How do you enable a service to start on boot in a Linux system?

To enable a service to start on boot in a Linux system, using the command systemctl enable service_name is the correct approach. This command creates the necessary symlinks in the system's init directories, making sure the specified service will be automatically started during the boot process.

Modern Linux distributions that use systemd rely on this command to manage services effectively. When you execute the enable option, you are informing the systemd manager to include that service in its startup routine. This is essential for ensuring that services you need are running without the need for manual intervention after each reboot.

While it's true that the other options involve managing services, they do not specifically enable a service for automatic start at boot. For instance, starting the service with systemctl start service_name will initiate it immediately but does not alter its configuration for subsequent boots. Similarly, the chkconfig service_name on command is more relevant in older SysVinit systems and doesn't apply to systems using systemd, though it may suggest the concept of enabling services in other contexts. Thus, the focus on systemctl enable clearly identifies the command intended for setting a service to start on boot in modern Linux environments.