LPIC-1 Devices, Filesystems and FHS Practice Question
You are a junior system administrator tasked with adding a new 500GB HDD to a Debian 11 server that will be used for backup storage. The server currently has a 120GB SSD with two partitions: sda1 (boot) and sda2 (root). You have physically installed the HDD and it is recognized as /dev/sdb. You need to partition the disk with a single partition covering the entire disk, format it as ext4, and ensure it is automatically mounted at /backup at boot time. Which sequence of commands should you execute to accomplish this?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may try to format the raw disk device (e.g., /dev/sdb) instead of a partition (e.g., /dev/sdb1), or skip the partitioning step entirely, leading to an unbootable or improperly configured filesystem.
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
✓
sudo parted /dev/sdb mklabel gpt && sudo parted /dev/sdb mkpart primary ext4 0% 100% && sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1 && echo '/dev/sdb1 /backup ext4 defaults 0 2' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab && sudo mount -a
It first creates a GPT partition table on /dev/sdb with parted, then creates a single primary partition spanning the entire disk, formats that partition (not the raw disk) as ext4, adds an fstab entry for automatic mounting at /backup, and finally mounts all filesystems. This sequence ensures the disk is properly partitioned, formatted, and configured for persistent boot-time mounting.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
sudo parted /dev/sdb mklabel gpt && sudo parted /dev/sdb mkpart primary ext4 0% 100% && sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1 && echo '/dev/sdb1 /backup ext4 defaults 0 2' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab && sudo mount -a
Why this is correct
Properly creates GPT partition table, single partition, formats as ext4, adds fstab entry, and mounts.
- ✗
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1 && echo '/dev/sdb1 /backup ext4 defaults 0 2' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab && sudo mount -a
Why it's wrong here
mkfs.ext4 on /dev/sdb1 fails because no partition exists yet; partition must be created first.
- ✗
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb && echo '/dev/sdb /backup ext4 defaults 0 2' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab && sudo mount -a
Why it's wrong here
Formats the whole disk without a partition table, which is not recommended and may cause warnings.
- ✗
sudo fdisk /dev/sdb (create partition) && sudo mkswap /dev/sdb1 && echo '/dev/sdb1 /backup ext4 defaults 0 2' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab && sudo mount -a
Why it's wrong here
mkswap creates swap, not ext4; the fstab entry expects ext4.
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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.