EX200 Deploy, configure, and maintain systems Practice Question
This EX200 practice question tests your understanding of deploy, configure, and maintain systems. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```
$ systemctl status crond
● crond.service - Command Scheduler
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/crond.service; disabled; vendor preset: disabled)
Active: inactive (dead)
```
Refer to the exhibit. Which command will ensure cron jobs run automatically at system boot?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "which command"
Why it matters: Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
systemctl enable crond
The `systemctl enable crond` command creates the necessary symlinks in the systemd unit configuration to ensure the `crond` service starts automatically at boot. This is the correct method to enable a service for automatic startup in a systemd-based Red Hat Enterprise Linux system.
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.
✗
systemctl reenable crond
Why it's wrong here
There is no `reenable` command; `enable` is used.
✗
systemctl start crond
Why it's wrong here
Starts the service now but does not enable it for boot.
✓
systemctl enable crond
Why this is correct
Enables the service to start at boot.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
systemctl unmask crond
Why it's wrong here
Unmasking removes a mask, but the service is not masked; it is disabled.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse `systemctl start` (immediate start) with `systemctl enable` (boot-time start), or think that `systemctl unmask` alone is sufficient to make a service start at boot.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
There is no `reenable` command; `enable` is used.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, `systemctl enable` creates symbolic links in `/etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/` pointing to the service unit file in `/usr/lib/systemd/system/`. This ensures the service is started when the system enters the multi-user target. A subtle behavior is that if the service is masked (via a symlink to `/dev/null`), `enable` will fail unless the mask is first removed with `systemctl unmask`. In real-world scenarios, forgetting to enable a service after installation is a common cause of services not starting after a reboot, especially for critical services like `crond` that manage scheduled tasks.
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 network engineer segments a warehouse floor into three subnets: 20 scanners, 5 printers, and 2 management hosts. Picking the wrong mask wastes addresses or leaves too few usable hosts. Exam questions test whether you can apply CIDR notation, calculate block size, and identify the correct usable-host range for a given prefix.
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.
Deploy, configure, and maintain systems — This question tests Deploy, configure, and maintain systems — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: systemctl enable crond — The `systemctl enable crond` command creates the necessary symlinks in the systemd unit configuration to ensure the `crond` service starts automatically at boot. This is the correct method to enable a service for automatic startup in a systemd-based Red Hat Enterprise Linux system.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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