LFCS Storage Management Practice Question
An administrator is configuring a new server with two 1 TiB NVMe disks, /dev/nvme0n1 and /dev/nvme1n1, and wants to use LVM to create a single logical volume that spans both disks for a database. The volume group will be named vg_db and the logical volume lv_db. Which two commands are required to initialize the disks for LVM and create the volume group? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse the order of LVM operations, such as trying to extend a volume group that has not been created or formatting disks before LVM initialization.
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/nvme0n1 /dev/nvme1n1
To prepare the disks and create the volume group, the administrator must first initialize the disks as physical volumes with pvcreate, then create the volume group with vgcreate, adding both physical volumes. lvcreate is a later step for creating the logical volume, mkfs.ext4 would destroy LVM metadata, and vgextend applies only to existing volume groups. The two required commands are pvcreate and vgcreate.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
lvcreate -L 2T -n lv_db vg_db
Why it's wrong here
lvcreate creates a logical volume, but the question asks for commands to initialize disks and create the volume group. This command would be a later step to create the logical volume itself. While it is part of the overall LVM setup, it is not one of the two commands required to initialize disks and create the volume group.
- ✗
mkfs.ext4 /dev/nvme0n1 /dev/nvme1n1
Why it's wrong here
This command attempts to create ext4 filesystems directly on the raw NVMe disks. That would destroy any LVM metadata and is not part of LVM configuration. It also misuses mkfs.ext4 by specifying two devices, which is not supported. This is incorrect for the scenario.
- ✓
pvcreate /dev/nvme0n1 /dev/nvme1n1
Why this is correct
pvcreate initializes the specified block devices as LVM physical volumes. This is the first step before creating a volume group. It writes LVM metadata to the disks, allowing them to be used in a volume group. This command correctly initializes both NVMe disks for LVM.
- ✓
vgcreate vg_db /dev/nvme0n1 /dev/nvme1n1
Why this is correct
vgcreate creates a new volume group named vg_db and adds the specified physical volumes to it. This is the second step after pvcreate. It combines the two NVMe disks into a single pool of storage from which logical volumes can be allocated. This command correctly creates the volume group.
- ✗
vgextend vg_db /dev/nvme1n1
Why it's wrong here
vgextend adds a physical volume to an existing volume group. It is used when a volume group already exists. In this scenario, the volume group is being created, so vgcreate is the correct command. vgextend would fail because vg_db does not exist yet. This is a distractor for administrators familiar with extending volume groups.
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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 Linux Foundation exam blueprint
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.