EX200 Configure local storage Practice Question
A system administrator needs to extend a logical volume 'lv_data' in volume group 'vg_data' by adding a new 50GB disk. Which sequence of commands should be used (assuming the filesystem is XFS)?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse `resize2fs` (for ext4) with `xfs_growfs` (for XFS), or incorrectly order the commands by adding the disk to the volume group before initializing it as a physical volume.
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
✓
pvcreate, vgextend, lvextend, xfs_growfs
The proper sequence to extend an XFS logical volume is: first, initialize the new disk as a physical volume with `pvcreate`; second, add it to the volume group with `vgextend`; third, extend the logical volume with `lvextend`; and finally, grow the XFS filesystem with `xfs_growfs`. XFS does not support shrinking and requires `xfs_growfs` (not `resize2fs`) for online growth.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
pvcreate, vgextend, lvextend, resize2fs
Why it's wrong here
Although pvcreate, vgextend, and lvextend correctly add physical storage and extend the LV, the final command resize2fs is the wrong filesystem tool because it only supports ext2/ext3/ext4 filesystems. XFS requires xfs_growfs to expand into the newly allocated logical volume space, and running resize2fs against an XFS filesystem will fail with an error. The sequence is therefore invalid for an XFS logical volume.
- ✗
vgextend, lvcreate, pvcreate, xfs_growfs
Why it's wrong here
This option is invalid because lvcreate is used to create a brand-new logical volume rather than extend an existing one, which does not meet the task requirement. Additionally, the order is incorrect: pvcreate must be run before vgextend to initialize the physical volume, and xfs_growfs alone does not create a filesystem on a newly created LV. The proper approach would use lvextend on the existing LV, not lvcreate.
- ✗
vgextend, pvcreate, lvextend, xfs_growfs
Why it's wrong here
The critical flaw here is the ordering of pvcreate and vgextend: vgextend attempts to add a device to the volume group before that device has been initialized as a physical volume. A raw block device without a PV label is not recognized by LVM, so the vgextend command fails immediately. The correct sequence initializes the device with pvcreate first, then vgextend, followed by lvextend and xfs_growfs.
- ✓
pvcreate, vgextend, lvextend, xfs_growfs
Why this is correct
This is the correct sequence for extending an XFS logical volume: pvcreate initializes the new disk or partition as a physical volume; vgextend adds that PV to the existing volume group, making new extents available; lvextend extends the logical volume into the free extents; and finally xfs_growfs expands the XFS filesystem to fill the larger LV. Because XFS can be grown online and does not support shrinking, xfs_growfs is the proper tool rather than resize2fs. This order ensures every prerequisite is satisfied before the next operation.
- ✗
pvcreate, lvextend, vgextend, fsck
Why it's wrong here
This sequence fails because lvextend is executed before vgextend, so the logical volume cannot be extended since the new physical volume is not yet part of the volume group and no extra free extents are available. Additionally, fsck is not a filesystem-growing tool; it checks and repairs filesystem consistency, and running it after an extend operation is unnecessary and not how XFS is resized. The correct final step would be xfs_growfs to grow the filesystem.
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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.