EX200 Practice Exam 4 — 20 Questions

Question 1

Refer to the exhibit. An administrator runs lsblk and sees the above output. The administrator wants to mount /dev/sdb1 at /mnt/data. What should be done first?

Accepted Answer

Create the directory /mnt/data and then run mount. Before mounting a filesystem, the mount point directory must exist. Option A correctly instructs to create /mnt/data with mkdir -p /mnt/data and then run mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/data. Without the directory, the mount command will fail with a 'mount point does not exist' error.

Answer

Run mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/data

Answer

Run partprobe to detect the partition

Answer

Run mkfs.xfs /dev/sdb1

Answer

Edit /etc/fstab and add an entry

Question 2

Which TWO commands can be used to display the contents of a compressed log file without decompressing it first?

Accepted Answer

bzless /var/log/messages.bz2. `bzless` is a utility specifically designed to view bzip2-compressed files without decompressing them first. It decompresses the file on the fly and pipes the output to a pager, allowing you to scroll through the content. Similarly, option B is correct because `zcat` reads a gzip-compressed file and writes the decompressed data to standard output, effectively displaying the contents without permanently decompressing the file.

Answer

grep 'error' /var/log/messages.gz

Answer

vim /var/log/messages.gz

Answer

less /var/log/messages.gz

Question 3

Which command creates a 2GB logical volume named 'lvdata' in the volume group 'vgdata'?

Accepted Answer

lvcreate -L 2G -n lvdata vgdata. The `lvcreate` command with `-L 2G` specifies the size in gigabytes, `-n lvdata` sets the logical volume name, and `vgdata` is the volume group in which the logical volume is created. This syntax follows the standard LVM2 command structure for creating a logical volume of a specified size within an existing volume group.

Answer

lvcreate -n vgdata -L 2G lvdata

Answer

lvcreate -n lvdata -s 2G vgdata

Answer

lvcreate -l 2G -n lvdata vgdata

Question 4

Which file contains the list of filesystems to be mounted at system startup?

Accepted Answer

/etc/fstab. The /etc/fstab file is the system configuration file that defines static filesystem information, including devices, mount points, filesystem types, mount options, dump frequency, and fsck pass order. During system startup, the mount -a command (typically run by systemd or init scripts) reads /etc/fstab to mount all filesystems listed there, making it the definitive source for automatic mounting at boot.

Answer

/etc/rc.local

Answer

/etc/filesystems

Answer

/etc/mtab

Question 5

A user needs to view the last 15 lines of a log file that is constantly being updated. Which command should they use?

Accepted Answer

tail -n 15 /var/log/messages. The `tail -n 15 /var/log/messages` command displays the last 15 lines of the specified log file without following it. This meets the requirement to view the last 15 lines of a file that is constantly being updated, as it provides a static snapshot of the most recent entries.

Answer

tail -f /var/log/messages

Answer

cat /var/log/messages

Answer

head -15 /var/log/messages

Question 6

Refer to the exhibit. Why does the 'bin' user have /sbin/nologin as its shell?

Accepted Answer

The user is a system account that should not log in interactively.. The /sbin/nologin shell is explicitly assigned to system accounts like 'bin' to prevent interactive logins. This shell prints a message and exits, ensuring that the account can only be used for non-interactive system processes, such as owning files or running daemons, without providing a login session.

Answer

The user's home directory is missing.

Answer

The user is locked.

Answer

The shell is not installed.

Question 7

A system administrator needs to configure a firewall using firewalld to allow incoming HTTPS traffic and deny incoming SSH traffic from a specific source IP 192.168.1.100. Which two commands should be run? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

firewall-cmd --add-service=https --permanent. `firewall-cmd --add-service=https --permanent` adds the HTTPS service (TCP port 443) to the permanent firewall configuration, which is required to allow incoming HTTPS traffic persistently across reboots. The `--permanent` flag ensures the rule survives a reload or restart, and the `--add-service` option uses predefined service definitions from firewalld to simplify rule creation.

Answer

firewall-cmd --runtime-to-permanent

Answer

firewall-cmd --add-rich-rule='rule family=ipv4 source address=192.168.1.100 service name=ssh reject' --permanent

Answer

firewall-cmd --add-service=http --permanent

Question 8

What does the 's' in the owner execute position indicate?

Accepted Answer

SetUID. In Linux file permissions, the 's' in the owner execute position (e.g., `-rwsr-xr-x`) indicates the SetUID (Set User ID) special permission. When set on an executable file, it allows the process to run with the effective user ID of the file's owner (typically root), rather than the user who launched it. This is why option E is correct.

Answer

Mandatory access control

Answer

SetGID

Answer

Sticky bit

Answer

No special permission

Question 9

Which three of the following actions are required when adding a new swap device to the system? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Use mkswap to set up the swap signature. `mkswap` writes a swap signature (UUID and label) to the device, which is required before the kernel can use it as swap space. Without this signature, the device is not recognized as a swap area.

Answer

Mount the device to a swap directory

Answer

Create a filesystem using mkfs

Question 10

Which TWO statements are true regarding container images and containers in Podman?

