LPIC-1 Devices, Filesystems and FHS Practice Question
An administrator must configure persistent mounts for two filesystems on a database server. One is an ext4 volume that should be mounted at boot without failing the whole boot process if it is unavailable. The other is a swap partition that must be activated at boot. Which TWO entries belong in /etc/fstab to meet these requirements? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is using noauto when nofail is required, since both affect boot behavior but only one keeps the mount automatic while tolerating a missing device.
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
✓
UUID=5678-efgh /data ext4 defaults,nofail 0 2
Persistent mounts are declared in /etc/fstab using the device, mount point, filesystem type, options, dump, and fsck pass fields. The ext4 volume needs nofail so an unavailable device does not halt boot, while swap uses the mount point none, type swap, and option sw. The two entries matching those patterns are correct.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
UUID=5678-efgh /data ext4 defaults,nofail 0 2
Why this is correct
This entry mounts the ext4 volume at boot using its UUID, and the nofail option tells systemd not to treat a mount failure as fatal, so the boot continues if the device is missing. The dump and fsck fields are valid for an ext4 data filesystem, satisfying the first requirement.
- ✓
UUID=90ab-cdef none swap sw 0 0
Why this is correct
Swap partitions are declared with a mount point of none, a filesystem type of swap, and the sw option. The zero dump and pass values are correct because swap is not backed up by dump and is not checked by fsck. This activates the swap partition at boot as required.
- ✗
UUID=1234-abcd /data ext4 defaults,noauto 0 2
Why it's wrong here
The noauto option prevents the filesystem from being mounted by mount -a or automatically at boot. While it would avoid blocking the boot, it also means /data is never mounted automatically, which contradicts the requirement that the ext4 volume be mounted at boot. This entry fails the scenario.
- ✗
UUID=90ab-cdef /swap swap defaults 0 2
Why it's wrong here
Swap does not use a real mount point, so assigning /swap is incorrect and will cause mount errors at boot. The option should be sw rather than defaults, and the fsck pass value of 2 is invalid for swap. This entry does not correctly activate the swap partition.
- ✗
UUID=5678-efgh /data ext4 defaults 1 1
Why it's wrong here
Although the mount point and type are correct, the dump field of 1 enables dump backups, and the fsck pass of 1 marks this as the root filesystem check order, which is reserved for /. More importantly, this entry lacks nofail, so a missing device would still block boot, failing the stated requirement.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official LPI exam blueprint
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.