LPIC-1 Administrative Tasks Practice Question
A system administrator needs to perform incremental backups of a large directory /data. The backup strategy requires a full backup every Sunday and incremental backups on weekdays. Which tar command satisfies this requirement using the --listed-incremental option?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse timestamp-based options like `--newer` or `-N` with the snapshot-based `--listed-incremental` mechanism, assuming any time-based filter can achieve incremental backups, but only `-g` provides the metadata tracking needed for proper incremental archives.
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
✓
Full: tar -cvf /backup/full.tar -g /var/backup/snapshot /data; Incremental: tar -cvf /backup/incr.tar -g /var/backup/snapshot /data
The `--listed-incremental` (or `-g`) option in tar creates and uses a snapshot file to track changes between backups. By specifying the same snapshot file for both the full and incremental backups, tar automatically records which files have changed since the last full backup, enabling proper incremental backups without relying on timestamps or file modification times.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Full: tar -czvf /backup/full.tar.gz /data; Incremental: tar -czvf /backup/incr.tar.gz --after-date '1 day ago' /data
Why it's wrong here
--after-date is not the standard incremental approach and may miss files.
- ✗
Full: tar -cvf /backup/full.tar /data; Incremental: tar -cvf /backup/incr.tar -N 'last Sunday' /data
Why it's wrong here
-N does not work with incremental backups; it only backs up files newer than the given date, which is not the same as incremental tracking.
- ✗
Full: tar -cvf /backup/full.tar --newer /data; Incremental: tar -cvf /backup/incr.tar --newer /backup/full.tar /data
Why it's wrong here
--newer compares timestamps; this does not handle deletions and is not the standard incremental method.
- ✓
Full: tar -cvf /backup/full.tar -g /var/backup/snapshot /data; Incremental: tar -cvf /backup/incr.tar -g /var/backup/snapshot /data
Why this is correct
This uses the same snapshot file to track changes; the first run creates a full backup snapshot, subsequent runs create incremental backups.
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