LFCS Storage Management Practice Question
An administrator has added a new disk (/dev/sdb) to a Linux system. The disk is to be used as a physical volume in an existing volume group 'vg_data'. Which sequence of commands should be executed to make the disk available to the volume group?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to think partitioning (fdisk) is required before LVM operations, or confuse `vgcreate` (which creates a new VG) with `vgextend` (which adds to an existing VG), leading them to pick options that either perform unnecessary steps or use the wrong command for the task.
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
✓
pvcreate /dev/sdb; vgextend vg_data /dev/sdb
It first initializes the disk as a physical volume using `pvcreate`, which writes LVM metadata to /dev/sdb, and then extends the existing volume group 'vg_data' with `vgextend`, adding the new PV to the VG. This is the standard two-step process for adding a new disk to an existing LVM volume group.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
fdisk /dev/sdb; pvcreate /dev/sdb; vgextend vg_data /dev/sdb
Why it's wrong here
fdisk is unnecessary unless partitioning is required; raw disk can be used as PV.
- ✓
pvcreate /dev/sdb; vgextend vg_data /dev/sdb
Why this is correct
Correct sequence: pvcreate then vgextend.
- ✗
pvcreate /dev/sdb; vgcreate vg_data /dev/sdb
Why it's wrong here
vgcreate creates a new volume group, but the intention is to extend an existing VG.
- ✗
vgcreate /dev/sdb; vgextend vg_data /dev/sdb
Why it's wrong here
vgcreate creates a new volume group, not extends an existing one.
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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.