LPIC-1 Administrative Tasks Practice Question
A user reports that their cron jobs are not executing. The user has a valid crontab file and can execute the commands manually. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often focus on user-level restrictions (like cron.allow or home directory issues) or syntax errors, but the most fundamental requirement—that the cron daemon itself must be running—is overlooked because it is assumed to always be active.
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
✓
The cron daemon is not running.
The cron daemon (crond) is responsible for reading crontab files and executing scheduled jobs at the appropriate times. If the cron daemon is not running, no cron jobs will execute, regardless of the validity of the user's crontab file or the user's ability to run the commands manually. This is the most likely cause because it directly prevents the cron system from functioning at all.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The crontab file uses the wrong time format.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect time format would cause an error when the crontab is installed, not silently fail later.
- ✗
The user's home directory is missing.
Why it's wrong here
Missing home directory would not prevent cron from executing commands, though mail delivery might fail.
- ✗
The user is not in the /etc/cron.allow file.
Why it's wrong here
cron.allow controls who can use cron, not whether existing jobs run.
- ✓
The cron daemon is not running.
Why this is correct
If cron is not running, no jobs will execute.
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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.