EX200 Configure local storage Practice Test 2 — 15 Questions

Question 1

An admin is setting up a new RHEL 9 server. He has two disks: /dev/sda (500GB) and /dev/sdb (500GB). He wants to create a 300GB logical volume for application data, with the ability to take snapshots. He decides to use LVM thin provisioning. He creates a physical volume on /dev/sda, a volume group vg_data, and a thin pool with 300GB of data space and 10GB metadata. He then creates a thin volume lv_app of 300GB. Later, he wants to extend lv_app to 400GB as usage increases. He runs 'lvextend -L+100G /dev/vg_data/lv_app'. The command succeeds, but the application reports no additional space. What is the likely issue?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

He forgot to resize the filesystem (e.g., xfs_growfs or resize2fs).. When extending a thin volume, the underlying logical volume is extended, but the filesystem on top of it does not automatically grow. The admin must run a filesystem-specific command like xfs_growfs (for XFS) or resize2fs (for ext4) to make the additional space available to the application. Without this step, the filesystem remains at its original size, so the application sees no change.

Answer

The thin pool has insufficient free space to accommodate the extension.

Answer

The thin volume must be unmounted to extend.

Answer

He should have used lvextend with the --resizefs option.

Question 2

Which THREE of the following are valid steps to create and mount an XFS filesystem on a new disk /dev/sdb?

Accepted Answer

mount -t xfs /dev/sdb1 /mnt. Option B is correct because `mount -t xfs /dev/sdb1 /mnt` explicitly specifies the XFS filesystem type with `-t xfs` and mounts the partition `/dev/sdb1` at the `/mnt` mount point, which is a valid way to mount an XFS filesystem. Option C is correct because `mkfs.xfs /dev/sdb1` creates an XFS filesystem on the partition `/dev/sdb1`; mkfs.xfs defaults to creating XFS without needing extra flags, making it a valid creation step. Option E is correct because adding the line `/dev/sdb1 /mnt xfs defaults 0 0` to `/etc/fstab` defines a persistent mount entry with the XFS filesystem type, mount point, options, and dump/fsck values, which is a valid step to ensure the filesystem is mounted (e.g., at boot or via `mount -a`). Option A is not among the marked correct answers and would format the whole disk `/dev/sdb` rather than a partition, which is not the intended step for mounting `/dev/sdb1`. Option D is not marked correct because although `mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt` can work if the filesystem type is auto-detected, the question asks for valid steps and the marked correct mount step is the explicit `-t xfs` form.

Answer

mkfs.xfs -f /dev/sdb

Answer

mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt

Question 3

Refer to the exhibit. An administrator wants to create a logical volume named 'data' of size 5GB in volume group 'myvg' and mount it at /data. What is the correct sequence of commands?

Accepted Answer

lvcreate -n data -L 5G myvg
mkfs.xfs /dev/myvg/data
mkdir /data
mount /dev/myvg/data /data
echo '/dev/myvg/data /data xfs defaults 0 0' >> /etc/fstab. It creates the logical volume, formats it with XFS, creates the mount point directory, mounts it, and persists the mount in /etc/fstab with the matching XFS filesystem type. The sequence is complete and internally consistent — the fstab entry uses xfs, matching the mkfs.xfs command.

Answer

vgcreate myvg /dev/sdb /dev/sdc
lvcreate -n data -L 5G myvg
mkfs.ext4 /dev/myvg/data
mount /dev/myvg/data /data

Answer

lvcreate -n data -L 5G myvg
mkfs.xfs /dev/myvg/data
mount /dev/myvg/data /data

Answer

pvcreate /dev/sdb
vgcreate myvg /dev/sdb
lvcreate -n data -L 5G myvg
mkfs.xfs /dev/myvg/data
mount /dev/myvg/data /data
echo '/dev/myvg/data /data ext4 defaults 0 0' >> /etc/fstab

Question 4

Refer to the exhibit. An administrator wants to create a RAID 1 array using /dev/sdb and /dev/sdc. Which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

The administrator must create identical partition tables on both disks, such as a single Linux RAID partition, before creating the RAID array.. mdadm supports using whole disks as RAID components. The only real requirement is that the components have equal size, not that they have identical partition tables. Therefore, D's 'must' is false. The correct procedure is either to use both whole disks or create a Linux RAID partition on each, but it is not strictly required.

Answer

Both disks have a valid partition table and can be used directly for RAID.

Answer

/dev/sdb has no partitions and /dev/sdc has a partition; the administrator must remove the partition on /dev/sdc before creating RAID.

Answer

The administrator can create a RAID 1 array using the whole /dev/sdb and the partition /dev/sdc1 without any changes.

Question 5

Refer to the exhibit. An administrator tries to initialize /dev/sdb as an LVM physical volume but gets an error. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The /etc/lvm/lvm.conf filter is set to exclude /dev/sdb.. The question says 'Refer to the exhibit' but no exhibit is included. The answer could depend on the error message shown (e.g., whether it mentions filtering or not). Without the exhibit, the student cannot reliably select an answer, and the marked correct answer cannot be fully justified.

Answer

The device /dev/sdb has a filesystem on it.

Answer

The device /dev/sdb does not exist.

Answer

The device /dev/sdb is already in use by another volume group.

Question 6

A RHEL 9 server has a logical volume /dev/vgdata/lvlogs that is actively written to by a logging service. The administrator needs to expand the filesystem by 10 GiB without unmounting it or interrupting the service. The volume group vgdata has 30 GiB of free space. Which sequence of commands correctly performs the online extension?

