LPIC-1 Reserved blocks percentage Practice Question
An ext4 filesystem is experiencing performance degradation due to very frequent small writes. Which tune2fs option can help by reserving a percentage of blocks for the root user to prevent fragmentation?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is that candidates often think -m 0 helps by removing reserved blocks, but the question specifically asks for an option that reserves a percentage. The correct answer is -g root, which works in conjunction with the default or set reserved blocks to ensure they are available for root.
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
✓
-g root
The -g option in tune2fs sets the group that can use the reserved blocks. By specifying 'root', it assigns the reserved blocks to the root group, ensuring that the root user can access this reserved space. This helps prevent fragmentation by keeping free blocks available for root's small writes, rather than allowing the filesystem to become completely full. Options A and C are unrelated to block reservation. Option D sets the reserved block percentage to 0, which does not reserve any blocks and can actually increase fragmentation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
-i 0
Why it's wrong here
The -i option adjusts the interval between filesystem checks; it does not affect block reservation.
- ✓
-g root
Why this is correct
The -g option sets the group that can use the reserved blocks. Specifying 'root' ensures that the reserved blocks are available to the root group, which can help prevent fragmentation by keeping free space contiguous for root's small writes.
- ✗
-c 0
Why it's wrong here
The -c option sets the number of mounts before a filesystem check; it does not affect block reservation.
- ✗
-m 0
Why it's wrong here
The -m option sets the percentage of reserved blocks. Setting it to 0 removes all reserved blocks, which can worsen fragmentation.
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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.