LFCS Service Configuration Practice Question
A system administrator needs to prevent a service named backup.service from starting automatically at boot, while keeping it available for manual start. The service is currently enabled. Which command should the administrator run?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse disabling a service with masking it, or thinking that stopping a service also disables it from starting at boot.
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 disable backup.service
To prevent automatic startup while retaining the ability to start manually, the service must be disabled. Disabling removes the boot-time symlinks but leaves the unit file intact. Masking would prevent manual start, and stopping or killing only affects the current runtime state.
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 stop backup.service
Why it's wrong here
Stopping the service only terminates the currently running instance. It does not affect whether the service starts at boot. If the service is enabled, it will start again on the next boot. The administrator needs to change the enablement state, not just stop it.
- ✗
systemctl mask backup.service
Why it's wrong here
Masking a service creates a symlink to /dev/null, making it impossible to start even manually. This is too restrictive because the administrator wants to keep the service available for manual start. Masking is used to completely disable a unit, not just prevent automatic startup.
- ✓
systemctl disable backup.service
Why this is correct
Disabling a service removes the symlinks that cause it to start at boot, but the unit file remains available. The administrator can still start it manually with systemctl start. This matches the requirement to prevent automatic startup while allowing manual activation.
- ✗
systemctl kill backup.service
Why it's wrong here
Killing a service sends a signal to its processes, terminating it immediately. This is a forceful stop and does not change the boot behavior. It is not a method to prevent automatic startup and could cause data loss if the service is not stopped gracefully.
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This LFCS question is part of Courseiva's 406-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 Linux Foundation exam blueprint
This LFCS practice question is part of Courseiva's free Linux Foundation 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 LFCS exam.