LPIC-1 Linux Installation and Package Management Practice Question
A system administrator wants to compile and install a program from source. After running './configure --prefix=/opt/myapp', the configure script fails with an error about missing 'libssl-dev'. What should the administrator do to resolve this issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse runtime libraries (libssl) with development libraries (libssl-dev), or think manually copying headers is a valid workaround, when the package manager's -dev package is the intended solution.
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
✓
Install the 'libssl-dev' package using the package manager
The configure script requires the development headers and static libraries for OpenSSL to compile software that uses SSL/TLS. The 'libssl-dev' package provides these headers and the .so symlinks needed during compilation. Installing it via the package manager (e.g., apt, yum) is the correct and standard method to satisfy this build dependency.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Install the 'libssl-dev' package using the package manager
Why this is correct
The configure script needs the OpenSSL development headers and libraries to compile against. Installing libssl-dev via the package manager provides those headers and the linker files, allowing ./configure to complete and the build to proceed.
- ✗
Manually download and place the missing header files in /usr/include
Why it's wrong here
Copying headers into /usr/include bypasses the package manager, leaving no dependency tracking, versioning or pkg-config files, so the build may still fail or break on upgrade. Manual placement is tempting when a package is unavailable, but installing libssl-dev through the distribution's package manager is the supported fix.
- ✗
Install the 'libssl' runtime library
Why it's wrong here
The configure script needs OpenSSL development headers and pkg-config metadata, which the runtime libssl package does not provide. Installing the runtime library is tempting because the error names libssl, but only the -dev package supplies the headers and linker stubs required to compile against OpenSSL.
- ✗
Add the '--disable-ssl' flag to ./configure
Why it's wrong here
Disabling SSL removes the feature the program needs rather than satisfying the dependency, and configure may still fail or produce a build lacking TLS support. It is tempting as a quick workaround for missing libraries, but the correct action is installing the libssl-dev package that provides the required headers.
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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.