LPIC-1 Devices, Filesystems and FHS Practice Question
A Linux system fails to boot after an admin added an entry in /etc/fstab to mount an NFS share. The error message indicates 'mount: can't find /mnt/nfs in /etc/fstab'. Which is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse the error message for a missing mount point (Option D) with a missing fstab entry, when in fact the system is telling you it cannot find the entry in the fstab file due to a syntax error.
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
✓
The fstab entry has incorrect syntax causing mount to ignore it.
The error message 'mount: can't find /mnt/nfs in /etc/fstab' indicates that the system's mount command cannot locate a valid entry for the mount point in /etc/fstab. This typically occurs when the fstab entry contains a syntax error (e.g., missing fields, incorrect whitespace, or invalid options) that causes the system to skip or ignore the line entirely. Even if the mount point directory exists, a malformed entry will prevent the system from recognizing it during boot.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The NFS server is unreachable.
Why it's wrong here
Would produce a different error, not related to fstab parsing.
- ✗
The option 'noauto' was used in fstab.
Why it's wrong here
With noauto, the entry would still be found in fstab; mount would succeed with explicit mount command.
- ✓
The fstab entry has incorrect syntax causing mount to ignore it.
Why this is correct
A syntax error can cause the entire line to be skipped, leading to 'can't find' error.
- ✗
The mount point directory /mnt/nfs does not exist.
Why it's wrong here
Would produce an error about a nonexistent mount point, not about missing fstab entry.
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