This LPIC-2 practice question tests your understanding of block devices, filesystems and advanced storage. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Which two commands can be used to create a swap space on a partition /dev/sdb2? (Choose two.)
mkswap /dev/sdb2
mkswap writes a swap signature to the partition.
swapon /dev/sdb2
Why wrong: swapon activates a swap area; it does not create one.
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb2 bs=1M count=1024
Why wrong: This overwrites the partition with zeros but does not create a swap filesystem.
mkswap -L swap /dev/sdb2
mkswap with -L sets a label and creates the swap signature.
mkfs.swap /dev/sdb2
Why wrong: mkfs.swap is not a standard command.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
mkswap /dev/sdb2
The `mkswap` command initializes a partition or file for use as swap space by writing a swap signature (UUID and superblock) to the device. Option A is correct because `mkswap /dev/sdb2` creates the swap filesystem on the specified partition. Option D is also correct because `mkswap -L swap /dev/sdb2` does the same but additionally assigns a label 'swap' to the swap area, which is a valid variant of the command.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
mkswap /dev/sdb2
Why this is correct
mkswap writes a swap signature to the partition.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
swapon /dev/sdb2
Why it's wrong here
swapon activates a swap area; it does not create one.
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb2 bs=1M count=1024
Why it's wrong here
This overwrites the partition with zeros but does not create a swap filesystem.
mkswap -L swap /dev/sdb2
Why this is correct
mkswap with -L sets a label and creates the swap signature.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
mkfs.swap /dev/sdb2
Why it's wrong here
mkfs.swap is not a standard command.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse `mkswap` (which creates the swap filesystem) with `swapon` (which activates it), or they assume a generic `mkfs.*` command exists for swap, leading them to pick the invalid `mkfs.swap` option.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
mkfs.swap is not a standard command.
Detailed technical explanation
The `mkswap` command writes a swap signature at the beginning of the partition (typically offset 0x1000) and stores metadata such as the swap UUID, label, and page size. When the kernel activates swap via `swapon`, it reads this signature to verify the area is valid. In real-world scenarios, using `mkswap` with the `-L` option is useful for managing multiple swap devices via labels, especially in scripts or `/etc/fstab` entries where device paths may change.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Block Devices, Filesystems and Advanced Storage — This question tests Block Devices, Filesystems and Advanced Storage — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: mkswap /dev/sdb2 — The `mkswap` command initializes a partition or file for use as swap space by writing a swap signature (UUID and superblock) to the device. Option A is correct because `mkswap /dev/sdb2` creates the swap filesystem on the specified partition. Option D is also correct because `mkswap -L swap /dev/sdb2` does the same but additionally assigns a label 'swap' to the swap area, which is a valid variant of the command.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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.
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