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XK0-006 Practice Question: A system is running out of disk space in the…
A system is running out of disk space in the /var/log directory. The administrator needs to temporarily free up space while preserving the latest log entries. Which approach is best?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the misconception that deleting old files with find or truncating a log file is a safe way to free space, but the correct approach is to use logrotate to manage log rotation and compression while preserving the latest entries.
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
✓
Run logrotate with compression enabled
Logrotate with compression is the best approach because it rotates, compresses, and optionally removes old log files while preserving the latest entries. It can be configured to keep a specific number of rotated logs, thus freeing disk space without deleting current logs. This matches the requirement to temporarily free up space while retaining the most recent log data.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Run logrotate with compression enabled
Why this is correct
Rotates and compresses logs, preserving recent entries.
- ✗
find /var/log -mtime +7 -delete
Why it's wrong here
Deletes logs older than 7 days, but does not compress.
- ✗
cat /dev/null > /var/log/messages
Why it's wrong here
Only clears one log file, others remain.
- ✗
rm -rf /var/log/*
Why it's wrong here
Deletes all logs, not preserving latest entries.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This XK0-006 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 XK0-006 exam.