mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
XK0-006 Practice Question: A server is experiencing frequent kernel panics
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?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many 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.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
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.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
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.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Linux Fundamentals and History
Key term
Service
A service is a software component or system that performs a specific function and is available to be used by other programs or users over a network.
Key term
GRUB
GRUB (Grand Unified Bootloader) is a boot loader package that loads and manages the operating system startup process on Linux and other Unix-like systems.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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