EX200 Create and configure file systems Practice Question
A logical volume /dev/vg_data/lv_data formatted as XFS is full. The administrator extends the LV by 1 GB using 'lvextend -L +1G /dev/vg_data/lv_data'. Which additional command is required to use the new space?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse the file system type and apply the wrong resize command (e.g., `resize2fs` for ext4) or think that extending the logical volume automatically grows the file system, which is not true for XFS.
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
✓
xfs_growfs /mount/point
After extending the logical volume, the XFS file system must be grown to recognize the new space. The `xfs_growfs` command resizes an XFS file system to fill the available space in the underlying block device, and it requires the mount point as an argument (not the device). This is necessary because XFS does not support online resizing via a simple block device extension; the file system must be explicitly told to expand.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
xfs_repair /dev/vg_data/lv_data
Why it's wrong here
xfs_repair verifies and rebuilds XFS filesystem metadata, scanning for corruption in the superblock, inodes, and free-space maps. It does not alter the filesystem's allocated capacity, so any space freed in the logical volume will remain unused after an LV extension. In fact, running xfs_repair on a healthy filesystem is risky because its deep scan can mark active structures as stale. The proper action is to grow the filesystem, not repair it.
- ✓
xfs_growfs /mount/point
Why this is correct
xfs_growfs is the intended command to expand an XFS filesystem to fill the newly available space in the underlying logical volume. It operates on a mounted filesystem and uses the VFS layer to increase data and inode block counts without offline downtime. The command's argument is the mount point (or device) and it extends the filesystem to the LV's current size. Because XFS can only grow (not shrink), this is the single missing step after the LV has already been enlarged.
- ✗
resize2fs /mount/point
Why it's wrong here
resize2fs is designed exclusively for ext2, ext3, and ext4 filesystems, which use a completely different on-disk layout and block-group descriptors. When pointed at an XFS mount point or device, resize2fs will reject the filesystem, and attempting to force it risks overwriting XFS AGF/AGI metadata. XFS growth requires xfs_growfs, which knows how to modify XFS B-trees and superblock counters. Thus resize2fs is not merely ineffective—it is the incorrect tool for this filesystem type.
- ✗
lvresize -L +1G /dev/vg_data/lv_data
Why it's wrong here
lvresize -L +1G changes the raw block-device capacity of the logical volume, but it has no knowledge of the filesystem stored above it. Since the question states the LV has already been extended, running lvresize again would be redundant or, at best, a raw-capacity adjustment that still leaves the XFS filesystem at its original length. The filesystem must be told to consume the new space with xfs_growfs. Therefore lvresize alone cannot achieve the goal of making the expanded space visible to the filesystem.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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