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System Management

Configuring and managing Linux systems, storage, networks, and services.

Covers the core responsibilities of a Linux administrator, including system configuration, service management, and hardware configuration.
5 minutes 5 Questions

In the context of the CompTIA Linux+ certification, System Management constitutes a critical domain focused on the ongoing administration required to ensure a Linux environment remains stable, efficient, and secure. It encompasses the complete lifecycle of system operations, from boot initializatio…

Concepts covered: Boot Process and Systemd, Linux File Hierarchy Standard (FHS), Storage Management (LVM, Partitions), Package Management (RPM, DEB), Networking Configuration

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Linux+ - System Management Example Questions

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Question 1

A Linux DevOps Engineer is authoring a custom service unit 'log-rotate.service'. The configuration includes an 'ExecStartPre=' directive pointing to a cleanup script that may legitimately return a non-zero exit code if no files exist. The engineer must configure the unit to proceed with the main service execution instead of treating this specific non-zero return as a fatal dependency failure. Which syntax modification applies this exception?

Correct Answer: Prepend the hyphen character '-' strictly before the absolute path of the executable

The correct action is to prepend the hyphen character '-' strictly before the absolute path of the executable. In systemd unit files, adding a hyphen to the beginning of a command in directives like 'ExecStartPre=' instructs systemd to ignore the exit code of that command. This ensures that even if the cleanup script returns a non-zero status (indicating failure), systemd will not treat it as a fatal error and will proceed to start the main service.

The other options are incorrect. Appending '|| true' would only work if the command were being executed inside a shell (e.g., /bin/bash -c), but systemd executes commands directly by default. The options 'PermissiveStart' and 'AllowedReturnValues' reference configuration directives that do not exist in the systemd specification.

Question 2

A Linux administrator is troubleshooting a server that consistently freezes during the boot sequence. To inspect the state of systemd jobs and services in real-time while the start-up transaction continues in the background, the administrator modifies the kernel command line parameters in the bootloader. The goal is to spawn a root shell explicitly on TTY9. Which parameter specifically activates this debugging interface?

Correct Answer: systemd.debug-shell=1

The correct answer is systemd.debug-shell=1.

This kernel command line parameter instructs systemd to spawn a root shell on TTY9 extremely early in the boot process. This shell remains active and accessible (usually via CTRL+ALT+F9) regardless of the state of the main boot transaction. This allows administrators to log in and inspect the system state (for example, by running 'systemctl list-jobs') to identify which service or process is causing the boot sequence to hang, all while the system attempts to continue starting up in the background.

The other options provided (systemd.diagnostic-tty=9, systemd.rescue-terminal=1, and systemd.boot-session=root) are not valid standard systemd kernel configuration parameters and are made up for this scenario.

Question 3

A Linux administrator utilizes 'fdisk' to modify the partition layout on the active drive '/dev/sdb'. After writing the new data, the kernel reports that it is currently using the old table and cannot reload it automatically. Which command forces the operating system to re-read the partition table entries for this specific device?

Correct Answer: partprobe /dev/sdb

The correct command is 'partprobe /dev/sdb'.

When a partition table is modified on a running system using tools like 'fdisk', the kernel often cannot immediately update its internal records if the disk is in use. The 'partprobe' command instructs the operating system to re-read the partition table for the specified device, allowing the new layout to be recognized without a reboot.

Why the other answers are incorrect:
- 'resize2fs' is a command used to resize an ext2, ext3, or ext4 filesystem to match the size of its underlying partition or logical volume; it does not update the partition table itself.
- 'pvresize' is used within Logical Volume Management (LVM) to update the properties of a Physical Volume (PV), usually after the underlying partition size has changed.
- 'fsck.ext4' is a tool for checking and repairing inconsistencies in an ext4 filesystem and has no function regarding the kernel's partition table interface.

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