This EX200 practice question tests your understanding of essential tools. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A user wants to run a command in the background after logging out of an SSH session. Which method ensures the process continues even after logout?
nohup ignores SIGHUP, allowing the process to continue.
B
Run 'command', press Ctrl+Z, then type 'bg' and logout
Why wrong: Same issue: SIGHUP will terminate background jobs on logout.
C
Run 'command &' and then exit
Why wrong: & runs in background but SIGHUP will terminate it on logout.
D
Run 'command & disown' then logout
Why wrong: disown removes job from shell's job table but does not protect against HUP if nohup not used? Actually disown can prevent SIGHUP if done correctly, but it's less reliable than nohup.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Run 'nohup command &' before logout
Option A is correct because `nohup` ignores the SIGHUP signal that the shell sends to its child processes when the parent shell exits (e.g., upon logout). By running `nohup command &`, the command is placed in the background and will continue running even after the SSH session terminates, as it is immune to the hangup signal.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Run 'nohup command &' before logout
Why this is correct
nohup ignores SIGHUP, allowing the process to continue.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Run 'command', press Ctrl+Z, then type 'bg' and logout
Why it's wrong here
Same issue: SIGHUP will terminate background jobs on logout.
✗
Run 'command &' and then exit
Why it's wrong here
& runs in background but SIGHUP will terminate it on logout.
✗
Run 'command & disown' then logout
Why it's wrong here
disown removes job from shell's job table but does not protect against HUP if nohup not used? Actually disown can prevent SIGHUP if done correctly, but it's less reliable than nohup.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often think `&` alone or `bg` is sufficient to keep a process running after logout, but they miss that the shell sends SIGHUP to all child processes (including background jobs) upon exit unless explicitly ignored with `nohup` or handled with `disown` in a shell that supports `huponexit` off.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, `nohup` works by setting the process's signal disposition for SIGHUP to SIG_IGN (ignore) before executing the command. Additionally, `nohup` redirects stdout and stderr to `nohup.out` if they are not already redirected, preventing data loss. In real-world scenarios, `nohup` is commonly used for long-running scripts or server processes that must survive terminal disconnection, such as data migrations or batch jobs over SSH.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Essential Tools — This question tests Essential Tools — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Run 'nohup command &' before logout — Option A is correct because `nohup` ignores the SIGHUP signal that the shell sends to its child processes when the parent shell exits (e.g., upon logout). By running `nohup command &`, the command is placed in the background and will continue running even after the SSH session terminates, as it is immune to the hangup signal.
What should I do if I get this EX200 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.