LPIC-1 System Architecture Practice Question
A system administrator suspects a failing power supply because the server randomly reboots. Which command can be used to check hardware health and event logs?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse `sensors -u` (a user-space tool for reading motherboard sensors via kernel drivers) with IPMI-based hardware monitoring, not realizing that `sensors` cannot access the BMC or event logs, and thus cannot diagnose random reboots caused by power supply issues.
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
✓
ipmitool sensor list
The `ipmitool sensor list` command queries the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) via the IPMI protocol to retrieve real-time sensor readings (e.g., voltages, temperatures, fan speeds) and system event logs (SEL). This is the correct tool for diagnosing hardware-level issues like a failing power supply, as it provides direct access to the server's hardware health monitoring subsystem, independent of the operating system.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
ipmitool sensor list
Why this is correct
ipmitool accesses IPMI BMC for sensor readings and event logs, ideal for hardware health monitoring.
- ✗
sensors -u
Why it's wrong here
sensors reports current sensor readings but does not record historical events.
- ✗
lspci -v
Why it's wrong here
lspci shows PCI devices but does not log events.
- ✗
dmidecode -t baseboard
Why it's wrong here
dmidecode provides hardware inventory but not event logs.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.