Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.
Concepts
Matches
General system messages (legacy)
System log on Debian-based systems
Authentication and security events
Kernel messages
Mail server logs
LPIC-2 Advanced Networking Configuration Practice Question
Match each system log to its typical content.
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
✓
/var/log/messages: General system messages including kernel and application logs
Correct matches: /var/log/messages -> general system messages, /var/log/secure -> authentication logs, /var/log/maillog -> mail server logs, /var/log/cron -> cron job logs, /var/log/boot.log -> boot logs. Common confusions include swapping definitions of /var/log/messages and /var/log/secure.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
/var/log/messages: General system messages including kernel and application logs
Why this is correct
This log file contains general system messages, which is its intended purpose.
- ✓
/var/log/secure: Authentication and security related logs
Why this is correct
This log file records authentication attempts and security events.
- ✓
/var/log/maillog: Mail server logs
Why this is correct
This log file stores messages related to mail servers like Sendmail or Postfix.
- ✓
/var/log/cron: Cron job execution logs
Why this is correct
This log file records cron job executions and related messages.
- ✓
/var/log/boot.log: Boot process logs
Why this is correct
This log file contains messages from the boot sequence.
- ✗
/var/log/messages: Authentication and security related logs
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect — this describes /var/log/secure, not /var/log/messages.
- ✗
/var/log/secure: General system messages including kernel and application logs
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect — this describes /var/log/messages, not /var/log/secure.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This LPIC-2 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-2 exam.