LFCS Storage Management Practice Question
An administrator manages a server whose /home directory resides on the logical volume /dev/vg_users/lv_home. Usage reports show the LV is 98% full, and the volume group vg_users has 40 GB of free extents. The filesystem is ext4. Which sequence correctly expands the usable space to /home?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is mixing filesystem-specific growth tools, using xfs_growfs for an ext4 filesystem or reversing the order of LV and filesystem expansion.
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
✓
lvextend -L +20G /dev/vg_users/lv_home && resize2fs /dev/vg_users/lv_home
Extending an ext4 filesystem on LVM requires enlarging the logical volume first with lvextend, then expanding the filesystem with resize2fs. The volume group already has free extents, so no additional physical volume is needed. The filesystem can be resized online while /home remains mounted.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
resize2fs /dev/vg_users/lv_home 20G && lvextend -L +20G /dev/vg_users/lv_home
Why it's wrong here
The order is reversed: the logical volume must be enlarged before the filesystem can grow into the new space. Trying to resize the filesystem to a size larger than its containing LV will fail. Also, resize2fs expects a target size in the form of a number of blocks or a size suffix, and 20G here would mean 20 GiB total, not an additional 20 GiB.
- ✗
lvextend -L +20G /dev/vg_users/lv_home && xfs_growfs /home
Why it's wrong here
The lvextend portion is correct, but xfs_growfs is the tool for XFS filesystems, not ext4. On an ext4 filesystem, xfs_growfs would fail or report an unrecognized filesystem. The correct companion command for ext4 is resize2fs, making this sequence internally inconsistent for the stated scenario.
- ✗
vgextend vg_users /dev/vg_users/lv_home && resize2fs /dev/vg_users/lv_home
Why it's wrong here
vgextend adds a physical volume to a volume group; it cannot operate on a logical volume like /dev/vg_users/lv_home. The command would fail because the target is not a PV. Even if it succeeded, the LV itself would remain the same size and the filesystem would have no additional space to expand into.
- ✓
lvextend -L +20G /dev/vg_users/lv_home && resize2fs /dev/vg_users/lv_home
Why this is correct
lvextend grows the logical volume by 20 GB using free extents in the volume group, then resize2fs expands the ext4 filesystem to fill the larger LV. This is the standard two-step procedure for ext4 on LVM. The filesystem can be mounted during the operation, so no downtime is required for /home.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This LFCS question is part of Courseiva's 406-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.