This XK0-005 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.
A server is experiencing frequent kernel panics. The administrator wants to capture the crash dump for analysis. Which kernel parameter must be set to enable crash dumps?
panic=10
Why wrong: panic=10 sets a timeout for reboot on panic, but does not enable crash dumps.
kdump_enabled=1
Why wrong: No such kernel parameter; kdump is enabled via configuration files, not kernel cmdline.
irqpoll
Why wrong: irqpoll is used for interrupt handling issues, not crash dumps.
crashkernel=auto
This parameter allocates memory for the crash kernel so that a dump can be captured.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
crashkernel=auto
The `crashkernel=auto` kernel parameter is required to reserve a portion of system memory for the kdump mechanism, which captures a crash dump when a kernel panic occurs. Without this reserved memory, the crash dump cannot be written to disk because the kernel has no safe memory region to operate the dump capture kernel. This parameter is set in the bootloader configuration (e.g., GRUB) and is specific to the kdump service on Linux systems.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
panic=10
Why it's wrong here
panic=10 sets a timeout for reboot on panic, but does not enable crash dumps.
kdump_enabled=1
Why it's wrong here
No such kernel parameter; kdump is enabled via configuration files, not kernel cmdline.
irqpoll
Why it's wrong here
irqpoll is used for interrupt handling issues, not crash dumps.
crashkernel=auto
Why this is correct
This parameter allocates memory for the crash kernel so that a dump can be captured.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse the kdump service configuration (e.g., enabling kdump via systemctl) with the required kernel boot parameter `crashkernel`, leading them to select `kdump_enabled=1` as if it were a kernel parameter.
Detailed technical explanation
The `crashkernel=auto` parameter dynamically reserves memory based on system RAM size (e.g., 128 MB for systems with up to 4 GB RAM, 256 MB for larger systems). The reserved memory hosts a minimal capture kernel that boots after a panic, writes the dump (e.g., via makedumpfile or kdump), and then reboots. In real-world scenarios, if `crashkernel` is not set, kdump fails silently, leaving administrators without crash dumps to analyze.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the XK0-005 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Troubleshooting — This question tests Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: crashkernel=auto — The `crashkernel=auto` kernel parameter is required to reserve a portion of system memory for the kdump mechanism, which captures a crash dump when a kernel panic occurs. Without this reserved memory, the crash dump cannot be written to disk because the kernel has no safe memory region to operate the dump capture kernel. This parameter is set in the bootloader configuration (e.g., GRUB) and is specific to the kdump service on Linux systems.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This XK0-005 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the XK0-005 exam.
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