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 sensor list queries the BMC over the IPMI interface, reporting voltages, temperatures, fan speeds and power supply status independently of the operating system. This satisfies the hardware-health requirement, since random reboots caused by a failing PSU appear in BMC sensor and event logs.
- ✗
sensors -u
Why it's wrong here
sensors -u reads voltage, temperature and fan data from hardware monitoring chips, but it cannot retrieve event logs or diagnose a failing power supply's reboot pattern. It is tempting because lm-sensors reports PSU voltage rails, making it the right tool for checking whether a supply is delivering correct voltages, not for correlating reboot events.
- ✗
lspci -v
Why it's wrong here
lspci -v enumerates PCI devices and their driver details; it reads no power-supply telemetry, temperatures or hardware event logs. It is tempting because it inspects hardware, and it would be correct when identifying an unknown PCI device or confirming which kernel driver is bound to it.
- ✗
dmidecode -t baseboard
Why it's wrong here
dmidecode -t baseboard reports static SMBIOS motherboard descriptors such as manufacturer and serial number, not live voltages or event logs. It is tempting because it queries hardware inventory, and it would be correct when documenting a system's physical components rather than diagnosing intermittent power faults.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every LPIC-1 question from scratch — 402 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.