LPIC-2 Practice Question: Block Devices, Filesystems and Advanced Storage
Which two commands can be used to create a swap space on a partition /dev/sdb2? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently 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.
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
✓
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.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
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.
- ✗
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.
- ✗
mkfs.swap /dev/sdb2
Why it's wrong here
mkfs.swap is not a standard command.
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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.