LPIC-2 Practice Question: Block Devices, Filesystems and Advanced Storage
Which three conditions must be met for a filesystem to be mounted by UUID in /etc/fstab? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates think blkid must be run first to 'register' the UUID, but in reality, udev and the kernel automatically populate /dev/disk/by-uuid/ at boot or when a device is added.
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 UUID must be present in /dev/disk/by-uuid/
The Linux kernel and udev create symbolic links in /dev/disk/by-uuid/ for each block device that has a UUID. When /etc/fstab specifies a filesystem by UUID, the mount command resolves the UUID by looking up the corresponding symlink in this directory. If the symlink is missing (e.g., due to a missing udev rule or a corrupted device), the mount will fail.
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 blkid command must have been run at least once
Why it's wrong here
blkid uses udev data; it does not need to be run manually.
- ✗
The UUID must be listed in the kernel's boot parameters
Why it's wrong here
Kernel boot parameters are only needed for the root filesystem, not for general mounts.
- ✓
The UUID must be present in /dev/disk/by-uuid/
Why this is correct
The kernel uses this symlink to resolve the UUID to a device.
- ✓
The filesystem must be formatted with a utility that writes UUIDs
Why this is correct
Utilities like mkfs.ext4 write a UUID during formatting.
- ✓
The UUID in fstab must match the filesystem's UUID
Why this is correct
A mismatch will cause mount failure.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This LPIC-2 question is part of Courseiva's 507-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam 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.