LPIC-1 Administrative Tasks Practice Question
Exhibit
● sshd.service - OpenSSH server daemon
Loaded: loaded (/usr/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)
man:sshd_config(5)
Main PID: 1234 (sshd)
Tasks: 1 (limit: 2345)
Memory: 5.6M
CGroup: /system.slice/sshd.service
└─1234 /usr/sbin/sshd -DRefer to the exhibit. What is the current state of the SSH service?
⚠ Common exam trap
LPI often tests the distinction between a service's current runtime state (active/inactive) and its boot-time enablement (enabled/disabled), causing candidates to confuse 'disabled' with 'inactive' when the question explicitly asks for the current 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
✓
It is active and running
The exhibit shows the output of `systemctl status sshd`, which displays the service state as 'active (running)' in the green text. This indicates that the SSH daemon (sshd) is currently loaded and executing, providing secure shell access to the system. The 'active (running)' state is the normal operational state for a service that has been started and is functioning correctly.
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 is active and running
Why this is correct
The `systemctl status ssh` output shows "Active: active (running)", confirming the daemon is operational and listening. This satisfies the stem's requirement to identify the service's current state, as opposed to inactive, failed, or masked. The main PID and uptime further corroborate that the SSH service is actively serving connections.
- ✗
It is inactive
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit shows the unit enabled and running, so 'inactive' contradicts the active state reported. It is tempting because inactive is the common state for a stopped service, and would be correct if the unit were loaded but not running, which the output does not show.
- ✗
It is disabled
Why it's wrong here
'Disabled' describes the unit's enablement at boot, not its current runtime state; the exhibit shows it enabled. It is tempting because disabled units are often stopped, and it would be the right answer if the question asked whether SSH starts automatically after reboot.
- ✗
It has failed
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit shows the unit loaded and active, so a failed state would display 'failed' with a non-zero exit code. It is tempting because a stopped service can look failed, but failure requires systemd to have attempted start and exited; this unit never reached that condition.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every LPIC-1 question from scratch — 402 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.