Question 1

What term is used for the beginning of time for UNIX?
A) Epoch
B) Zero-hour
C) Birth
D) Dawn
E) Awakening

Accepted Answer

The term used for the beginning of time for UNIX is Epoch, which is January 1st, 1970 at 00:00:00 UTC. This is used as a reference point for all time measurements in UNIX-based systems.

Question 2

On a typical Linux system, where is the boot loader located?
A) BIOS
B) MBR
C) VBR
D) Kernel

Accepted Answer

The boot loader on a typical Linux system is located in the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the hard drive. The BIOS (A) is a firmware that is responsible for initializing hardware components during system boot, and has nothing to do with the boot loader. The Volume Boot Record (VBR) (C) is a boot loader used on some older systems, but not on modern Linux systems. The kernel (D) is loaded by the boot loader and is not the boot loader itself.

Question 3

What software is contained in a Linux distribution?
A) The full operating system, including the kernel, package manager, GNU tools and libraries, documentation, a GUI, and other software.
B) Optional software that sits on top of the kernel and includes package management and a GUI.  
C) A repository of optional software available to install via the package management system.
D) A specially modified kernel designed to perform one task extremely well.

Accepted Answer

A Linux distribution contains the full operating system, including the kernel, package manager, GNU tools and libraries, documentation, a GUI, and other software. It is a complete package that contains everything needed to run a Linux-based system.

Question 4

What editor is vi based on?
A) ed
B) EMACS
C) pico
D) sed

Accepted Answer

Vi editor is based on the ed editor, which was one of the first text editors on Unix systems. Vi was developed as an enhanced version of the ed editor, with added features and a more user-friendly interface.

Question 5

Which answer best describes three important system performance monitoring indicators?
A) Load avg, idle CPU and swapping
B) Uptime, load avg and idle CPU
C) Load avg, idle CPU and free memory
D) System CPU, user CPU and load avg
E) Uptime, system CPU and free memory

Accepted Answer

Load avg indicates how much work a system is doing. Idle CPU shows how much CPU is not being used by any program. Free memory indicates how much memory is not being used by any program. Together, these three indicators give an idea of how much workload a system can handle before it becomes overwhelmed.

Question 6

The at system is used to
A) set the system clock
B) run something at a later time
C) schedule something to run at intervals
D) timestamp the system logs

Accepted Answer

The "at" system command is used to run a command or script at a later time. It allows the user to schedule commands to be executed later and is helpful when a command needs to run at a time when the user might not be available to initiate it manually.

Question 7

What is the standard sequence for booting a standard PC?
A) POST->BIOS->Kernel
B) BIOS->Kernel->POST->OS
C) BIOS->MBR->POST->Kernel
D) POST->BIOS->Boot Loader->Kernel

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the standard sequence for booting...

Question 8

The ps aux command is from which UNIX variant?
A) AIX
B) System V
C) Linux
D) BSD

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ps aux command is from which...

Question 9

Which utility can be used to compare the content of two files?
A) sort
B) cut
C) paste
D) diff
E) grep

Accepted Answer

The diff utility is used to compare the content of two files line by line and displays the differences between them. It is a very useful tool for comparing code files, configuration files, and more. The other utilities listed are not specifically designed for file comparison.

Question 10

When using the sudo command to run something as root, which password is required?
A) The user's password
B) The enable password
C) The shadow password
D) The root password

Accepted Answer

The password required when using the sudo command to run something as root is the root password. This is necessary to ensure that only authorized users are able to access and change critical system files and configurations.

Question 11

Which of these statements is true?
A) "." And "…" are always used in absolute paths
B) Absolute paths start with a "/"
C) Best practice is to always use absolute paths in scripts and when running commands as root
D) Relative paths can start with a "/"

Accepted Answer

Absolute paths always start with a forward slash ("/"), while relative paths do not.

Question 12

What is the name of the Linux mascot?
A) Linus
B) Bell
C) Tux
D) Dennis Ritchie

Accepted Answer

The Linux mascot's name is Tux, which is a penguin.

Question 13

In bash, a for loop will iterate over a list of strings separated by what?
A) quotes
B) single quotes
C) backticks
D) whitespace

Accepted Answer

The answer of In bash, a for loop will iterate...

Question 14

Which two characters are required at the top of a script to inform the kernel on which interpreter to use? (choose two)
A) !!
B) $!
C) #$
D) #!

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which two characters are required at the...

Question 15

Which of these statements is true about user groups on Linux?
A) A user may be a member of more than one group
B) A group may have more than one-member user
C) Groups may not be nested
D) Groups may be nested

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of these statements is true about...

Question 16

The cron system is used to
A) set the system clock
B) run something at a later time
C) schedule something to run at intervals
D) timestamp the system logs

Accepted Answer

The answer of The cron system is used to
A) set...

Question 17

What is the default standard user prompt for Bourne-based shells?
A) >
B) $
C) #
D) enable#

Accepted Answer

The default standard user prompt for Bourne-based shells is $. Therefore, option B is the correct choice.

Question 18

When configuring SSH, which file is needed for key-based authentication?
A) known_hosts
B) /etc/shadow
C) /etc/passwd
D) authorized_keys

Accepted Answer

The authorized_keys file contains the public keys that are allowed to access the system. When a user tries to authenticate with SSH, the private key is used to encrypt a message that can only be decrypted with the public key stored in the authorized_keys file. Therefore, this file is needed for key-based authentication. The known_hosts file stores the public keys of remote systems that have been previously accessed, /etc/shadow stores password hashes, and /etc/passwd stores user account information.

Question 19

The standard output file descriptor defaults to what?
A) Screen
B) Keyboard
C) Hard Drive
D) Null Device

Accepted Answer

The standard output file descriptor in most operating systems defaults to the screen, meaning that any output generated by a program will be displayed on the user's monitor or display.

Question 20

Why shouldn't you use standard package and dependency management on an Arista switch?
A) Arista switches can't run package managers
B) Arista modifies the kernel to disallow it
C) Running an install could update dependencies required for the base EOS install
D) There is no reason not to use them on an Arista switch

Accepted Answer

Running a package or dependency management system on an Arista switch could update the dependencies required for the base EOS install, potentially causing instability or compatibility issues. It's generally recommended to stick with Arista's recommended upgrade and patch processes.

Exam 2: Arista Linux Essentials Exam

What term is used for the beginning of time for UNIX?

On a typical Linux system, where is the boot loader located?

What software is contained in a Linux distribution?

What editor is vi based on?

Which answer best describes three important system performance monitoring indicators?

The at system is used to

What is the standard sequence for booting a standard PC?

The ps aux command is from which UNIX variant?

Which utility can be used to compare the content of two files?

When using the sudo command to run something as root, which password is required?

Which of these statements is true?

What is the name of the Linux mascot?

In bash, a for loop will iterate over a list of strings separated by what?

Which two characters are required at the top of a script to inform the kernel on which interpreter to use? (choose two)

Which of these statements is true about user groups on Linux?

The cron system is used to

What is the default standard user prompt for Bourne-based shells?

When configuring SSH, which file is needed for key-based authentication?

The standard output file descriptor defaults to what?

Why shouldn't you use standard package and dependency management on an Arista switch?