Administrative Tasks →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

LPIC-1 Administrative Tasks Practice Question

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

# cat /etc/ntp.conf
server 0.pool.ntp.org iburst
server 1.pool.ntp.org iburst
# driftfile /var/lib/ntp/ntp.drift
restrict default kod nomodify notrap nopeer noquery
restrict -6 default kod nomodify notrap nopeer noquery
restrict 127.0.0.1
restrict -6 ::1
# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
*0.pool.ntp.org   .POOL.          16 p    -   64    0    0.000   0.000   0.000
 1.pool.ntp.org   .POOL.          16 p    -   64    0    0.000   0.000   0.000

Refer to the exhibit. An administrator runs 'ntpq -p' and sees the output shown. What is the most likely cause of the '16' stratum and '0.000' delay/offset?

⚠ Common exam trap

Candidates often assume a stratum of 16 and zero delay/offset indicate a firewall or service failure, but the correct interpretation is that the NTP daemon has just started and has not yet synchronized, which is a normal temporary state.

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 NTP daemon has recently started and has not yet synchronized.

The '16' stratum and '0.000' delay/offset values in the 'ntpq -p' output indicate that the NTP daemon has not yet synchronized with any time source. When ntpd starts, it initially sets the stratum to 16 (unsynchronized) and shows zero values for delay and offset until it completes the synchronization process. This is a normal transient state that resolves once the daemon successfully contacts and synchronizes with an NTP server.

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 NTP service is not running.
Why it's wrong here
If the service were not running, ntpq -p would not return output.
✗
The firewall is blocking UDP port 123.
Why it's wrong here
While possible, the output shows servers are being polled (t=p), but reach is 0. More likely, NTP has just started.
✓
The NTP daemon has recently started and has not yet synchronized.
Why this is correct
The 'iburst' option causes rapid initial polls, but it still takes a few minutes for synchronization. The 0 reach and stratum 16 indicate no synchronization yet.
✗
The restrict lines are blocking all NTP queries.
Why it's wrong here
The restrict lines shown do not block local queries; they restrict remote clients.

Visual reference

Go deeper

LPIC-1 Administrative Tasks Practice Question

Exhibit

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

Related to this question