After editing the /etc/chrony.conf, which command applies the changes?

• A. chronyc reload
• B. systemctl reload chronyd
• C. service chronyd restart
• D. systemctl restart chronyd

Answer: (D)

Chrony reads its configuration when the daemon starts, so any edits to /etc/chrony.conf don’t take effect until the service is reinitialized. Restarting the chronyd service is the most reliable way to apply those changes on Red Hat systems: systemctl restart chronyd stops the current process and starts it again, causing chronyd to load the updated configuration from disk and begin using the new settings immediately.

Other options can sometimes work if the daemon and unit support them, but they’re not as universally reliable: a reload might reread the config without fully restarting (and isn’t guaranteed to be supported in every version or unit file), and a direct restart via the legacy service command is functionally similar to systemctl restart.