LFCS Service Configuration Practice Question
Which command enables a service to start automatically at boot in a systemd-based system?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse `systemctl enable` (which configures automatic boot-time startup) with `systemctl start` (which runs the service immediately but does not persist across reboots), leading candidates to incorrectly choose option D.
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 enable service
The `systemctl enable` command creates the necessary symlinks in the `/etc/systemd/system/` directory tree (typically `multi-user.target.wants/`) to ensure the specified service unit is started automatically when the system boots. This is the standard mechanism in systemd to configure a service for automatic startup at boot time.
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 enable service
Why this is correct
Enables the service to start at boot.
- ✗
systemctl set-default service
Why it's wrong here
Not a valid systemctl command.
- ✗
systemctl daemon-reload
Why it's wrong here
Reloads systemd configuration, does not enable.
- ✗
systemctl start service
Why it's wrong here
Starts the service now but not at boot.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.