EX200 Configure local storage Practice Question
An administrator attempts to mount an XFS filesystem from /dev/sdc1 to /mnt/archive but receives the error: 'mount: /mnt/archive: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/sdc1, missing codepage or helper program, or other error.' The output of 'dumpe2fs /dev/sdc1' shows 'dumpe2fs: Bad magic number in super-block while trying to open /dev/sdc1'. What is the most likely problem?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates see 'bad superblock' and immediately think of ext4 superblock corruption or backup superblock recovery, when in fact the error is simply due to using an ext4-specific tool (dumpe2fs) on a non-ext4 filesystem.
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
✓
The filesystem on /dev/sdc1 is XFS, not ext4
The error message 'wrong fs type' combined with 'dumpe2fs: Bad magic number in super-block' indicates that the filesystem on /dev/sdc1 is not an ext2/3/4 filesystem. dumpe2fs is designed to read ext2/3/4 superblocks, and the 'bad magic number' error means it cannot find a valid ext superblock. Since the administrator is trying to mount an XFS filesystem, the correct tool to examine it is xfs_db or xfs_info, not dumpe2fs. Therefore, the most likely problem is that the filesystem is XFS, not ext4.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The mount point /mnt/archive does not exist
Why it's wrong here
If the directory /mnt/archive were missing, mount(8) would fail with "mount: /mnt/archive: mount point does not exist." That error is specifically about the mount point path, not about the filesystem on the block device. The observed symptom described in the scenario—dumpe2fs reporting a bad superblock magic number—has nothing to do with the presence or absence of a directory. Thus, while it is a possible mount failure cause in general, it cannot explain why dumpe2fs would report a bad magic number for /dev/sdc1.
- ✓
The filesystem on /dev/sdc1 is XFS, not ext4
Why this is correct
dumpe2fs is designed for ext2, ext3, and ext4 filesystems; it looks for the ext family superblock magic (0xEF53) at offset 1024 on the device. XFS uses its own superblock format with the ASCII magic "XFSB" at a different offset. When dumpe2fs reads /dev/sdc1, it does not find the ext magic and prints "bad magic number in super-block," which simply means the device does not contain an ext filesystem, not that it is corrupt. The device likely holds a valid XFS filesystem, so running mount -t xfs /dev/sdc1 /mnt/archive will succeed. This is the correct diagnosis because the tool was incompatible with the actual filesystem type.
- ✗
The XFS kernel module is not loaded
Why it's wrong here
If the XFS kernel module were not loaded, mount would fail with "unknown filesystem type 'xfs'" because the kernel would not register the XFS filesystem driver. However, the reported error comes from dumpe2fs, a user-space ext filesystem tool, and occurs regardless of any kernel module state. XFS support is either built into the kernel or automatically loaded by the mount command via the file system type, so a missing module is not a plausible explanation here. The specific "bad magic number" message is not a kernel complaint; it is a user-space misinterpretation of the on-disk contents.
- ✗
The partition /dev/sdc1 does not exist
Why it's wrong here
If the partition /dev/sdc1 did not exist, both dumpe2fs and mount would fail with "No such file or directory" or "special device /dev/sdc1 does not exist" because the kernel would not find a matching block device node. The fact that dumpe2fs is able to read and return "bad magic number" proves that /dev/sdc1 is present and accessible as a block device. A missing partition would prevent any tool from reading the superblock at all, so this option is inconsistent with the observed error. The problem is not the absence of the device, but that its content is not what the tool expects.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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