LPIC-2 Network Client Management Practice Question
A Linux server exports a directory /data via NFS to a client. The client mounts it with 'mount -t nfs server:/data /mnt/data'. Write operations from the client fail with 'Permission denied' on some files. The server's /etc/exports contains: /data 192.168.1.0/24(rw,root_squash). What is the most likely issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse 'root_squash' with a missing 'rw' option or assume a version mismatch, when in fact the permission error on writes by root is the classic symptom of root squashing being active.
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
✓
root_squash maps root to nobody
The 'root_squash' option in /etc/exports maps the UID 0 (root) on the client to the 'nobody' user (typically UID 65534) on the server. When a client user with UID 0 attempts to write to files owned by other users or with restrictive permissions, the server sees the request as coming from 'nobody', which lacks write access, resulting in 'Permission denied'. This is the most likely cause because the client mount command does not specify 'no_root_squash', and the server's export explicitly enables root squashing.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
NFS version mismatch
Why it's wrong here
Write failures on specific files suggest permission issue.
- ✓
root_squash maps root to nobody
Why this is correct
Root on client is mapped to nobody, lacking ownership permissions.
- ✗
Client mount option 'noexec'
Why it's wrong here
Noexec affects execution, not writes.
- ✗
Missing 'rw' option in /etc/exports
Why it's wrong here
Exports includes rw.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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