Accepted Answer

A container is a running or stopped instance of an image with a writable layer.. A container in Podman is an instantiation of an image that adds a writable layer on top of the image's read-only layers. This writable layer persists changes made during the container's runtime, even after the container is stopped, unless explicitly removed.

Answer

A container can only be created from an image that is stored locally.

Answer

When a container is stopped, its writable layer is automatically removed.

Answer

A container image must be built using a Dockerfile.

Question 11

Which TWO statements about the /etc/shadow file are true? (Select exactly two.)

Accepted Answer

Contains hashed passwords for local users.. The /etc/shadow file stores hashed user passwords using algorithms like SHA-512 or yescrypt, as defined by the pam_unix module. It also contains password aging fields (e.g., minimum days, maximum days, warning period) that enforce password expiration policies. These two functions make options A and E correct.

Answer

Contains the user's UID.

Answer

Is used to store encrypted group passwords.

Answer

Is readable by all users.

Question 12

An administrator needs to configure a static IP address on an interface that will persist across reboots using NetworkManager. Which TWO commands or files can be used to achieve this?

Accepted Answer

nmcli con mod eth0 ipv4.addresses 192.168.1.10/24. The `nmcli con mod` command modifies the NetworkManager connection profile for the interface, setting a static IPv4 address that is stored persistently in the connection configuration. Option D is correct because editing the `/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0` file directly defines the static IP address in the ifcfg format, which NetworkManager reads on boot to apply persistent settings.

Answer

systemctl restart network

Answer

nmcli con up eth0

Answer

ip addr add 192.168.1.10/24 dev eth0

Question 13

Which TWO are correct ways to check the SELinux context of a file named 'test.txt'? (Choose exactly two.)

Accepted Answer

ls -Z test.txt. `ls -Z` displays the SELinux security context of files, including user, role, type, and sensitivity level. The `-Z` option is specifically designed to show SELinux context information for files and processes.

Answer

ls -l test.txt

Answer

sestatus

Answer

getenforce

Question 14

Based on the exhibit, which mount point is mounted with the 'noexec' option?

Accepted Answer

/tmp. The /tmp mount point is configured with the 'noexec' option, as shown in the exhibit (e.g., in /etc/fstab or the output of mount or findmnt). This prevents execution of binaries directly from the /tmp filesystem, which is a common security hardening practice to mitigate the risk of attackers running malicious scripts or binaries from a world-writable directory.

Answer

/data

Answer

/

Answer

/var

Answer

/boot

Question 15

Which TWO commands can be used to view the current disk usage of a filesystem?

Accepted Answer

du. The `du` command (disk usage) estimates file and directory space usage, allowing you to view disk usage at the file or directory level. The `df` command (disk free) reports the amount of available and used disk space on mounted filesystems, showing overall filesystem usage. Both are standard Linux tools for examining disk consumption.

Answer

blkid

Answer

fdisk

Answer

lsblk

Question 16

Which three network configuration methods are valid in RHEL 8/9?

Accepted Answer

/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-* files. In RHEL 8/9, the traditional `/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-*` files are still supported for backward compatibility, though NetworkManager is the default service. These files define interface configurations using variables like `DEVICE`, `BOOTPROTO`, and `ONBOOT`, and are read by the `ifup`/`ifdown` scripts or NetworkManager when configured to use them. This method remains valid for static or DHCP-based network setup without requiring a GUI.

Answer

system-config-network

Answer

ifconfig

Question 17

Which TWO commands can be used to create a new directory that will serve as a mount point?

Accepted Answer

install -d /mnt/newmount. `install -d /mnt/newmount` creates the directory `/mnt/newmount` if it does not already exist, setting it up as a mount point. Option D is correct because `mkdir /mnt/newmount` is the standard command to create a directory, which can then be used as a mount point for a filesystem.

Answer

touch /mnt/newmount

Answer

ln -s /mnt /mnt/newmount

Answer

ln /mnt /mnt/newmount

Question 18

A system administrator needs to ensure that a web server running Apache httpd starts automatically after a system reboot. Which command should the administrator use to enable the httpd service?

Accepted Answer

systemctl enable httpd. `systemctl enable httpd` creates the necessary symlinks in the systemd unit configuration directories (e.g., `/etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/`) to ensure the httpd service starts automatically at boot. This is the standard method for enabling a service in a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8/9 environment using systemd.

Answer

systemctl daemon-reload

Answer

systemctl start httpd

Answer

systemctl reenable httpd

Question 19

Which command can be used to display a list of all currently mounted filesystems on a Linux system?

Accepted Answer

mount. The `mount` command with no arguments displays a list of all currently mounted filesystems, showing the device, mount point, filesystem type, and mount options. This is the standard and most direct way to view active mounts on a Linux system.

Answer

fdisk -l

Answer

lsblk -m

Answer

cat /proc/filesystems

Answer

df -a

Question 20

Match each cron syntax field to its meaning.

Accepted Answer

minute: 0-59. The five fields in a cron syntax are (in order): minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day of month (1-31), month (1-12), and day of week (0-7). Common confusions include swapping the minute and hour ranges.

Answer

minute: 0-23