LPIC-1 Devices, Filesystems and FHS Practice Question
A server has an LVM logical volume mounted at /data. The administrator needs to add a new physical disk to the volume group and then extend both the logical volume and the filesystem online, without unmounting. Which sequence of commands achieves this?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that growing a logical volume automatically grows the filesystem it contains, when the two layers must be resized explicitly or via the -r flag.
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/sdc1; vgextend data_vg /dev/sdc1; lvextend -r -L +50G /data
Extending LVM storage online requires initializing the new device with pvcreate, adding it to the existing group with vgextend, and growing the logical volume with lvextend while using -r so the filesystem is expanded in the same step. Reversing the first two commands, creating a new volume group, or omitting the filesystem resize all leave the task incomplete or failing outright.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
vgextend data_vg /dev/sdc1; pvcreate /dev/sdc1; lvextend -L +50G /data; resize2fs /data
Why it's wrong here
The order is wrong: pvcreate must run before vgextend, since the device must be initialized as a physical volume before it can join a volume group. Additionally, resize2fs only works on ext-family filesystems and would fail on XFS, and omitting -r means the filesystem is not resized automatically. This sequence would error out.
- ✗
pvcreate /dev/sdc1; vgextend data_vg /dev/sdc1; lvresize -L +50G /data; mount -o remount /data
Why it's wrong here
lvresize does resize the logical volume, but without the -r flag it does not invoke the filesystem resize tool, so the filesystem remains its original size. Remounting does not grow a filesystem. The administrator would still need resize2fs or xfs_growfs, making this sequence incomplete for the stated goal.
- ✓
pvcreate /dev/sdc1; vgextend data_vg /dev/sdc1; lvextend -r -L +50G /data
Why this is correct
pvcreate initializes the new partition as a physical volume, vgextend adds it to the existing volume group, and lvextend -r -L +50G /data grows the logical volume while the -r flag invokes the appropriate resize tool (resize2fs or xfs_growfs) to expand the filesystem online. This is the correct end-to-end sequence.
- ✗
pvcreate /dev/sdc1; vgcreate data_vg /dev/sdc1; lvextend -r -L +50G /data
Why it's wrong here
vgcreate creates a new volume group, but the scenario requires adding storage to an existing group named data_vg. Running vgcreate on an existing group name fails, and creating a separate group would not extend the existing logical volume. The correct verb here is vgextend, not vgcreate.
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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 LPI exam blueprint
This LPIC-1 practice question is part of Courseiva's free LPI 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 LPIC-1 exam.