XK0-006 Troubleshooting Practice Question
A technician needs to check the current memory usage on a Linux system, including buffers and cache. Which command provides the most user-friendly output?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often choose `cat /proc/meminfo` because it contains all the raw data, but the question specifically asks for the 'most user-friendly' output, which `free -h` provides with its human-readable scaling and clear summary columns.
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
✓
free -h
The `free -h` command displays memory usage in a human-readable format (e.g., KiB, MiB, GiB) and explicitly breaks down total, used, free, shared, buffers/cache, and available memory. This makes it the most user-friendly option for quickly assessing current memory usage including buffers and cache.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
free -h
Why this is correct
free -h reports total, used, free, shared, buffer/cache and available memory, with the -h flag scaling values into human-readable units. That satisfies the user-friendly requirement while still exposing buffers and cache, which plain free shows only in kilobytes.
- ✗
cat /proc/meminfo
Why it's wrong here
/proc/meminfo exposes MemTotal, MemFree, Buffers and Cached, but as raw kernel counters in kilobytes with no formatting, so it is not user-friendly. It is tempting because it is the authoritative source every memory tool reads, and would be correct when scripting needs exact unformatted values.
- ✗
iostat -m
Why it's wrong here
iostat -m reports per-device disk throughput and latency in megabytes, not memory; buffers and cache are absent from its output. It is tempting because it shares the sysstat package and prints tidy columns, and would be correct when diagnosing disk I/O statistics such as %util and await.
- ✗
vmstat -s
Why it's wrong here
vmstat -s prints a verbose memory summary including buffers and cache, but as a long list of raw counters rather than a compact human-readable table. It is tempting because it covers memory, paging and CPU in one tool, and would be correct when correlating memory pressure with swap and context-switch activity.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Linux Fundamentals and History
Key term
User
A user is any person, system, or device that interacts with an IT service, resource, or identity system, typically authenticated through credentials and authorized to perform specific actions.
Key term
Linux
Linux is an open-source operating system that manages computer hardware and software, widely used in servers, desktops, and embedded systems.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every XK0-006 question from scratch — 781 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.