EX200 Configure local storage Practice Question
An administrator wants to mount an existing ext4 filesystem from /dev/sdb1 to /mnt/data at boot time. What entry should be added to /etc/fstab?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the filesystem type (ext4 vs xfs) or misremember the required mount point path (/mnt/data vs /data), leading them to select an option that looks correct but has a subtle mismatch.
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
✓
/dev/sdb1 /mnt/data ext4 defaults 0 0
It specifies the correct device (/dev/sdb1), the correct mount point (/mnt/data), the correct filesystem type (ext4), and the correct mount options (defaults) for an ext4 filesystem to be mounted at boot. The /etc/fstab entry must include all six fields in order: device, mount point, filesystem type, options, dump, and pass.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
/dev/sdb1 /mnt/data xfs defaults 0 0
Why it's wrong here
This entry specifies the wrong filesystem type. The device /dev/sdb1 contains an ext4 filesystem, but the fstab line declares it as xfs. When the system runs mount -a or systemd processes the entry, the kernel will attempt to interpret the ext4 structure using xfs code and fail with an error such as 'wrong fs type' or 'superblock invalid'. For a reliable mount, the filesystem type must match the actual on-disk format exactly, so this option cannot mount the ext4 partition.
- ✗
LABEL=data ext4 defaults 0 0
Why it's wrong here
This line is invalid because it omits the mount point field. An /etc/fstab entry requires exactly six fields: device/source, mount point, filesystem type, mount options, dump flag, and fsck order. Here only "LABEL=data", "ext4", and "defaults" are present, leaving the mount point blank, which causes systemd and mount to reject the entry as malformed. Furthermore, no label named 'data' exists on /dev/sdb1 unless explicitly set with e2label, so even if a mount point were added, the LABEL reference would not resolve to the intended device without prior labeling.
- ✗
/dev/sdb1 /data ext4 defaults 0 0
Why it's wrong here
This entry is syntactically correct but mounts the ext4 filesystem to /data instead of the requested /mnt/data. The administrator's explicit requirement is to mount the filesystem at /mnt/data, so this line would create a mount point at /data and attach the filesystem there, leaving /mnt/data empty and unusable for the intended purpose. Mounting to the wrong directory is a functional failure even though the fstab syntax, filesystem type, and options are otherwise valid.
- ✓
/dev/sdb1 /mnt/data ext4 defaults 0 0
Why this is correct
This is a valid and correct fstab entry for mounting the ext4 filesystem on /dev/sdb1 to the /mnt/data mount point. It properly specifies all six required fields: the device file, the exact mount directory, the ext4 filesystem type matching the on-disk format, the defaults option set (rw, suid, dev, exec, auto, nouser, async), and 0 for both dump and fsck pass. When the system boots or mount -a is executed, this line will mount the filesystem at /mnt/data as requested.
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