text console on subsequent starts. This directly satisfies the requirement to change the default boot target persistently, unlike isolate, which only affects the running session.
- ✗
systemctl enable multi-user.target
Why it's wrong here
systemctl enable only creates symlinks so the target is started at boot; it does not change the default target the system boots into. It is tempting because enable is the verb associated with making a unit persistent, which is the correct approach for enabling services, not for switching the default target.
- ✗
systemctl mask multi-user.target
Why it's wrong here
Masking multi-user.target prevents it from being started at all, so the system cannot boot into it; masking is for disabling unwanted units, not selecting a default. Setting the default requires systemctl set-default multi-user.target, which repoints the default.target symlink.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
User and Group Administration
Key term
User
A user is any person, system, or device that interacts with an IT service, resource, or identity system, typically authenticated through credentials and authorized to perform specific actions.
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.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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