LPIC-1 System Architecture Practice Question
A system administrator needs to ensure that the httpd service starts automatically when the system enters the multi-user.target. Which command should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse `systemctl start` (which only runs the service now) with `systemctl enable` (which configures it to start at boot), leading candidates to pick option C.
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 httpd
The `systemctl enable httpd` command creates the necessary symlinks in the systemd unit configuration to ensure the httpd service starts automatically when the system enters the multi-user.target. This is the correct method to enable a service to start at boot in a systemd-based Linux system.
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 add-wants multi-user.target httpd.service
Why it's wrong here
This is not a valid systemctl command; the correct command is systemctl enable.
- ✓
systemctl enable httpd
Why this is correct
`systemctl enable httpd` creates the symlinks under `/etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/` that pull the unit into the target's dependency graph at boot, satisfying the requirement that httpd start automatically with multi-user.target. It does not start the service now, but persistence across reboots is exactly what the stem demands.
- ✗
systemctl start httpd
Why it's wrong here
systemctl start httpd launches the unit only for the current session; it does not create the dependency or enablement that pulls httpd in at multi-user.target. Starting a service immediately is the right action when you need it running now, but the stem requires automatic activation at boot, which needs enablement rather than a one-off start.
- ✗
systemctl set-default multi-user.target
Why it's wrong here
systemctl set-default multi-user.target changes the default boot target, not httpd's activation; httpd would still not start automatically. Setting the default target is correct when a system must boot to a different target, but here multi-user.target is already the target and the requirement concerns the httpd unit's enablement.
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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.