LPIC-2 Network Client Management Practice Question
A system administrator needs to configure an NFS client to automatically mount an exported filesystem from a remote server whenever a user accesses the mount point. Which configuration approach is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse on-demand mounting (autofs) with persistent mounting (/etc/fstab) or manual mounting, and may incorrectly assume that /etc/rc.local is a valid modern solution for automatic mounting.
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
✓
Configure automount using autofs with an indirect map.
Autofs with an indirect map allows the NFS filesystem to be mounted on-demand when a user accesses the mount point, and automatically unmounted after a period of inactivity. This is the standard Linux approach for dynamic, on-demand NFS mounting without requiring a persistent entry in /etc/fstab or manual intervention.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure automount using autofs with an indirect map.
Why this is correct
autofs mounts NFS shares on demand, reducing dependency on server availability.
- ✗
Add an entry to /etc/fstab with the 'defaults' option.
Why it's wrong here
This mounts at boot; if the server is down, boot may hang.
- ✗
Use the 'mount -t nfs' command each time a user needs access.
Why it's wrong here
Requires manual intervention and is not automatic.
- ✗
Place a mount command in /etc/rc.local.
Why it's wrong here
This also mounts at boot and doesn't provide on-demand behavior.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every LPIC-2 question from scratch — 507 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This LPIC-2 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-2 exam.