LPIC-1 System Architecture Practice Question
A system takes a long time to boot due to a service that fails to start. Which systemd command can be used to identify the service causing the delay?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse `systemd-analyze critical-chain` (which shows the longest dependency chain) with `systemd-analyze blame` (which shows the actual time each unit took to start), leading them to choose C when D is the correct tool for identifying the specific slow service.
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
✓
systemd-analyze blame
The `systemd-analyze blame` command prints a list of all running units, sorted by the time they took to initialize, making it the direct tool to identify which service is causing a boot delay. Unlike other options, it specifically measures and displays the initialization time of each unit, allowing you to pinpoint the slowest service.
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 -u service
Why it's wrong here
journalctl -u service shows one unit's log entries, not boot timing, so it cannot pinpoint which service delayed startup. It is tempting because it is the standard tool for diagnosing a failing unit, and would be correct once the culprit service is already known.
- ✗
systemctl status
Why it's wrong here
systemctl status shows the current state of a unit, including whether it failed, but not the boot timeline. It is tempting because it confirms a service's failure after boot, yet pinpointing which unit delayed startup requires systemd-analyze blame, which ranks units by initialisation time.
- ✗
systemd-analyze critical-chain
Why it's wrong here
systemd-analyze critical-chain prints the dependency chain and per-unit times for the default target, not a per-service failure log. It is tempting because it visualises boot ordering delays, and would be correct for analysing slow dependency chains rather than identifying a failing unit.
- ✓
systemd-analyze blame
Why this is correct
`systemd-analyze blame` lists each unit's initialisation time in descending order, directly exposing the service whose startup delay dominates the boot. It satisfies the stem's requirement to identify the specific failing service, since the slowest unit appears at the top of the output.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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