Now, the demand for RHCE experts has changed from basic system administration to automation engineering. Now that the RHEL version 10 is available to all, interviewers ask how to complete an operation and how to automate & scale it.

Let’s take a look at the Top 30 RHCE Interview Questions and Answers and make you be prepared for future interviews!

What is Red Hat Certification?

A performance-based credentialing program called Red Hat Certification verifies an IT professional's proficiency with Red Hat's open-source technology stack, which includes Linux, Ansible, and OpenShift.

In contrast to conventional multiple-choice tests, these certifications require candidates to finish real-world, hands-on labs on operational systems, guaranteeing they possess the technical know-how to oversee enterprise-level infrastructure.

These qualifications, which range from the prestigious RHCA to the foundational RHCSA, are highly regarded in the industry for bridging the gap between academic understanding and practical business application.

Let’s find out how you can crack the interviews by reading about the Top 30 RHCE Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers to Experienced!

Top 30 RHCE Interview Questions and Answers

The Foundation

What is Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)?

A Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) is a professional who has proven to have advanced skills in managing large-scale environments, automating Red Hat Enterprise Linux chores, and integrating emerging technologies using shell scripting and Ansible.

What is the difference between RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) and CentOS?

Although CentOS Linux was initially a free downstream rebuild of RHEL, the main distinction currently is that CentOS Stream is its "upstream" development platform used to test and preview new RHEL features, while RHEL is a premium, enterprise-ready solution with long-term support.

RHCE Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers

What are the basic commands for navigating the Linux file system?

The following are the basic commands for navigating the Linux File System:

a) pwd (Print Working Directory),

b) ls (List),

c) cd (Change Directory),

d) mkdir (Make Directory), and

e) tree.

How do you check the current version of RHEL in a system?

The most popular and straightforward way to find the current version of RHEL is to use the terminal command cat /etc/redhat-release.

What is the difference between a symbolic link and a hard link in Linux?

A hard link is a direct pointer to the physical data (inode) on the disk, thereby giving the same file a new name, whereas a symbolic link is a shortcut file that leads to a pathname.

What is the purpose of the sudo command?

Without having to log in as the superuser directly, an allowed user can carry out administrative duties by using the sudo (superuser do) command to execute a command with the security rights of another user, usually the root user.

How do you add a new user in Linux?

In Linux, I use the useradd command to add a new user, followed by the username (e.g., useradd username), and then I use the passwd program to set their password.

What is SELinux, and how do you manage it?

The getenforce, setenforce, and semanage commands are used to manage SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux), a kernel security module that offers a mandatory access control (MAC) method to limit process rights.

Explain the steps to configure a static IP address in RHEL.

To configure a static IP address in RHEL, you can follow the following steps:

a) Identify the connection name,

b) Set the IPv4 method to manual,

c) Assign the IP address & Subnet Mask,

d) Set the Gateway & DNS, and

e) Apply & Activate the changes.

How do you manage services in Linux?

I use the systemctl command to start, stop, restart, enable, or disable background processes (daemons) via the systemd service manager in the majority of contemporary Linux distributions.

What are the common log files in Linux, and where can you find them?

The /var/log directory contains the majority of Linux log files, such as /var/log/messages or /var/log/syslog (generic system events), /var/log/auth.log or /var/log/secure (authentication and security), and /var/log/kern.log (kernel-specific messages).

What is the difference between rpm and yum in RHEL?

RPM is a low-level package management system for individual installations. On top of RPM files, YUM (and its successor DNF) is a high-level utility that installs and resolves all required software dependencies automatically from remote repositories.

How do you configure and manage firewalls in RHEL?

I use the firewalld daemon and its command-line tool firewall-cmd to control the firewall under RHEL. This allows me to apply --permanent rules that endure system reboots, build trust-based zones, and permit or prohibit particular services and ports.

What is the purpose of the tar command?

Several files and directories can be combined into a single archive file, known as a "tarball," using the tar (tape archive) command. This process preserves the original permissions and directory structures while optionally applying compression (such as gzip or bzip2).

How do you troubleshoot a network connectivity issue in RHEL?

Use tools like nmcli and ip addr to confirm interface status, ping and traceroute to test reachability, and ss or netstat to look for active sockets and listening ports in order to troubleshoot network connectivity in RHEL.

Advanced RHCE Questions and Answers for Experienced Pros

What is the role of an RHCE in a Linux-based enterprise environment?

Using Ansible to deploy, configure, and protect large-scale server infrastructures effectively and reliably, a RHCE serves as a senior administrator in a Linux-based company, bridging the gap between human management and automation.

How do you configure and manage network interfaces in RHEL?

NetworkManager is used in RHEL to handle network interfaces. IP addresses, gateways, and DNS settings can be defined by altering configuration files in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/ or by using the nmcli command-line tool and nmtui text interface.

