LPIC-1 System Architecture Practice Question
A system administrator needs to see the boot messages recorded by systemd-journald from the current boot. Which command is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse `dmesg` (which shows kernel messages) with the full boot log, or assume traditional syslog files like `/var/log/messages` are still the primary source on systemd-based systems, leading them to overlook the journal-specific `journalctl -b` command.
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
✓
journalctl -b
The `journalctl -b` command is the most appropriate because it specifically queries the systemd journal for messages from the current boot. Systemd-journald is the default logging daemon on modern Linux distributions, and `journalctl -b` filters the binary journal to show only entries with a boot ID matching the current boot, which includes kernel messages, service logs, and boot-time events.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
journalctl -b
Why this is correct
Correctly shows all log entries from the current boot, including boot-time messages.
- ✗
dmesg
Why it's wrong here
dmesg reads the kernel ring buffer, which does not include all systemd-journald boot messages.
- ✗
tail -n 50 /var/log/syslog
Why it's wrong here
Shows only last 50 lines of syslog, not necessarily from boot, and incomplete.
- ✗
cat /var/log/messages
Why it's wrong here
Traditional log file, but not all boot messages may be there; journalctl is preferred.
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