Objective 1.0

System Architecture

LPIC-1 Practice Questions

Use this page to practise System Architecture questions for this certification. Focus on how the exam tests system architecture in scenario format — understanding the why behind each answer builds more durable knowledge than memorising options.

Full Practice Test →All Objectives

What this objective tests

LPIC-1 System Architecture — Key Topics

System Architecture questions on this certification test your ability to deploy and manage system architecture concepts in scenario-based situations.

Core System Architecture concepts and how they apply in real-world cloud scenarios.
How to deploy system architecture correctly and verify the outcome.
Troubleshooting system architecture issues by interpreting error output and system state.
Cloud best practices and System Architecture design trade-offs tested by this certification.

Common exam traps

Where candidates lose marks on System Architecture

⚠Selecting the most expensive service when a simpler managed option meets the requirement.
⚠Forgetting that cloud resources must be explicitly secured — defaults are rarely secure.
⚠Choosing a global service fix when the issue is region-specific.
⚠Overlooking cost implications of cross-region data transfer in architecture questions.

LPIC-1 System Architecture — Practice Questions

30 questions from this objective

Question 2mediummultiple choice

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A system administrator notices that the server's clock is consistently off by several minutes. Which service should be used to synchronize the time with an external time source?

Question 3easymultiple choice

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During boot, the kernel must mount the root filesystem. Which of the following is responsible for providing the kernel with the location of the root filesystem?

Question 4hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A server has two disk drives: /dev/sda (SSD) and /dev/sdb (HDD). The administrator wants to place frequently accessed files on the SSD for performance. Which approach best achieves this using Linux filesystem features?

Question 5mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A technician is troubleshooting a system that fails to boot with the error 'Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)'. What is the most likely cause?

Question 6easymultiple choice

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Which hardware component uses a unique address to identify itself on the network at the data link layer?

Question 7mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A Linux system has two network interfaces: eth0 and eth1. The administrator wants to bond them for increased throughput. Which kernel module is required for bonding?

Question 8hardmultiple choice

Full question →

An administrator needs to ensure that a specific kernel module is loaded automatically at boot. Which file should be used to permanently load the module?

Question 9easymultiple choice

Full question →

Which command displays information about the CPU, including model name, cache size, and flags?

Question 10mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A server with a udev rule fails to consistently assign a persistent network interface name. What is the most likely cause?

Question 11mediummulti select

Full question →

Which TWO of the following are valid methods to reduce boot time on a Linux system? (Select exactly 2.)

Question 12hardmulti select

Full question →

Which THREE of the following are characteristics of UEFI firmware compared to legacy BIOS? (Select exactly 3.)

Question 13easymulti select

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Which TWO commands can be used to display the amount of free and used memory on a Linux system? (Select exactly 2.)

Question 14mediummultiple choice

Full question →

Refer to the exhibit. The system has a single disk with three partitions. Which partition contains the root filesystem?

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

$ lsblk
NAME   MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda      8:0    0 223.6G  0 disk
├─sda1   8:1    0   512M  0 part /boot
├─sda2   8:2    0    16G  0 part [SWAP]
└─sda3   8:3    0 207.1G  0 part /

Question 15hardmultiple choice

Full question →

Refer to the exhibit. How many SATA controllers are detected, and what is the connection speed of the SSD?

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

$ dmesg | grep -i "ata"
[    1.234567] ata1: SATA max UDMA/133 abar m2048@0xfebf8000 port 0xfebf8100 irq 24
[    1.234568] ata2: SATA max UDMA/133 abar m2048@0xfebf8000 port 0xfebf8180 irq 24
[    1.345678] ata1: SATA link up 6.0 Gbps (SStatus 123 SControl 300)
[    1.345679] ata2: SATA link up 3.0 Gbps (SStatus 123 SControl 300)
[    1.567890] ata1.00: ATA-11: Samsung SSD 860 EVO, MZ-76E250, max UDMA/133
[    1.567891] ata1.00: 488397168 sectors, multi 16: LBA48 NCQ (depth 32)
[    1.567892] ata2.00: ATA-9: WDC WD10EZEX-00WN4A0, 01.01A01, max UDMA/133
[    1.567893] ata2.00: 1953525168 sectors, multi 16: LBA48 NCQ (depth 32)

Question 16hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A company runs a critical database server on Linux. The server has a hardware RAID controller with two logical volumes: one for the operating system (LV1) and one for the database data (LV2). The server uses LVM on top of the RAID volumes. Recently, the database performance has degraded. The administrator suspects that the file system on LV2 is heavily fragmented. The server uses the ext4 filesystem. The administrator wants to check the fragmentation level and, if necessary, defragment the filesystem without unmounting it or causing downtime. However, ext4 does not support online defragmentation. What should the administrator do to minimize fragmentation impact while maintaining availability?

Question 17mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A Linux system administrator is tasked with setting up a new server that will host multiple virtual machines using KVM. The server has 64 GB of RAM and two physical CPUs, each with 8 cores (16 threads). The administrator needs to allocate resources efficiently. The VMs will have varying workloads. The administrator wants to ensure that the host system has enough resources for itself and that VMs can use all available CPU cores. Which approach should the administrator take to configure CPU allocation for the host and VMs?

