LPIC-1 Essential System Services and Networking Practice Question
An administrator notices that SSH connections to a remote Linux server are timing out. After confirming network connectivity, which command should the administrator run on the server to check whether the SSH daemon is actively listening?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often choose `netstat -tuln` (option D) because it shows listening ports, but they overlook that it does not confirm the specific daemon (sshd) is responsible, and the command may be deprecated or unavailable on systems using `ss` instead.
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 status sshd
The `systemctl status sshd` command checks the status of the SSH daemon service managed by systemd, directly reporting whether it is active (running) or inactive (stopped). This is the most straightforward way to verify that the SSH daemon is actively listening, as it queries the service manager rather than relying on network-level probing.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ls /etc/ssh/
Why it's wrong here
This lists SSH configuration files, not the running service.
- ✓
systemctl status sshd
Why this is correct
This command shows the current status of the sshd service, including whether it is running.
- ✗
nc -zv localhost 22
Why it's wrong here
This tests if port 22 is open but does not check the SSH daemon status.
- ✗
netstat -tuln
Why it's wrong here
This shows listening ports but does not indicate the status of the sshd service.
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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.