LPIC-1 System Architecture Practice Question
A system administrator wants to ensure a service named 'app.service' starts automatically on boot in a systemd-based system. Which command should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'start' (immediate activation) with 'enable' (boot-time activation), or mistakenly apply legacy SysV commands like 'chkconfig' or 'update-rc.d' to a systemd environment, which is a common pitfall in LPIC-1 exams.
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 app.service
The correct command is 'systemctl enable app.service' because in systemd-based systems, 'enable' creates the necessary symlinks in the filesystem (typically under /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/) to ensure the service starts automatically at boot. In contrast, 'systemctl start' only activates the service immediately without affecting its boot-time behavior.
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 start app.service
Why it's wrong here
Starts the service now, not at boot.
- ✓
systemctl enable app.service
Why this is correct
Enables the service to start at boot.
- ✗
chkconfig app.service on
Why it's wrong here
Used in older Red Hat systems; not for systemd.
- ✗
update-rc.d app.service enable
Why it's wrong here
This command is for SysV init, not systemd.
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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.