LPIC-2 Practice Question: Block Devices, Filesystems and Advanced Storage
Exhibit
mount -t tmpfs -o size=2G,noexec,nosuid tmpfs /mnt/tmp ls -la /mnt/tmp total 4 drwxrwxrwt 2 root root 40 Oct 27 10:00 . drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Oct 27 09:55 ..
An administrator runs the command shown. However, when a user tries to execute a binary from /mnt/tmp, it fails with 'Permission denied'. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often focus on file permissions (Option B) or filesystem type (Option C) without considering mount options, which override lower-level permissions and are a frequent LPIC-2 exam topic.
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 noexec mount option prevents execution.
The `noexec` mount option explicitly prevents execution of any binaries on the filesystem, regardless of their permission bits. When a filesystem is mounted with `noexec`, the kernel will refuse to execute any file on that mount point, returning 'Permission denied' even if the file has execute permissions set. This is the most likely cause because the administrator's command likely mounted `/mnt/tmp` with `noexec` (e.g., via `mount -o noexec` or a default mount 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 noexec mount option prevents execution.
Why this is correct
noexec explicitly disallows execution.
- ✗
The binary is not executable.
Why it's wrong here
The error message would differ if file didn't have execute bits.
- ✗
The tmpfs filesystem does not support execution.
Why it's wrong here
tmpfs supports execution by default.
- ✗
The nosuid option prevents setuid binaries.
Why it's wrong here
nosuid affects setuid, not general execution.
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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.