LPIC-1 System Architecture Practice Question
A small office server running Ubuntu 20.04 experiences a gradual time drift. The system clock loses about 2 minutes per week. The hardware clock (RTC) is maintained by the motherboard battery and appears accurate when checked manually. The sysadmin wants to ensure the system clock stays synchronized automatically. Which single action should be taken? Options: A) Run 'timedatectl set-ntp true' to enable systemd-timesyncd, B) Add 'hwclock --hctosys' to /etc/rc.local, C) Install and configure the ntp package with a pool server, D) Use 'cron' to run ntpdate every minute.
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume the full ntp package is always required for time synchronization, overlooking that systemd-timesyncd is the default and sufficient for basic NTP sync on modern Ubuntu systems.
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
✓
Run 'timedatectl set-ntp true' to enable systemd-timesyncd
On Ubuntu 20.04, systemd-timesyncd is the default NTP client. Running 'timedatectl set-ntp true' (option A) activates it, which automatically synchronizes the system clock with NTP servers, correcting the gradual drift without needing additional packages or manual cron jobs. This is the simplest and most appropriate single action for automatic time sync on a modern systemd-based distribution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Run 'timedatectl set-ntp true' to enable systemd-timesyncd
Why this is correct
On Ubuntu 20.04, systemd-timesyncd is the default NTP client. Running 'timedatectl set-ntp true' activates it, which automatically synchronizes the system clock with NTP servers, correcting the gradual drift without needing additional packages or manual cron jobs. This is the simplest and most appropriate single action for automatic time sync on a modern systemd-based distribution.
- ✗
Add 'hwclock --hctosys' to /etc/rc.local
Why it's wrong here
This approach only synchronizes the system clock from hardware clock at boot, not continuously, and does not address gradual drift caused by NTP inaccuracies.
- ✗
Install and configure the ntp package with a pool server
Why it's wrong here
Installing the full ntp package adds a full NTP daemon, which is often overkill for basic time sync on Ubuntu 20.04 and may conflict with the default systemd-timesyncd.
- ✗
Use 'cron' to run ntpdate every minute
Why it's wrong here
Running ntpdate every minute via cron is inefficient, may cause rapid clock jumps, and can conflict with other time synchronization services; it is not a proper solution for continuous synchronization.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This LPIC-1 practice question is part of Courseiva's free LPI 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 LPIC-1 exam.