LFCS Service Configuration Practice Question
Which three of the following are valid reasons to use 'systemctl mask' instead of 'systemctl disable'? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'disable' with 'mask', thinking both prevent manual start, but only 'mask' ensures that even explicit 'systemctl start' commands fail.
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
✓
To ensure that even 'systemctl start' fails.
'systemctl mask' creates a symlink from the unit file to /dev/null, which causes all attempts to start the service (including 'systemctl start') to fail silently. This is a stronger action than 'systemctl disable', which only removes the symlinks that enable automatic startup but still allows manual starting via 'systemctl start'.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
To hide the service from status commands.
Why it's wrong here
Masked units are still visible in systemctl status.
- ✗
To make the service completely unavailable to the system.
Why it's wrong here
This is true but too general; the question asks for specific reasons.
- ✓
To ensure that even 'systemctl start' fails.
Why this is correct
Masking causes start to fail; disable does not.
- ✓
To prevent the service from being enabled via any dependency.
Why this is correct
Masking stops dependency activation; disable only removes current symlinks.
- ✓
To prevent the service from being started manually.
Why this is correct
Masking prevents manual start; disable does not.
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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.