LPIC-2 Linux Kernel and System Startup Practice Test 3 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Which two utilities can be used to load kernel modules? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

modprobe. modprobe is correct because it is the primary utility for loading kernel modules, including handling module dependencies automatically by consulting the modules.dep file generated by depmod. insmod is also correct because it directly inserts a single module into the kernel, though it does not resolve dependencies automatically.

Answer

modinfo

Answer

lsmod

Answer

depmod

Question 2

Which three steps are required to build a kernel module from source located outside the kernel tree? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Run 'make modules_install'.. 'make modules_install' copies the compiled kernel module (.ko file) to the appropriate directory under /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/, making it available for loading. This step is essential after building a module from external source to ensure it is installed in the correct location for the running kernel.

Answer

Edit the kernel configuration.

Answer

Use the kernel's top-level Makefile.

Question 3

Which three directories or files are typically associated with the Linux kernel? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

/proc. /proc is a virtual filesystem that provides an interface to kernel data structures, exposing process information, system hardware details, and runtime kernel parameters. It is dynamically generated by the kernel and does not occupy disk space, making it a direct representation of kernel state.

Answer

/dev

Answer

/etc

Question 4

A user reports that an external USB hard drive is not detected when plugged in. The system uses a standard kernel with USB support. What is the most likely reason?

Accepted Answer

The usb_storage module is blacklisted.. The most likely reason is that the `usb_storage` module is blacklisted, which prevents the kernel from loading the driver needed to detect USB mass storage devices. Even though the kernel has USB support compiled in or as a module, a blacklist entry in `/etc/modprobe.d/` or `/etc/modprobe.conf` explicitly blocks the module from loading, causing the drive to appear undetected. This is a common troubleshooting scenario where all other USB functionality works, but storage devices fail.

Answer

The USB driver is not installed.

Answer

The external drive is incompatible.

Answer

The kernel lacks USB support.

Question 5

A system administrator has multiple kernel modules that depend on each other. Module A must be loaded before module B. How can this dependency be ensured automatically when using modprobe?

Accepted Answer

Add options module_a softdep=module_b to /etc/modprobe.d/. The `softdep` directive in a modprobe configuration file (e.g., `/etc/modprobe.d/*.conf`) allows you to declare a soft dependency where one module should be loaded before another, without creating a hard dependency in the module symbol table. When `modprobe` processes this directive, it ensures that module A is loaded before module B automatically, even if there is no explicit symbol dependency between them.

Answer

Use depmod to generate dependency information

Answer

Use insmod to load module A first, then module B in a startup script

Answer

Add module B to the /etc/modules file

Question 6

After installing a new kernel on a system using GRUB2, which command should be run to update the boot menu configuration file?

Accepted Answer

grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg. After installing a new kernel on a system using GRUB2, the boot menu configuration file must be regenerated to include the new kernel entry. The command `grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg` reads the configuration snippets in `/etc/default/grub` and scripts in `/etc/grub.d/`, then writes the updated GRUB2 configuration to the specified output file (`/boot/grub/grub.cfg`). This is the standard method on most Linux distributions that use GRUB2 (e.g., Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL 7+).

Answer

grub-install /dev/sda

Answer

update-grub

Answer

grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

Question 7

During boot, a server's video driver causes a freeze. At the GRUB2 menu, the administrator needs to interactively add the kernel parameter 'nomodeset' to the boot entry. Which key should be pressed to access the kernel command line editor?

Accepted Answer

e. Pressing 'e' at the GRUB2 menu enters the edit mode for the selected boot entry, allowing the administrator to modify kernel parameters interactively. This is the standard GRUB2 keybinding to access the kernel command line editor, where 'nomodeset' can be added to the 'linux' line to disable kernel mode-setting and prevent the video driver from freezing during boot.

Answer

a

Answer

Tab

Answer

c

Question 8

An organization is migrating from SysV init to systemd. What systemd command should be used to check the status of the HTTP service?

