LPIC-2 Practice Question: Block Devices, Filesystems and Advanced Storage
Which file contains the filesystem table that is read during system boot to mount filesystems?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse /etc/fstab (the static boot-time configuration) with /etc/mtab (the dynamic runtime mount list) or /proc/mounts (the kernel's current view), especially since /etc/mtab is often a symlink to /proc/self/mounts on modern systems.
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
✓
/etc/fstab
/etc/fstab is the filesystem table file that is read by the system during boot (via mount -a or systemd-fstab-generator) to automatically mount filesystems. It contains entries specifying devices, mount points, filesystem types, mount options, dump and pass fields, and is the standard configuration file for static filesystem 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.
- ✗
/etc/mtab
Why it's wrong here
mtab shows currently mounted filesystems.
- ✗
/proc/mounts
Why it's wrong here
proc/mounts shows currently mounted filesystems.
- ✗
/etc/mounts
Why it's wrong here
Not a standard file.
- ✓
/etc/fstab
Why this is correct
fstab is read at boot to mount filesystems.
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