The correct sequence is pvcreate, vgcreate, then lvcreate, as shown in option C. This order is mandatory because LVM requires physical volumes (PVs) to exist before they can be grouped into a volume group (VG), and the VG must exist before a logical volume (LV) can be carved from it. On the LPIC-1 exam, this question tests your understanding of the foundational LVM workflow, often appearing as a command-ordering trap where candidates mistakenly try to create the VG before initializing the partitions with pvcreate. A common pitfall is confusing the device names—note that the correct answer uses /dev/sdb1 and /dev/sdc1, not the full disks, as partitions must be prepared first. To remember the sequence, think of the mnemonic "People Vote Loudly" for pvcreate, vgcreate, lvcreate.
LPIC-1 Devices, Filesystems and FHS Practice Question
This LPIC-1 practice question tests your understanding of devices, filesystems and fhs. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A Linux system has two SATA disks: /dev/sda (250GB) and /dev/sdb (500GB). The administrator wants to create a logical volume group named 'vgdata' using partitions on both disks, then create a 600GB logical volume named 'lvdata' for a database. Which sequence of commands should be used?
Option C is correct because it follows the proper LVM sequence: first create physical volumes (PVs) on the partitions /dev/sdb1 and /dev/sdc1 using pvcreate, then create the volume group 'vgdata' from those PVs using vgcreate, and finally create the logical volume 'lvdata' with a size of 600GB using lvcreate. This order ensures that the PVs exist before the VG is created, and the VG exists before the LV is created.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse the order of LVM commands (pvcreate, vgcreate, lvcreate) or mistakenly use whole disks instead of partitions, but the question explicitly requires partitions on both disks.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
LVM requires that physical volumes be initialized with pvcreate to write LVM metadata (e.g., a label at the start of the partition) before they can be added to a volume group. The vgcreate command then aggregates these PVs into a pool, and lvcreate carves out logical volumes from that pool. In this scenario, the total available space from /dev/sdb1 (250GB) and /dev/sdc1 (500GB) is 750GB, which is sufficient for the 600GB LV; LVM allows striping or concatenation across PVs to meet the requested size.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the LPIC-1 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Devices, Filesystems and FHS — This question tests Devices, Filesystems and FHS — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: pvcreate /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdc1; vgcreate vgdata /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdc1; lvcreate -L 600G -n lvdata vgdata — Option C is correct because it follows the proper LVM sequence: first create physical volumes (PVs) on the partitions /dev/sdb1 and /dev/sdc1 using pvcreate, then create the volume group 'vgdata' from those PVs using vgcreate, and finally create the logical volume 'lvdata' with a size of 600GB using lvcreate. This order ensures that the PVs exist before the VG is created, and the VG exists before the LV is created.
What should I do if I get this LPIC-1 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company runs a web server on Linux with two hard disks: /dev/sda (500GB) and /dev/sdb (500GB). The root filesystem is on /dev/sda1, and /var is on /dev/sda2. The administrator wants to add a new disk /dev/sdc (500GB) to be used as additional storage for /var/www/html. The new disk should be configured as an LVM physical volume and added to an existing volume group named 'vg_web'. The volume group currently has 200GB free space from /dev/sdb1. The administrator intends to extend the logical volume 'lv_web' mounted at /var/www/html by 300GB. Which of the following is the correct sequence of commands to achieve this without data loss?
Why D: Option D is correct because it follows the proper sequence: create a physical volume on the partition /dev/sdc1, extend the volume group vg_web with it, then extend the logical volume lv_web by 300GB, and finally resize the filesystem with resize2fs to utilize the new space. Since the logical volume is mounted and contains data, the filesystem must be resized after extending the LV to avoid data loss. The --resizefs flag in option C would also work, but the question asks for the correct sequence without that flag, and option D explicitly includes the separate resize2fs step.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.