EX200 Configure local storage Practice Question
A system administrator needs to create a point-in-time backup of a logical volume 'lv_home' that is currently mounted. Which LVM feature should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse 'lvcreate -s' with other LVM commands like 'lvreduce' or 'lvextend', mistakenly thinking those can create backups, or they may assume that a mounted volume must be unmounted before any backup operation, which is not required with LVM snapshots.
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
✓
lvcreate -s
The 'lvcreate -s' command creates a snapshot of a logical volume, which provides a point-in-time backup without unmounting the volume. Snapshots are a native LVM feature that allow consistent backups of mounted filesystems by capturing the state of the logical volume at the moment the snapshot is created.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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lvreduce
Why it's wrong here
lvreduce is incorrect because it shrinks the size of an existing logical volume by removing physical extents from its allocation. This operation is used to reclaim storage space, not to create a point-in-time backup. If the corresponding filesystem is not resized first, lvreduce can corrupt data, and it never generates a snapshot or copy of the original volume.
- ✗
lvchange
Why it's wrong here
lvchange is incorrect because it alters attributes of a logical volume, such as its activation status, persistence across reboots, or allocation policy. It does not allocate new extents, copy data, or create any snapshot relationship. lvchange merely modifies metadata associated with an existing LV, so it cannot produce a backup of the volume's contents.
- ✗
lvextend
Why it's wrong here
lvextend is incorrect because it enlarges a logical volume by adding physical extents from the volume group's free space. This operation is meant to increase capacity, typically followed by a filesystem resize, and does not capture a state of data at a particular moment. It neither creates a separate copy nor establishes copy-on-write semantics, so it is unrelated to point-in-time backups.
- ✓
lvcreate -s
Why this is correct
lvcreate -s is correct because it creates a snapshot logical volume, which provides a point-in-time image of the origin LV. LVM snapshots use copy-on-write (CoW) technology: when the original LV is modified, the old data is preserved in the snapshot's allocated extents. This allows the snapshot to serve as a consistent backup target for subsequent operations like mounting or archiving.
- ✗
pvmove
Why it's wrong here
pvmove is incorrect because it relocates physical extents from one physical volume to another within a volume group. Its purpose is to balance storage usage across disks or prepare a PV for removal, not to create a backup or snapshot. While pvmove moves data, it does not preserve a historical state or generate any copy-on-write image, so it cannot be used for point-in-time backups.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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