LPIC-1 Devices, Filesystems and FHS Practice Question
An administrator needs to identify the device file for the first SATA SSD in a server. Which device file should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse SATA with PATA (IDE) and choose /dev/hda, or mistakenly think SATA SSDs use NVMe naming like /dev/nvme0n1, not realizing that SATA drives are mapped to the SCSI subsystem as /dev/sdX.
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
✓
/dev/sda
The first SATA SSD in a Linux system is typically assigned the device file /dev/sda. SATA drives use the SCSI subsystem via the libata driver, which names them /dev/sdX, with 'a' representing the first detected drive. This is the standard naming convention for SATA SSDs in modern Linux kernels.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
/dev/hda
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: /dev/hda is for IDE devices, not SATA.
- ✗
/dev/sdb
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: /dev/sdb is the second SATA device.
- ✗
/dev/nvme0n1
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: /dev/nvme0n1 is for an NVMe device, not SATA.
- ✓
/dev/sda
Why this is correct
Correct: SATA SSDs are typically /dev/sda (first disk).
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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