Accepted Answer

systemctl status httpd. The correct command to check the status of a service in systemd is `systemctl status httpd`. This command displays the current state, recent log entries, and process details for the specified unit. The `systemctl` utility is the primary interface for managing systemd services, while `systemd` itself is the init system daemon, not a user-facing command.

Answer

systemd-analyze httpd

Answer

systemctl list-units httpd

Answer

systemd status httpd

Question 9

A new network card driver module is not being loaded at boot. The administrator wants to ensure the module is loaded automatically without modifying the kernel command line. Which file should be used?

Accepted Answer

/etc/modules-load.d/.conf. /etc/modules-load.d/.conf is the standard configuration directory used by systemd-modules-load.service to load kernel modules at boot without modifying the kernel command line. Files in this directory list module names (one per line) that are loaded automatically during early boot, making it the proper mechanism for ensuring a network card driver module is loaded.

Answer

/lib/modules/$(uname -r)/modules.builtin

Answer

/etc/modprobe.d/<name>.conf

Answer

/etc/rc.local

Question 10

During kernel development, a developer modifies only a few source files in a module directory. Which make target should be used to rebuild only that module without compiling the entire kernel?

Accepted Answer

make M=./drivers/net. The `M=./drivers/net` argument tells the kernel build system to build only the module(s) in the specified directory as external modules, without recompiling the entire kernel tree. This is the standard way to rebuild a single kernel module after modifying its source files, leveraging the already configured kernel build environment.

Answer

make oldconfig && make

Answer

make modules

Answer

make modules_install

Question 11

An administrator needs to disable IPv6 on a running system without rebooting and make the change permanent across reboots. Which set of commands should be used?

Accepted Answer

echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv6/conf/all/disable_ipv6 && edit /etc/sysctl.conf to add net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6=1. It combines a runtime sysctl command to immediately disable IPv6 on the running system without a reboot, and a persistent configuration in /etc/sysctl.conf to ensure the setting survives reboots. The /proc/sys/net/ipv6/conf/all/disable_ipv6 file controls the IPv6 stack at runtime, and sysctl.conf applies the kernel parameter at boot time.

Answer

modprobe -r ipv6

Answer

Edit /boot/grub/grub.cfg to add ipv6.disable=1

Answer

sysctl -w net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6=1

Question 12

After creating a new partition table on /dev/sda, what command should be run to install GRUB2 to the Master Boot Record?

Accepted Answer

grub-install /dev/sda. After creating a new partition table on /dev/sda, the Master Boot Record (MBR) resides on the disk device itself, not on a partition. The `grub-install /dev/sda` command installs GRUB2's boot code into the MBR (first 440 bytes) and embeds the core image in the post-MBR gap. This makes the disk bootable by the BIOS.

Answer

grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

Answer

update-grub

Answer

grub-install /dev/sda1

Question 13

Which systemd target is equivalent to the traditional SysV runlevel 3 (multi-user text mode)?

Accepted Answer

multi-user.target. In systemd, multi-user.target is the direct equivalent of SysV runlevel 3, which provides a multi-user text-mode environment without a graphical desktop. This target starts all essential system services and network support but does not launch a display manager, making it the standard for headless servers and maintenance.

Answer

rescue.target

Answer

graphical.target

Answer

emergency.target

Question 14

Which TWO of the following commands can be used to list currently loaded kernel modules? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

cat /proc/modules. `/proc/modules` is a virtual file maintained by the kernel that lists all currently loaded kernel modules, including their size, usage count, and dependent modules. Reading this file provides a real-time snapshot of the kernel's module state. Option E is correct because `lsmod` is a user-space utility that parses `/proc/modules` and formats the output in a human-readable table, making it the standard command for listing loaded modules.

Answer

modinfo -l

Answer

ls /lib/modules/$(uname -r)

Answer

depmod -e

Question 15

Which THREE of the following are standard steps in compiling and installing a custom Linux kernel from source? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

make menuconfig. `make menuconfig` is a standard step that launches a text-based menu-driven interface for configuring kernel options before compilation. This step allows the user to select which features, drivers, and modules to include in the kernel build, generating the `.config` file that guides the subsequent compilation.

Answer

make modules_install

Answer

make oldconfig