LPIC-1 Essential System Services and Networking Practice Question
A system administrator wants to configure NTP client on a server running systemd and using systemd-timesyncd. Which file should be edited to set the NTP server?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse the configuration files for different NTP implementations (ntpd, chrony, and systemd-timesyncd) and may default to the traditional /etc/ntp.conf without recognizing that systemd-timesyncd uses its own dedicated file.
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
✓
/etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf
On a system using systemd-timesyncd, the NTP server configuration is stored in /etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf. This file is read by the systemd-timesyncd service to determine which NTP servers to synchronize with. Editing this file is the correct method for configuring NTP clients under systemd.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
/etc/chrony.conf
Why it's wrong here
chrony.conf configures the chronyd daemon, which is not running when systemd-timesyncd provides time synchronisation. It is tempting because Chrony is a common NTP implementation on many distributions, but on a systemd host using timesyncd the NTP server is set in /etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf instead.
- ✓
/etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf
Why this is correct
Editing /etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf sets the NTP servers used by systemd-timesyncd, satisfying the stem's systemd constraint. The NTP= directive under the [Time] section specifies upstream servers, after which the service is restarted. Unlike chrony's /etc/chrony.conf or ntpd's /etc/ntp.conf, this file belongs solely to systemd-timesyncd.
- ✗
/etc/ntp.conf
Why it's wrong here
ntp.conf configures the ntpd daemon, which is inactive when systemd-timesyncd handles synchronisation. It is tempting because ntpd is the traditional NTP client and its configuration file is widely documented, but timesyncd reads /etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf, not the ntpd file.
- ✗
/etc/ntp/ntp.conf
Why it's wrong here
This path belongs to ntpd's configuration layout and is ignored by systemd-timesyncd, which does not read it. It is tempting because distributions such as Debian historically placed NTP configuration under /etc/ntp, but timesyncd's server setting lives in /etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every LPIC-1 question from scratch — 402 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.