LPIC-1 Devices, Filesystems and FHS Practice Question
A system fails to mount an XFS filesystem with the entry in /etc/fstab. The entry looks correct. Which fstab field might be missing or incorrect?
⚠ Common exam trap
LPI often tests the misconception that the filesystem type field is optional or can be left as 'auto' for all filesystems, but for XFS (and other non-default filesystems), the type must be explicitly specified because auto-detection may fail or the required kernel module may not be loaded automatically.
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 filesystem type field
The XFS filesystem requires the filesystem type field in /etc/fstab to be explicitly set to 'xfs'. If this field is missing or incorrect (e.g., left blank, set to 'auto', or mistyped as 'ext4'), the mount command will fail because it cannot determine the correct filesystem driver to use. Even if the device, mountpoint, and options appear correct, an incorrect or missing type field prevents the kernel from loading the XFS module and mounting the filesystem.
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 device field
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: If the device field were missing, it wouldn't mount at all.
- ✗
The options field
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Options can be set to defaults or blank, but if omitted, mount uses defaults.
- ✗
The mountpoint field
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: If mountpoint were missing, it wouldn't mount.
- ✓
The filesystem type field
Why this is correct
Correct: If the type is omitted or incorrect (e.g., ext4 instead of xfs), mount may fail.
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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.