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SSCP Practice Question: A system administrator receives a report that a…
A system administrator receives a report that a critical server is running low on disk space. After investigation, it is determined that the log files are not being rotated properly. Which of the following is the BEST solution to prevent this issue in the future?
⚠ Common exam trap
SSCP often tests whether candidates choose a root-cause fix (rotation) versus a symptomatic workaround (bigger files, different partition, compression) — the trap is picking 'increase size' or 'redirect' because they sound like quick fixes, when only rotation prevents recurrence.
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
✓
Configure log rotation based on size and age.
Configuring log rotation based on both size and age is the best solution because it directly addresses the root cause — logs growing unbounded — by automatically archiving, compressing, or deleting old logs once they hit a size threshold or age limit. Tools like logrotate on Linux support directives such as 'size 100M', 'daily', 'rotate 7', and 'compress', giving deterministic control over disk consumption. This is a preventive, repeatable control rather than a one-time workaround.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure log rotation based on size and age.
Why this is correct
Configuring rotation by size and age caps log growth before the volume fills, directly addressing the unrotated logs that caused low disk space. This prevents recurrence by bounding retention, unlike one-off deletion or manual monitoring, which do not enforce ongoing log lifecycle management.
- ✗
Increase the maximum log file size.
Why it's wrong here
Raising the maximum size lets each file grow larger, so rotation still never triggers and disk fills faster. It is tempting because size limits are part of rotation policy. The correct fix configures logrotate with a schedule, size threshold and retention count so old logs are actually removed.
- ✗
Redirect logs to a different partition.
Why it's wrong here
Redirecting logs moves the growth to another partition, which then fills while the original problem persists. It is tempting as a quick way to free space on the critical volume. It is the right approach when separating log I/O from application data, but it does not rotate or delete anything.
- ✗
Enable compression on the log folder.
Why it's wrong here
Compression shrinks stored logs but rotation still fails, so files accumulate indefinitely and the partition eventually fills. It is tempting because compression delays disk exhaustion. It is correct alongside working rotation to reduce archive footprint, but it cannot replace the missing rotation mechanism itself.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISC2 exam blueprint
This SSCP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 SSCP exam.