EX200 Create and configure file systems Practice Question
A server has an LVM volume group vg01 with a physical volume /dev/sdb. The administrator wants to move all physical extents from /dev/sdb to /dev/sdd which is also in the same volume group. Which command sequence is correct?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently think `pvmove` requires a target PV or that `pvremove` can be used directly after moving extents, but they forget that the PV must first be removed from the VG with `vgreduce` before it can be fully decommissioned.
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
✓
pvmove /dev/sdb; vgreduce vg01 /dev/sdb
The correct sequence is to first use `pvmove /dev/sdb` to relocate all physical extents from /dev/sdb to other physical volumes in the same volume group (vg01), and then use `vgreduce vg01 /dev/sdb` to remove the now-empty physical volume from the volume group. This ensures no data loss and that the volume group metadata is properly updated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
pvmove /dev/sdb; vgreduce vg01 /dev/sdb
Why this is correct
The correct sequence starts with `pvmove /dev/sdb`, which relocates every allocated physical extent on that disk to any available free extent elsewhere in the same volume group (vg01). Once the source PV is completely empty, `vgreduce vg01 /dev/sdb` safely removes it from the volume group's metadata, allowing the disk to be repurposed or detached without risking data loss or LVM corruption.
- ✗
vgreduce vg01 /dev/sdb; pvmove
Why it's wrong here
Running `vgreduce vg01 /dev/sdb` before `pvmove` fails because vgreduce refuses to remove a physical volume that still contains allocated extents; it will abort with an error indicating the PV is in use. Furthermore, a bare `pvmove` command with no arguments is invalid—it must name the source PV—so this ordering violates LVM's fundamental requirement: data must be moved before the PV is unlinked from the volume group.
- ✗
pvmove /dev/sdb; pvremove /dev/sdb
Why it's wrong here
After `pvmove /dev/sdb` has emptied the disk, the PV is still a member of vg01, so running `pvremove /dev/sdb` alone will fail because the PV is not a standalone device—it belongs to an active volume group. The correct next step is `vgreduce` to detach the PV from the VG; only then (optionally) `pvremove` can be used to wipe the LVM labels on the disk. Skipping vgreduce leaves inconsistent metadata and prevents the disk from being safely removed.
- ✗
pvmove /dev/sdb /dev/sdd
Why it's wrong here
This command attempts to move extents to a specific destination, `/dev/sdd`, but this only works if `/dev/sdd` is already initialized as a physical volume and belongs to the same volume group (vg01); otherwise pvmove aborts with a device mismatch error. Even if `/dev/sdd` is valid, constraining the move to one destination forces LVM to fit all data there, which can fail due to insufficient free space. The standard `pvmove /dev/sdb` with no destination lets LVM automatically distribute the extents across all available PVs in the VG, which is more flexible and is the required first step for a clean PV removal.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This EX200 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Red Hat 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 EX200 exam.