LPIC-1 Devices, Filesystems and FHS Practice Question
According to FHS, which directory should NOT be mounted on a networked filesystem (e.g., NFS) because it contains host-specific configuration files?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often think /var or /home are the correct answers because they contain user data or logs, but the FHS specifically singles out /etc as the directory that must remain local due to its host-specific configuration files.
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
✓
/etc
The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS) specifies that /etc contains host-specific configuration files that must be local to each machine. Mounting /etc over a network filesystem like NFS would cause all clients to share the same configuration, breaking system identity, network settings, and security policies. This violates the FHS requirement that /etc be a local 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.
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/home
Why it's wrong here
/home holds user data, which is commonly centralised on NFS so accounts roam across hosts, so it is a legitimate network mount. The FHS reserves /etc for host-specific configuration that must stay local. Choosing /home confuses user data with machine-specific state.
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/var
Why it's wrong here
/var holds variable data such as logs, spools and caches, and is often exported over NFS in diskless setups, so it is not the host-specific directory. FHS designates /etc as local-only because its files configure the individual host. /var is tempting since its contents differ per machine.
- ✓
/etc
Why this is correct
/etc holds host-specific configuration such as fstab, passwd and network settings. Sharing it over NFS would let one machine's configuration override another's, so FHS expects /etc to remain local to each host rather than mounted remotely.
- ✗
/opt
Why it's wrong here
/opt holds add-on application software packages, which are frequently served from shared storage in clustered deployments, so it is not the host-specific directory FHS warns about. The local-only directory is /etc, whose configuration files describe one machine. /opt is tempting because it is optional and sometimes host-local.
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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.