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
Shows logs for a specific service, not overall boot timing.
- ✗
systemctl status
Why it's wrong here
Shows status but not timing details.
- ✗
systemd-analyze critical-chain
Why it's wrong here
Shows the critical chain of units, but not per-service timing.
- ✓
systemd-analyze blame
Why this is correct
Lists services with their initialization time, sorted by longest.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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