CompTIA Linux+ (XK0-006)System ManagementMedium
A server administrator notices that a physical server takes significantly longer to boot than expected. The administrator wants to see a breakdown of how much time each systemd unit took to initialize during the last boot. Which command should be used?
- Asystemctl list-units --failed
- Bjournalctl -b
- Csystemd-analyze blame
- Ddmesg | grep boot
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. systemd-analyze blame
'systemd-analyze blame' lists all running units ordered by the time each one took to initialize, making it the correct tool to identify boot-time bottlenecks. The other commands show logs or failed units but do not provide per-unit timing.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Lists only units that failed to start, not timing data.
- B. Shows boot log messages but not a time-sorted breakdown per unit.
- D. Shows kernel ring buffer messages, not systemd unit timing.
systemd-analyze blame
A diagnostic command that lists systemd units sorted by how long each took to start during boot.
- Helps identify slow-starting services
- Complements 'systemd-analyze' (total boot time)
- Also see 'systemd-analyze critical-chain' for dependency chains
Memory trick: Blame the slowpoke units for a slow boot.