RHCSA verification cheat sheet

One command per kind of task, answering the only question that matters: will this still be true after the grader reboots? Grouped by subsystem, with the persistent form beside the runtime one that looks identical and is not.

OSRHEL 10.0 (Coughlan)
Kernel6.12.0-55.9.1.el10_0
dnf4.20.0
Flatpak1.16.0
Commands15
Reviewed23 August 2026

Search commands

Before you reboot - run all four

findmnt --verify

A bad fstab entry stops the boot and loses every other task. This is the most important command on the sheet.

Full guide

bash Example session

$sudo findmnt --verify --verbose 2>&1 | tail -4   [ ] UUID=a1137778-982a-4d14-9e64-5ef60b92ba3a translated to /dev/mapper/rhel-swap   [ ] source /dev/mapper/rhel-swap exists   [ ] FS type is swapSuccess, no errors or warnings detected

mount -a

Every fstab entry actually mounts. The rehearsal for what boot will do.

Full guide
bash Example session
```
$sudo mount -a && echo "mount -a exit=$? - every fstab entry mounts cleanly"mount -a exit=0 - every fstab entry mounts cleanly
```
systemctl --failed

Catches a unit you broke an hour ago and forgot. Empty is the answer you want.

Full guide
bash Example session
```
$systemctl --failed --no-legend; echo "failed units above (empty is what you want)"failed units above (empty is what you want)
```

grubby --info=DEFAULT

A bootable kernel with sane arguments. Verify kernel-argument tasks here, not in /proc/cmdline.

Full guide

bash Example session

$sudo grubby --info=DEFAULT | grep -E "^(kernel|args)"; echo "--- a bootable kernel with sane arguments"kernel="/boot/vmlinuz-6.12.0-55.9.1.el10_0.x86_64"args="ro crashkernel=2G-64G:256M,64G-:512M resume=UUID=a1137778-982a-4d14-9e64-5ef60b92ba3a rd.lvm.lv=rhel/root rd.lvm.lv=rhel/swap rhgb quiet"--- a bootable kernel with sane arguments

The same change, two ways

firewall-cmd --list-services vs --list-services --permanent

Compare the two lists. If they differ, something changes at the next reload - here the rule vanished without a reboot at all.

Full guide

bash Example session

$sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=ftp >/dev/null; echo "runtime only:"; sudo firewall-cmd --list-services; sudo firewall-cmd --list-services --permanent; sudo firewall-cmd --reload >/dev/null; echo "after reload:"; sudo firewall-cmd --list-servicesruntime only:cockpit dhcpv6-client ftp sshcockpit dhcpv6-client sshafter reload:cockpit dhcpv6-client ssh

semanage boolean -l -C (NOT getsebool)

getsebool reports the RUNNING value and cannot tell you whether it persists. The -C list only holds what is written down.

Full guide

bash Example session

$sudo setsebool httpd_enable_homedirs on 2>/dev/null; getsebool httpd_enable_homedirs; sudo semanage boolean -l -C 2>/dev/null | grep -c httpd_enable_homedirs || echo "0 - not persistent"; sudo setsebool -P httpd_enable_homedirs off 2>/dev/nullhttpd_enable_homedirs --> on1

getenforce vs sestatus | grep "Mode from config"

Runtime mode and boot mode are separate. A task saying "set SELinux enforcing" usually means both.

Full guide
bash Example session
```
$sudo setenforce 0; getenforce; sestatus | grep "Mode from config"; sudo setenforce 1; getenforcePermissiveMode from config file:          enforcingEnforcing
```
systemctl is-enabled <units...> and is-active <units...>

Both, for every service you touched. They take several units at once, so this is one command at the end.

Full guide
bash Example session
```
$systemctl is-enabled chronyd sshd crond firewalld NetworkManager auditd 2>&1 | tr '\n' ' '; echoenabled enabled enabled enabled enabled enabled
```

One command per subsystem

id <user> · passwd -S <user> · chage -l <user>

Groups, password state and ageing. `passwd -S` reporting P means a usable password; LK means locked.

Full guide
bash Example session
```
$echo "user:       id X  +  passwd -S X  +  chage -l X"user:       id X  +  passwd -S X  +  chage -l X
```
lsblk -f · lvs · vgs

Filesystems and labels, logical volumes, free extents. Three commands, whole storage picture.

Full guide
bash Example session
```
$echo "storage:    lsblk -f  +  lvs  +  vgs"storage:    lsblk -f  +  lvs  +  vgs
```
ls -Z <path> · semanage fcontext -l -C · semanage port -l -C

The label on the file, and the local policy modifications you made. The -C forms show your work and nothing else.

Full guide
bash Example session
```
$echo "selinux:    ls -Z path  /  semanage fcontext -l -C  /  semanage port -l -C"selinux:    ls -Z path  /  semanage fcontext -l -C  /  semanage port -l -C
```
crontab -l · systemctl list-timers · atq

Three schedulers, three listings. A task naming "at, cron and timer units" can mean any of them.

Full guide
bash Example session
```
$echo "schedule:   crontab -l  /  systemctl list-timers  /  atq"schedule:   crontab -l  /  systemctl list-timers  /  atq
```
swapon --show + grep swap /etc/fstab

Active swap AND an fstab line for it. Either alone is half the answer.

Full guide
bash Example session
```
$swapon --show=NAME,SIZE,PRIO; grep -c swap /etc/fstabNAME      SIZE PRIO/dev/dm-1 3.9G   -21
```

What it costs to check

systemd-analyze

A full boot on this machine is 27 seconds. Two reboots is under two minutes of the 180 you have.

Full guide
bash Example session
```
$systemd-analyze | head -2Startup finished in 4.272s (kernel) + 1.554s (initrd) + 7.327s (userspace) = 13.154smulti-user.target reached after 2.935s in userspace.
```

time <command>

Create, format and remove a logical volume: under two seconds. The work is fast; the thinking is slow.

Full guide

bash Example session

$time (sudo lvcreate -y -L 200M -n lvtime vgdata >/dev/null 2>&1 && sudo mkfs.xfs -q -f /dev/vgdata/lvtime >/dev/null 2>&1 && sudo lvremove -y vgdata/lvtime >/dev/null 2>&1) 2>&1 | tail -3 real	0m0.054suser	0m0.010ssys	0m0.009s

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