LPIC-2 Practice Question: Block Devices, Filesystems and Advanced Storage
This LPIC-2 practice question tests your understanding of block devices, filesystems and advanced storage. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
After adding a new LUN to an existing SAN, the administrator runs multipath -ll but sees the new LUN as 'failed'. The multipathd service is running. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The new LUN has not been presented to the host from the SAN
When a new LUN appears as 'failed' in `multipath -ll` output, the most common cause is that the LUN has not been properly presented to the host from the SAN. Even if the multipathd service is running, multipathd can only manage devices that the SCSI layer has already discovered. If the SAN administrator has not zoned or masked the LUN to the host, the host's SCSI subsystem never sees the device, so multipathd reports it as 'failed' because it cannot find the underlying paths.
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.
✗
The multipathd daemon needs to be restarted
Why it's wrong here
Restarting is unnecessary; multipathd is already running and would still show failure if LUN is not presented.
✓
The new LUN has not been presented to the host from the SAN
Why this is correct
If the LUN is not presented, the host cannot see it, causing all paths to show 'failed'.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The /etc/multipath.conf needs to be edited to include the new LUN
Why it's wrong here
Multipath discovers LUNs automatically; config editing is not required for detection.
✗
The scsi device needs to be manually created with mknod
Why it's wrong here
SCSI devices are created automatically by udev; manual mknod is not required.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
LPI often tests the misconception that multipathd needs a restart or configuration change for new LUNs, but the real issue is almost always the SCSI layer not having discovered the device due to incomplete SAN presentation or missing bus rescan.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Restarting is unnecessary; multipathd is already running and would still show failure if LUN is not presented.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, LUN presentation involves SAN zoning (Fibre Channel) or target masking (iSCSI) to allow the host's HBA to see the LUN. The SCSI layer then performs a LUN scan (e.g., `echo "- - -" > /sys/class/scsi_host/hostN/scan`) to create the sd devices. Multipathd relies on these sd devices and their WWIDs to build multipath maps; if no sd device exists, multipathd cannot create a path and marks the map as 'failed'. In real-world scenarios, a common oversight is forgetting to rescan the SCSI bus after presenting the LUN, which also leads to the same 'failed' state.
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 small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
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.
Block Devices, Filesystems and Advanced Storage — This question tests Block Devices, Filesystems and Advanced Storage — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The new LUN has not been presented to the host from the SAN — When a new LUN appears as 'failed' in `multipath -ll` output, the most common cause is that the LUN has not been properly presented to the host from the SAN. Even if the multipathd service is running, multipathd can only manage devices that the SCSI layer has already discovered. If the SAN administrator has not zoned or masked the LUN to the host, the host's SCSI subsystem never sees the device, so multipathd reports it as 'failed' because it cannot find the underlying paths.
What should I do if I get this LPIC-2 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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