Question 18mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A system administrator notices that a server with a freshly installed Linux system fails to boot with the error 'No bootable device found'. The server has a single SATA hard disk connected to the motherboard's SATA controller. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this issue?

Question 19easymulti select

Full question →

Which TWO of the following are valid methods to change the default runlevel on a SysV init-based system?

Question 20hardmultiple choice

Full question →

Refer to the exhibit. A Linux system fails to boot with a kernel panic. The dmesg output shows the disk is detected and partitions are recognized. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the kernel panic?

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

# dmesg | grep -i 'ata\|sda'
[    0.000000] ACPI: IRQ9 used by override.
[    0.000000] ACPI: IRQ9 used by override.
[    2.345678] ata1: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300)
[    2.345679] ata1.00: ATA-8: ST31000524AS, JC45, max UDMA/133
[    2.345680] ata1.00: 1953525168 sectors, multi 16: LBA48 NCQ (depth 31/32)
[    2.345681] ata1.00: configured for UDMA/133
[    2.345682] scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access     ATA      ST31000524AS     JC45 PQ: 0 ANSI: 5
[    2.345683] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] 1953525168 512-byte logical blocks: (1.00 TB/931 GiB)
[    2.345684] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off
[    2.345685] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00
[    2.345686] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
[    2.345687] sda: sda1 sda2
[    2.345688] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Attached SCSI disk

Question 21mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A Linux administrator manages a server that runs a custom application requiring a specific kernel module to be loaded at boot. The server uses SysV init and has the module listed in /etc/modules. However, after a recent kernel update, the module fails to load automatically at boot. The administrator can manually load the module with 'modprobe <module>' after the system is running. The application depends on this module being loaded before any network services start. Which of the following actions should the administrator take to ensure the module loads automatically at the correct time during boot?

Question 22mediumdrag order

Full question →

Arrange the steps to configure a firewall rule using iptables to allow SSH.

Drag steps to the numbered slots on the right, or tap a step then tap a slot.

Steps

Order

1Step 1

2Step 2

3Step 3

4Step 4

5Step 5

Question 23mediummatching

Study the full ACL explanation →

Match each ACL term to its meaning.

Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.

Concepts

Matches

Permissions for a specific user

Permissions for a specific group

Maximum permissions for named users and groups

Permissions for everyone else

Inherited ACL for new files/directories

Question 24easymultiple choice

Full question →

During the boot process, the system stops at a GRUB prompt. Which command should be typed to continue booting?

Question 25easymultiple choice

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Which command displays the system's architecture (e.g., x86_64)?

Question 26easymultiple choice

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What is stored in the first sector of a hard disk (Master Boot Record)?

Question 27mediummultiple choice

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A system administrator needs to create a new Logical Volume (LV) in an existing LVM setup. Which sequence of commands is correct?

Question 28mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A Linux system fails to boot with the error: 'Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)'. What is the most likely cause?

Question 29mediummultiple choice

Full question →

Which command can be used to check whether a specific kernel module is currently loaded?

Question 30hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A sysadmin wants to ensure a specific kernel module is automatically loaded at boot. Which method is considered best practice?

Question 31hardmultiple choice

Full question →

During boot, a sysadmin sees the message 'Buffer I/O error on device sda1, logical block 0'. What does this most likely indicate?

More System Architecture questions available in the full practice test.

Continue Practising →

All LPIC-1 Objectives

1.System Architecture

Objective 1.0

System Architecture

LPIC-1 Practice Questions

Full Practice Test →All Objectives

What this objective tests

LPIC-1 System Architecture — Key Topics

System Architecture questions on this certification test your ability to deploy and manage system architecture concepts in scenario-based situations.

Core System Architecture concepts and how they apply in real-world cloud scenarios.
How to deploy system architecture correctly and verify the outcome.
Troubleshooting system architecture issues by interpreting error output and system state.
Cloud best practices and System Architecture design trade-offs tested by this certification.

Common exam traps

Where candidates lose marks on System Architecture

⚠Selecting the most expensive service when a simpler managed option meets the requirement.
⚠Forgetting that cloud resources must be explicitly secured — defaults are rarely secure.
⚠Choosing a global service fix when the issue is region-specific.
⚠Overlooking cost implications of cross-region data transfer in architecture questions.

LPIC-1 System Architecture — Practice Questions

30 questions from this objective

Question 2mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A system administrator notices that the server's clock is consistently off by several minutes. Which service should be used to synchronize the time with an external time source?

Question 3easymultiple choice

Full question →

During boot, the kernel must mount the root filesystem. Which of the following is responsible for providing the kernel with the location of the root filesystem?

Question 4hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A server has two disk drives: /dev/sda (SSD) and /dev/sdb (HDD). The administrator wants to place frequently accessed files on the SSD for performance. Which approach best achieves this using Linux filesystem features?

