Skip to content
LFCSOperations DeploymentSingle Linux VMMedium

Repair a failing service and re-prioritise a process

Scenario lfcs-ops-002 · about 7 minutes · 8 points · 6 grader checks

A systemd service crash-loops because of its unit file; fix it, enable it, and lower the priority of a running batch process without restarting it.

  • systemd
  • services
  • troubleshooting
  • processes
  • nice

What you will practise

  • Read a failing unit's status and journal
  • Fix ExecStart and WorkingDirectory of a unit
  • Change the niceness of a running process

Start this lab

With the CLI installed and signed in, this command provisions a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 LTS virtual machine on your Mac, applies the scenario setup and prints the task below.

goldenkube start lfcs-ops-002

Task

The task text exactly as the CLI shows it. Solve it on the machine, then run goldenkube submit.

The service inventory-api.service does not start. 1. Find out why and repair it so that it is running now and starts at boot. It must answer "ok" on http://127.0.0.1:8085/health. Fix the unit, not the application: do not modify anything under /opt/inventory/. 2. A process named batch-job is running on this host. Change its nice value to 15 without restarting it (it must keep its current PID).

Requirements and details

Certification
LFCS · Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator
Domain
Operations Deployment
Difficulty
Medium
Environment
Single Linux VM
Recommended time
7 minutes
Points
8
Grader checks
6
Operating system
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Minimum CLI version
0.1.0
Scenario version
1
Published

Grading runs locally: 6 state checks read your machine when you submit; the scenario passes when every check passes. Hints, the reference solution and the check definitions are available only inside the CLI, not on this page.

Install the CLICreate a free account

More Operations Deployment labs

LFCSOperations DeploymentHard

Kernel parameters and mandatory access control

Persist two sysctl values against a conflicting drop-in, set one runtime-only, confine a binary with AppArmor and prepare an SELinux policy rule.

Single Linux VM · ~9 min · 10 points

  • sysctl
  • kernel-parameters
  • apparmor
  • selinux
  • mac

goldenkube start lfcs-ops-001

LFCSOperations DeploymentEasy

Schedule jobs with a systemd timer and cron

Run a backup script every day at 02:30 through a systemd timer that catches up missed runs, and add a weekday cron job for another user.

Single Linux VM · ~5 min · 7 points

  • systemd-timer
  • cron
  • scheduling
  • jobs

goldenkube start lfcs-ops-003

LFCSOperations DeploymentMedium

Local package repository, pinned install and package verification

Configure a local package repository, install and hold an exact package version, then find and restore a file that was modified after installation.

Single Linux VM · ~7 min · 8 points

  • apt
  • packages
  • repositories
  • dpkg
  • verification

goldenkube start lfcs-ops-004

LFCSOperations DeploymentHard

Run a container as a service and register a virtual machine

Run nginx in a rootful podman container managed by systemd with a read-only bind mount, configure the registry search list, and define an autostarted libvirt domain.

Single Linux VM · ~8 min · 9 points

  • podman
  • containers
  • systemd
  • libvirt
  • virsh

goldenkube start lfcs-ops-005

Independent community project, not affiliated with or endorsed by CNCF or The Linux Foundation. Lab results are practice feedback, not an exam score.