EX200 Operate running systems Practice Question
Which systemctl command configures a service to start automatically at boot without starting it now?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse `systemctl enable` with `systemctl start`; candidates often think enabling a service also starts it, but systemd separates these actions to allow administrators to schedule automatic startup without immediate execution.
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 enable service
`systemctl enable service` creates the necessary symlinks in the systemd unit configuration directories (e.g., `/etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/`) to ensure the service starts automatically at boot, but it does not start the service immediately. This matches the requirement of configuring automatic startup without starting the service now.
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 set-default service
Why it's wrong here
systemctl set-default is designed to select the default systemd target (such as multi-user.target or graphical.target) that the boot process loads, not to manage individual services. When given a service name, it attempts to treat that service as a target unit, which either fails or results in a meaningless boot target. Configuring a service to launch at boot requires creating unit-file symlinks in a .wants directory, which this command never does.
- ✗
systemctl start service
Why it's wrong here
systemctl start activates the service immediately in the current runtime session, but it does not create any persistent symlinks under /etc/systemd/system/*.wants/, so the service will not be triggered on subsequent reboots. This command is meant for one-time, immediate control of a unit's state, not for defining boot-time behavior. A service that is only started (and not enabled) will remain inactive after the next system boot unless another mechanism pulls it in.
- ✓
systemctl enable service
Why this is correct
systemctl enable is the correct command to configure a service to start automatically at boot because it creates symlinks from the service unit into the appropriate .wants or .requires directories, based on the [Install] section of the unit file. For example, a service with WantedBy=multi-user.target will get a symlink in /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/. This action does not start the service immediately, but it ensures systemd activates it when the target is reached during boot.
- ✗
systemctl reenable service
Why it's wrong here
systemctl reenable is not the standard way to first configure a service to start at boot; it is primarily used to recreate the existing enablement symlinks after a unit file has been modified. The command performs a disable followed by an enable, which can temporarily remove the service's autostart links and then recreate them, but it is intended for refreshing configuration, not for the initial setup. While it may create the symlinks if they are missing, the canonical and expected command for configuring autostart is 'enable'.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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