This CV0-004 practice question tests your understanding of troubleshooting. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```
$ df -h
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1 20G 18G 1.5G 93% /
/dev/sdb1 100G 20G 80G 20% /data
```
A cloud engineer receives an alert that the root filesystem (/) is at 93% usage. The /data volume has plenty of free space. The application stores logs in /var/log/app/ on the root filesystem. Which of the following is the BEST long-term solution?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Move the /var/log/app directory to the /data partition and create a symlink
Moving the /var/log/app directory to the /data partition and creating a symlink is the best long-term solution because it permanently relocates the log data to a volume with ample free space without requiring application reconfiguration. The symlink (/var/log/app -> /data/app) makes the application continue to write to the same logical path, while the actual storage is on the /data filesystem. This resolves the root filesystem capacity issue without altering the application's logging behavior or risking data loss.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Move the /var/log/app directory to the /data partition and create a symlink
Why this is correct
This frees root space and leverages the /data volume's capacity.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the size of the root filesystem
Why it's wrong here
This is possible but more disruptive and does not utilize the existing /data space.
✗
Delete the /data partition and merge it with root
Why it's wrong here
This would cause data loss and downtime.
✗
Configure log rotation to delete logs more frequently
Why it's wrong here
This only defers the issue and may cause loss of needed logs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
CompTIA often tests the misconception that increasing filesystem size or deleting partitions is a valid long-term fix, when in reality the correct approach is to relocate data to a separate volume using a symlink or mount bind.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, a symlink is an inode that points to a target path; the kernel resolves it transparently, so applications using standard file I/O (e.g., open(), write()) see no difference. In real-world scenarios, this approach is commonly used to offload /var/log to a dedicated partition or volume, and can be done live with minimal disruption by copying the directory contents first, then replacing it with the symlink. The key subtlety is that the symlink must be created with the correct absolute path and proper permissions to avoid application errors.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Troubleshooting — This question tests Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Move the /var/log/app directory to the /data partition and create a symlink — Moving the /var/log/app directory to the /data partition and creating a symlink is the best long-term solution because it permanently relocates the log data to a volume with ample free space without requiring application reconfiguration. The symlink (/var/log/app -> /data/app) makes the application continue to write to the same logical path, while the actual storage is on the /data filesystem. This resolves the root filesystem capacity issue without altering the application's logging behavior or risking data loss.
What should I do if I get this CV0-004 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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