LPIC-1 System Architecture Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit. # dmesg | grep -i 'ata\|sda' [ 0.000000] ACPI: IRQ9 used by override. [ 0.000000] ACPI: IRQ9 used by override. [ 2.345678] ata1: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300) [ 2.345679] ata1.00: ATA-8: ST31000524AS, JC45, max UDMA/133 [ 2.345680] ata1.00: 1953525168 sectors, multi 16: LBA48 NCQ (depth 31/32) [ 2.345681] ata1.00: configured for UDMA/133 [ 2.345682] scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access ATA ST31000524AS JC45 PQ: 0 ANSI: 5 [ 2.345683] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] 1953525168 512-byte logical blocks: (1.00 TB/931 GiB) [ 2.345684] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off [ 2.345685] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00 [ 2.345686] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA [ 2.345687] sda: sda1 sda2 [ 2.345688] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Attached SCSI disk
Refer to the exhibit. A Linux system fails to boot with a kernel panic. The dmesg output shows the disk is detected and partitions are recognized. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the kernel panic?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates see the disk is detected and assume hardware is fine, then incorrectly blame the SATA controller or initramfs, missing the subtle point that the kernel panic occurs specifically because the root filesystem cannot be mounted due to a misconfigured `root=` parameter.
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
✓
The root filesystem cannot be mounted because the root= kernel parameter points to a non-existent or incorrect device.
A is correct because the kernel panic occurs after the disk and partitions are detected, indicating the kernel can see the hardware but cannot mount the root filesystem. The most common cause is an incorrect or missing `root=` kernel parameter in the bootloader configuration (e.g., GRUB), which specifies the root device (e.g., `/dev/sda1` or `UUID=...`). If this parameter points to a non-existent or wrong partition, the kernel cannot pivot to the root filesystem, leading to a panic.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The root filesystem cannot be mounted because the root= kernel parameter points to a non-existent or incorrect device.
Why this is correct
Kernel panic after disk and partition detection indicates the kernel cannot mount the root filesystem. An incorrect root= parameter points to a non-existent device, so the kernel halts with a panic once it fails to locate the root filesystem.
- ✗
The kernel module for the SATA controller is missing from the initramfs.
Why it's wrong here
If the SATA module were absent from initramfs, the kernel could not mount the root filesystem, so the disk would not be detected and partitions would not appear in dmesg. Since detection succeeds, initramfs already contains the driver. This option would be correct where the controller driver loads only after root mount, producing a different panic.
- ✗
The SATA controller is not supported by the kernel.
Why it's wrong here
Unsupported SATA controller hardware would prevent the kernel from detecting the disk at all, so no partitions would be recognised in dmesg. The exhibit shows successful detection, ruling this out. This option would be correct where the controller chipset is absent from the kernel's driver set entirely, requiring a newer kernel or vendor module.
- ✗
The disk has bad sectors causing read errors during boot.
Why it's wrong here
Bad sectors produce I/O errors, filesystem corruption or read failures on specific blocks, not a clean kernel panic after successful disk and partition detection. The stem shows detection succeeded, so the fault lies later in userspace or root mounting. Bad sectors would be correct where dmesg logs medium errors and the filesystem fails to mount.
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