This LPIC-1 practice question tests your understanding of administrative tasks. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
$ systemctl status sshd.service
● sshd.service - OpenSSH server daemon
Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/sshd.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Mon 2023-10-02 10:30:00 UTC; 2h 30min ago
Docs: man:sshd(8)
Process: 1234 ExecStart=/usr/sbin/sshd -D $OPTIONS (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
Main PID: 1235 (sshd)
Tasks: 1 (limit: 512)
CGroup: /system.slice/sshd.service
└─1235 /usr/sbin/sshd -D
Refer to the exhibit. The administrator restarts the sshd service. What is the new main PID after restart?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
It will be a new, different PID.
When the sshd service is restarted, the old process is terminated and a new process is spawned, resulting in a new main PID. The PID is a unique identifier assigned by the kernel to each process at creation time, and it is never reused immediately after termination. Therefore, the new main PID will be different from the previous one.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
It remains the same.
Why it's wrong here
Systemd assigns new PIDs for each start event.
✗
1235
Why it's wrong here
1235 is the current main PID; after restart, a new PID will be assigned.
✗
1234
Why it's wrong here
1234 was the ExecStart process that exited; the main PID is 1235 before restart.
✓
It will be a new, different PID.
Why this is correct
After restart, the service will have a new main PID.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates mistakenly think the PID remains the same after a restart, confusing 'restart' with 'reload' (which sends a SIGHUP and keeps the same PID), or they assume the new PID will be the next sequential number like 1235.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, when `systemctl restart sshd` is executed, systemd sends a SIGTERM to the old sshd process, waits for it to exit, and then forks a new child process via `execve()`. The kernel allocates a new PID from the pid_max range (default 32768 on many systems), ensuring uniqueness until wraparound. In real-world scenarios, if the old PID is 1234, the new PID might be 1235 or higher, but it is never guaranteed to be the next sequential number due to other processes starting concurrently.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Administrative Tasks — This question tests Administrative Tasks — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: It will be a new, different PID. — When the sshd service is restarted, the old process is terminated and a new process is spawned, resulting in a new main PID. The PID is a unique identifier assigned by the kernel to each process at creation time, and it is never reused immediately after termination. Therefore, the new main PID will be different from the previous one.
What should I do if I get this LPIC-1 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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