EX200 Deploy, configure, and maintain systems Practice Question
On a default Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 installation, which THREE tools or files can be used to configure time synchronization?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates familiar with older RHEL versions (6/7) may assume `ntpq` and `/etc/ntp.conf` are still the default tools, but RHEL 8 has replaced `ntpd` with `chronyd` as the default NTP implementation.
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
✓
chronyc
On a default Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 installation, `chronyd` is the default NTP daemon, and its configuration file is `/etc/chrony.conf`. The `chronyc` command is the command-line interface for interacting with the `chronyd` daemon, allowing you to monitor and adjust time synchronization. `timedatectl` is the systemd-based tool for managing system time and date settings, including enabling NTP synchronization via `chronyd`.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ntpq
Why it's wrong here
ntpq is the interactive query tool for the legacy ntpd daemon from the NTP project. It communicates with ntpd using the NTP control message protocol, which chronyd does not implement; chronyd uses a different control protocol that ntpq cannot speak. Since RHEL 8 installs chrony by default and not ntpd, ntpq is not relevant to managing time synchronization in the default installation.
- ✗
/etc/ntp.conf
Why it's wrong here
/etc/ntp.conf is the configuration file for the legacy ntpd daemon, not for chronyd. On a default RHEL 8 system, the NTP service is chronyd, which reads /etc/chrony.conf instead; /etc/ntp.conf is absent unless the ntp package is manually installed. Therefore, an administrator on a default RHEL 8 system would edit /etc/chrony.conf, not /etc/ntp.conf.
- ✓
chronyc
Why this is correct
chronyc is the command-line control and monitoring tool that talks directly to chronyd, the default NTP daemon on RHEL 8. It allows queries and dynamic configuration of NTP sources, such as with chronyc sources or chronyc add server, and provides immediate status feedback. This makes chronyc the primary interactive interface for managing time synchronization in the default installation.
- ✓
timedatectl
Why this is correct
timedatectl is a systemd command that manages the system clock, date, and timezone, and controls whether NTP synchronization is enabled through the timedated service. On RHEL 8, running timedatectl set-ntp true enables the configured NTP service, typically chronyd, and timedatectl status shows whether NTP is active. It is correct because it provides a high-level, distro-independent way to enable NTP and set the time zone without editing chrony configuration files directly.
- ✓
/etc/chrony.conf
Why this is correct
/etc/chrony.conf is the main configuration file for chronyd, the daemon that provides NTP client and server functionality on RHEL 8. It defines NTP servers, allow/deny rules, drift file location, and other runtime parameters. On a default RHEL 8 installation, this is the authoritative file that an administrator edits to configure time sources, unlike the legacy ntpd configuration file.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This EX200 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Red Hat 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 EX200 exam.