Question 5mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A technician is troubleshooting a system that fails to boot with the error 'Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)'. What is the most likely cause?

Question 6easymultiple choice

Full question →

Which hardware component uses a unique address to identify itself on the network at the data link layer?

Question 7mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A Linux system has two network interfaces: eth0 and eth1. The administrator wants to bond them for increased throughput. Which kernel module is required for bonding?

Question 8hardmultiple choice

Full question →

An administrator needs to ensure that a specific kernel module is loaded automatically at boot. Which file should be used to permanently load the module?

Question 9easymultiple choice

Full question →

Which command displays information about the CPU, including model name, cache size, and flags?

Question 10mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A server with a udev rule fails to consistently assign a persistent network interface name. What is the most likely cause?

Question 11mediummulti select

Full question →

Which TWO of the following are valid methods to reduce boot time on a Linux system? (Select exactly 2.)

Question 12hardmulti select

Full question →

Which THREE of the following are characteristics of UEFI firmware compared to legacy BIOS? (Select exactly 3.)

Question 13easymulti select

Full question →

Which TWO commands can be used to display the amount of free and used memory on a Linux system? (Select exactly 2.)

Question 14mediummultiple choice

Full question →

Refer to the exhibit. The system has a single disk with three partitions. Which partition contains the root filesystem?

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

$ lsblk
NAME   MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda      8:0    0 223.6G  0 disk
├─sda1   8:1    0   512M  0 part /boot
├─sda2   8:2    0    16G  0 part [SWAP]
└─sda3   8:3    0 207.1G  0 part /

Question 15hardmultiple choice

Full question →

Refer to the exhibit. How many SATA controllers are detected, and what is the connection speed of the SSD?

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

$ dmesg | grep -i "ata"
[    1.234567] ata1: SATA max UDMA/133 abar m2048@0xfebf8000 port 0xfebf8100 irq 24
[    1.234568] ata2: SATA max UDMA/133 abar m2048@0xfebf8000 port 0xfebf8180 irq 24
[    1.345678] ata1: SATA link up 6.0 Gbps (SStatus 123 SControl 300)
[    1.345679] ata2: SATA link up 3.0 Gbps (SStatus 123 SControl 300)
[    1.567890] ata1.00: ATA-11: Samsung SSD 860 EVO, MZ-76E250, max UDMA/133
[    1.567891] ata1.00: 488397168 sectors, multi 16: LBA48 NCQ (depth 32)
[    1.567892] ata2.00: ATA-9: WDC WD10EZEX-00WN4A0, 01.01A01, max UDMA/133
[    1.567893] ata2.00: 1953525168 sectors, multi 16: LBA48 NCQ (depth 32)

Question 16hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A company runs a critical database server on Linux. The server has a hardware RAID controller with two logical volumes: one for the operating system (LV1) and one for the database data (LV2). The server uses LVM on top of the RAID volumes. Recently, the database performance has degraded. The administrator suspects that the file system on LV2 is heavily fragmented. The server uses the ext4 filesystem. The administrator wants to check the fragmentation level and, if necessary, defragment the filesystem without unmounting it or causing downtime. However, ext4 does not support online defragmentation. What should the administrator do to minimize fragmentation impact while maintaining availability?

Question 17mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A Linux system administrator is tasked with setting up a new server that will host multiple virtual machines using KVM. The server has 64 GB of RAM and two physical CPUs, each with 8 cores (16 threads). The administrator needs to allocate resources efficiently. The VMs will have varying workloads. The administrator wants to ensure that the host system has enough resources for itself and that VMs can use all available CPU cores. Which approach should the administrator take to configure CPU allocation for the host and VMs?

Question 18mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A system administrator notices that a server with a freshly installed Linux system fails to boot with the error 'No bootable device found'. The server has a single SATA hard disk connected to the motherboard's SATA controller. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this issue?

Question 19easymulti select

Full question →

Which TWO of the following are valid methods to change the default runlevel on a SysV init-based system?

Question 20hardmultiple choice

Full question →

Refer to the exhibit. A Linux system fails to boot with a kernel panic. The dmesg output shows the disk is detected and partitions are recognized. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the kernel panic?

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

# dmesg | grep -i 'ata\|sda'
[    0.000000] ACPI: IRQ9 used by override.
[    0.000000] ACPI: IRQ9 used by override.
[    2.345678] ata1: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300)
[    2.345679] ata1.00: ATA-8: ST31000524AS, JC45, max UDMA/133
[    2.345680] ata1.00: 1953525168 sectors, multi 16: LBA48 NCQ (depth 31/32)
[    2.345681] ata1.00: configured for UDMA/133
[    2.345682] scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access     ATA      ST31000524AS     JC45 PQ: 0 ANSI: 5
[    2.345683] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] 1953525168 512-byte logical blocks: (1.00 TB/931 GiB)
[    2.345684] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off
[    2.345685] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00
[    2.345686] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
[    2.345687] sda: sda1 sda2
[    2.345688] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Attached SCSI disk