Accepted Answer

lvextend -r -L +10G /dev/vgdata/lvlogs. The single command lvextend -r -L +10G /dev/vgdata/lvlogs both allocates 10 GiB of free extents from vgdata and triggers the correct filesystem grow operation for the installed filesystem type. Because it works on a mounted volume, the logging service continues writing throughout, satisfying the no-downtime requirement without needing to know in advance whether the volume holds XFS or ext4.

Answer

lvextend -L +10G /dev/vgdata/lvlogs && resize2fs /dev/vgdata/lvlogs

Answer

lvresize -L +10G /dev/vgdata/lvlogs && xfs_growfs /dev/vgdata/lvlogs

Answer

vgextend vgdata /dev/vgdata/lvlogs && xfs_growfs /mnt/logs

Question 7

A system administrator needs to add a new 10GB disk to an existing volume group 'vgdata' to extend logical volumes. Which of the following is the correct sequence of commands?

Accepted Answer

pvcreate /dev/sdb, vgextend vgdata /dev/sdb, lvextend. The proper sequence to add a new disk to an existing volume group is: first create a physical volume with `pvcreate /dev/sdb`, then extend the volume group with `vgextend vgdata /dev/sdb`, and finally extend the logical volume with `lvextend`. This order ensures the disk is initialized as a PV before it can be added to the VG, and the VG must have the new PV before the LV can be extended.

Answer

vgextend vgdata /dev/sdb, pvcreate /dev/sdb, lvextend

Answer

pvcreate /dev/sdb, lvextend, vgextend vgdata /dev/sdb

Answer

lvextend, vgextend vgdata /dev/sdb, pvcreate /dev/sdb

Question 8

After creating a new partition on /dev/sdc, the administrator runs 'partprobe' to inform the kernel of the change. What is the primary purpose of partprobe?

Accepted Answer

To make the kernel re-read the partition table. The `partprobe` command is used to inform the operating system kernel of changes to the partition table without requiring a system reboot. After creating a new partition on `/dev/sdc`, running `partprobe` makes the kernel re-read the partition table from the disk, ensuring the new partition is recognized and accessible. This is essential for the kernel to update its in-memory representation of the disk's partitions.

Answer

To create a filesystem label

Answer

To repair a damaged partition table

Answer

To format the partition with a filesystem

Question 9

An administrator wants to extend an XFS filesystem that resides on an LVM logical volume. The volume group has free physical extents. Which is the correct sequence?

Accepted Answer

lvextend, then xfs_growfs. To extend an XFS filesystem on an LVM logical volume, you must first extend the logical volume with `lvextend` to allocate additional physical extents from the volume group, then grow the XFS filesystem to use the new space with `xfs_growfs`. XFS does not support online shrinking and requires the filesystem to be mounted for `xfs_growfs` to work. This sequence ensures the block device has sufficient capacity before the filesystem is expanded.

Answer

lvextend, then resize2fs

Answer

xfs_growfs, then lvextend

Answer

resize2fs, then lvextend

Question 10

A server has a software RAID 5 array /dev/md0. One of its disks fails. The administrator wants to replace it without rebooting. Which command should be used to mark the disk as failed?

Accepted Answer

mdadm --fail /dev/md0 /dev/sdb. The correct command to mark a disk as failed in a software RAID array without rebooting is `mdadm --fail /dev/md0 /dev/sdb`. This command tells the md driver to mark the specified disk as faulty, which triggers the RAID 5 array to degrade and allows the failed disk to be removed and replaced while the system remains online.

Answer

mdadm --fault /dev/md0 /dev/sdb

Answer

echo faulty > /sys/block/md0/md/dev-sdb/state

Answer

mdadm --set-faulty /dev/md0 /dev/sdb

Question 11

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 12

An administrator wants to create a swap partition on /dev/sdb1. After creating the partition with fdisk, which command sets up the swap area?

Accepted Answer

mkswap /dev/sdb1. The correct command to set up a swap area on a partition is `mkswap /dev/sdb1`. This command initializes the partition with a swap signature, writing the necessary metadata (such as the swap superblock and version information) so the kernel can later use it as swap space. Without running `mkswap`, the partition is not recognized as a valid swap device.

Answer

mkfs.swap /dev/sdb1

Answer

swapon /dev/sdb1

Answer

swapoff /dev/sdb1

Question 13

Which THREE options are valid when creating a new partition with the 'parted' command? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Setting the partition's bootable flag. The 'parted' command can set the bootable flag on a partition using the 'set' command (e.g., 'set 1 boot on'). This flag is used by legacy BIOS bootloaders to identify the active partition, and it is a standard operation in MBR and GPT partition tables.

Answer

Setting the partition's UUID

Answer

Mounting the partition to a directory

Question 14

Which TWO commands can be used to create a filesystem on a new partition? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

mkfs /dev/sdb1. B is correct because `mkfs` is the generic command to create a filesystem on a partition. D is correct because `mkfs.ext4` is a specific variant of `mkfs` that creates an ext4 filesystem. Both commands write the filesystem metadata to the partition, making it ready for mounting.

Answer

mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt

Answer

parted /dev/sdb

Answer

fdisk /dev/sdb

Question 15

Which TWO statements about Logical Volume Manager (LVM) metadata are correct?

Accepted Answer

The 'pvck' command can be used to check physical volume metadata.. The 'pvck' command is specifically designed to check the metadata of physical volumes in LVM. It verifies the consistency and integrity of the PV metadata, including the volume group descriptor area (VGDA), without making changes. This is a diagnostic tool used before attempting repairs.

Answer

The 'pvs' command can repair corrupted metadata.

Answer

The 'fsck' tool is used to verify LVM metadata.

Answer

LVM metadata is stored in /etc/lvm directory.