How would you troubleshoot a server that is not booting properly in RHEL?

In order to debug a server that won't start in RHEL, you should examine the integrity of the /etc/fstab file for mounting faults, interrupt the GRUB bootloader to reach emergency or rescue mode, and look for hardware or service failures in the systemd journal and dmesg.

Can you explain the differences between iptables and firewalld?

Firewalld is a contemporary, dynamic manager that uses "zones" and permits rule updates without disrupting active network connections, whereas iptables is a traditional, static firewall service where modifications necessitate a full ruleset reload.

What is LVM, and how do you create and manage logical volumes in RHEL?

Physical Volumes (PV), Volume Groups (VG), and Logical Volumes (LV) are the three primary components of LVM (Logical Volume Manager), a storage management technology that offers a flexible layer between physical disks and file systems, enabling you to pool storage resources and resize volumes on the fly. I can create and manage logical volumes in RHEL in the following ways:

a) Initialize Physical Volumes,

b) Create a Volume Group,

c) Create a Logical Volume,

d) Format and Mount, and

e) Extend on the Fly.

How do you implement RAID in RHEL?

To merge several physical drives into a single logical device (such as /dev/md0) with particular redundancy and performance levels, such as RAID 0, 1, 5, or 10, you can construct software RAID in RHEL using the mdadm program.

What are systemd units, and how do you create and manage them?

Systemd units are configuration files (such as.service,.mount, or.timer) that specify how the system handles resources. They are generated by putting unit files in /etc/systemd/system/, and systemctl commands are used to load, start, and automate them.

How do you secure a RHEL server using SSH and configure key-based authentication?

To secure RHEL with SSH, you disable root login and password authentication in /etc/ssh/sshd_config, then use ssh-keygen to create a key pair and ssh-copy-id to transfer the public key to the server for secure, password-less access.

Explain SELinux policies and how to troubleshoot SELinux-related issues.

By examining the audit logs in /var/log/audit/audit.log and utilizing tools like sealert or ausearch to interpret rejections and produce fix recommendations, you can troubleshoot issues with SELinux policies, which are sets of rules that specify the security context for users, roles, and types.

What are cron jobs, and how would you schedule recurring tasks in RHEL?

Using a five-field syntax to indicate the precise minute, hour, day, month, and weekday for automated execution, cron jobs are time-based scheduled tasks that can be controlled with the crontab command or by putting scripts in /etc/cron.* directories.

How do you configure and manage DNS, NFS, and DHCP servers in RHEL?

Installing the appropriate packages (bind for DNS, nfs-utils for NFS, and dhcp-server for DHCP), modifying their configuration files in /etc/, and utilizing systemctl to control the daemons are how you set up and maintain these services in RHEL.

What is a kickstart installation, and how do you automate RHEL installations?

Using a text-based configuration file (ks.cfg) that includes responses to all installation prompts, a Kickstart installation automates RHEL deployment and enables "hands-off" system provisioning via network, USB, or local media.

How do you perform kernel tuning and system resource optimization in RHEL?

Applying certain workload profiles using the TuneD daemon (using tuned-adm) and manually modifying kernel settings at runtime using the sysctl command or permanently in /etc/sysctl.conf are two ways to maximize performance in RHEL.

How do you set up and manage RHEL high-availability clusters?

Installing the Pacemaker and Corosync software, authenticating and connecting nodes to a cluster using the pcs program, and configuring necessary fencing (STONITH) to avoid data corruption during node failures are the steps involved in setting up a RHEL high-availability cluster.

Explain the process of system patch management in RHEL.

In RHEL, system patch management entails synchronizing with the Red Hat Content Delivery Network via DNF (or YUM), finding relevant security errors and bug fixes, and deploying them to systems that are frequently managed at scale via Red Hat Satellite for version control and lifecycle environment staging.

Expert Tip for 2026 Interviews: Focus on Ansible

As companies move fully toward Infrastructure as Code (IaC), mastering Ansible is essential for RHEL roles. Your capacity to automate patch management, compliance auditing, and hybrid-cloud deployments is the main indicator of senior-level proficiency.

To show that you can handle contemporary, containerized scaling requirements, concentrate on creating reusable, safe Execution Environments and advanced integration with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform (AAP).

Conclusion

Now that we have talked about the Top 30 RHCE Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers to Experienced, you might be feeling confident in giving an interview. However, for those who have just started learning Linux and want to go for RHCE training, they can go for the Best Red Hat Certified Engineer RHCE Training in Delhi offered by Craw Security.

This training program will offer a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of an RHCE professional in a company. What are you waiting for? Contact, Now!

Top 30 RHCE Interview Questions and Answers

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