LFCS Storage Management Practice Question
After creating an XFS filesystem on /dev/sdb1, an admin mounts it and writes data. Later, they run 'xfs_info /mnt/data' and see the filesystem was created with default settings. What is the default inode size for XFS on a typical Linux system?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the default inode size of XFS (256 bytes) with that of ext4 (128 bytes) or mistake the block size (4096 bytes) for the inode size, leading them to select option B or C.
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
✓
256 bytes
The default inode size for XFS on a typical Linux system is 256 bytes. This is set at filesystem creation time and provides a balance between supporting extended attributes (like ACLs and SELinux contexts) and minimizing metadata overhead. The `xfs_info` command confirms the default settings, which include this 256-byte inode size.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
512 bytes
Why it's wrong here
XFS inode size is set at mkfs time and defaults to 256 bytes on typical Linux systems; 512 bytes is not a selectable inode size for XFS. It is tempting because 512 bytes is the classic sector size, so admins confuse block-device geometry with inode metadata size.
- ✗
128 bytes
Why it's wrong here
128 bytes is the default inode size for ext4 on many systems, not XFS; XFS defaults to 256 bytes. It is tempting because ext inode sizing is widely memorised, but the question specifies XFS, whose mkfs.xfs default differs.
- ✗
4096 bytes
Why it's wrong here
XFS defaults to 256-byte inodes on typical Linux systems, so 4096 bytes is wrong. The figure is tempting because 4096 bytes is the default block size, and it would be the correct answer if the question asked about XFS block size rather than inode size.
- ✓
256 bytes
Why this is correct
XFS defaults to a 256-byte inode on typical Linux systems, which is what `xfs_info` reports when `mkfs.xfs` runs without an `-i size=` override. This satisfies the stem's constraint of a filesystem created with default settings, so 256 bytes is the value observed.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This LFCS practice question is part of Courseiva's free Linux Foundation 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 LFCS exam.