EX200 Operate running systems Practice Question
A system administrator needs to ensure a service called 'myapp' starts automatically at boot and also start it immediately without affecting the current boot configuration. Which TWO commands should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse 'enable' with 'start' or think 'restart' or 'daemon-reload' can achieve both goals, but only the combination of 'enable' (for boot persistence) and 'start' (for immediate activation) meets the exact requirements.
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 start myapp
The 'systemctl enable myapp' command creates the necessary symlinks so that the service starts automatically at boot, while 'systemctl start myapp' launches the service immediately in the current session without altering the boot configuration. Together, they satisfy both requirements without affecting the existing boot setup.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
systemctl daemon-reload myapp
Why it's wrong here
`systemctl daemon-reload` instructs systemd to re-read all unit files from disk and rebuild its dependency tree — it is used after creating or editing unit files so the manager notices changes. This command does not activate any service, and on most systemd versions it does not even take a unit name argument; it simply reloads the manager configuration.
- ✓
systemctl start myapp
Why this is correct
`systemctl start myapp` immediately activates the unit by loading it into memory, satisfying its dependencies, and launching the main process defined in `ExecStart`. This changes the unit's *active* state but not its *enabled* state, so myapp will not automatically start after a reboot unless it is also enabled.
- ✗
systemctl restart myapp
Why it's wrong here
`systemctl restart myapp` stops the unit if it is running and then starts it again, which is useful for applying a new configuration or environment to a service already in operation. It does not create any boot-time activation links; a service that has never been enabled will still not start automatically at boot after a restart.
- ✗
systemctl activate myapp
Why it's wrong here
`systemctl activate myapp` is not a valid systemctl subcommand — systemd does not have an `activate` verb. The correct systemctl verbs for bringing a service up are `start` for immediate runtime activation and `enable` for adding it to the boot sequence; using `activate` would produce an 'Unknown operation' error.
- ✓
systemctl enable myapp
Why this is correct
`systemctl enable myapp` creates symbolic links in the appropriate `systemd` target directories (such as `multi-user.target.wants/`) so the unit is pulled in when the system boots into its default target. It does not start the service immediately; to do both at once, administrators typically run `systemctl enable --now myapp`.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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