This XK0-005 practice question tests your understanding of system management. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 intermittent high load. The administrator suspects a memory leak in a service. Which sysfs file should the administrator monitor to track memory usage per cgroup?
/sys/fs/cgroup/memory/memory.limit_in_bytes
Why wrong: Sets the memory limit, not current usage.
/proc/meminfo
Why wrong: Shows system-wide memory information, not per cgroup.
/sys/fs/cgroup/memory/memory.usage_in_bytes
Directly shows the current memory usage in bytes for the cgroup.
/sys/fs/cgroup/memory/memory.stat
Why wrong: Provides detailed memory statistics, but not a single usage value.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
/sys/fs/cgroup/memory/memory.usage_in_bytes
Option C is correct because memory.usage_in_bytes in the cgroup v1 memory hierarchy shows the current memory consumption of processes within a specific cgroup, making it the direct metric to monitor for a suspected memory leak in a service. Unlike system-wide files, this per-cgroup file reflects only the memory used by the service's control group, allowing precise tracking of growth over time.
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.
/sys/fs/cgroup/memory/memory.limit_in_bytes
Why it's wrong here
Sets the memory limit, not current usage.
/proc/meminfo
Why it's wrong here
Shows system-wide memory information, not per cgroup.
/sys/fs/cgroup/memory/memory.usage_in_bytes
Why this is correct
Directly shows the current memory usage in bytes for the cgroup.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
/sys/fs/cgroup/memory/memory.stat
Why it's wrong here
Provides detailed memory statistics, but not a single usage value.
Common exam traps
CompTIA often tests the distinction between 'limit' and 'usage' files, trapping candidates who confuse the configuration file (memory.limit_in_bytes) with the monitoring file (memory.usage_in_bytes).
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Shows system-wide memory information, not per cgroup.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the cgroup memory controller tracks usage via the page counter, and memory.usage_in_bytes reads the 'usage' counter from the mem_cgroup structure in the kernel. In a real-world scenario, if a service's memory.usage_in_bytes steadily increases over hours without dropping after garbage collection or request completion, it confirms a leak. Note that in cgroup v2, the equivalent file is memory.current, but the exam focuses on v1 paths.
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
System Management — This question tests System Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: /sys/fs/cgroup/memory/memory.usage_in_bytes — Option C is correct because memory.usage_in_bytes in the cgroup v1 memory hierarchy shows the current memory consumption of processes within a specific cgroup, making it the direct metric to monitor for a suspected memory leak in a service. Unlike system-wide files, this per-cgroup file reflects only the memory used by the service's control group, allowing precise tracking of growth over time.
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 30, 2026
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