EX200 LVM workflow Practice Question
Network Topology
Refer to the exhibit. An administrator wants to create an LVM logical volume using /dev/sdb3. What is the first step to complete this task?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is that candidates may assume they must always run pvcreate first, but the exhibit shows the PV already exists. Always verify the current state of the disk before deciding the next step.
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
✓
Create a logical volume with lvcreate -L 10G -n lv01 vg01
Based on the exhibit, /dev/sdb3 is already initialized as a physical volume and belongs to a volume group. Therefore, the first step to create a logical volume is to use lvcreate directly, as the PV and VG are already in place. Option B is incorrect because pvcreate is not needed when the partition is already a PV.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Format the partition with mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb3
Why it's wrong here
Formatting the partition /dev/sdb3 with mkfs.ext4 is incorrect because /dev/sdb3 is not a filesystem device; it is a physical volume used by LVM. Creating a filesystem directly on the PV would destroy the LVM metadata and render the volume group unusable. After creating the logical volume, the filesystem should be placed on the LV device node, such as /dev/vg01/lv01, not on the underlying partition.
- ✗
Create a physical volume with pvcreate /dev/sdb3
Why it's wrong here
Running pvcreate on /dev/sdb3 is unnecessary and potentially destructive because the exhibit clearly shows that /dev/sdb3 is already initialized as a physical volume. Reinitializing an existing PV with pvcreate would overwrite its LVM metadata, risking data loss and causing the volume group vg01 to become inconsistent. Since the PV already exists, the proper next action is to create a logical volume within the existing volume group.
- ✓
Create a logical volume with lvcreate -L 10G -n lv01 vg01
Why this is correct
The exhibit confirms that the physical volume /dev/sdb3 and the volume group vg01 already exist, so the only remaining prerequisite is to create the logical volume itself. The command lvcreate -L 10G -n lv01 vg01 allocates a 10 GiB logical volume named lv01 from the free extents in vg01, which is exactly the correct next step. Afterward, a filesystem can be created on /dev/vg01/lv01.
- ✗
Create a volume group with vgcreate vg01 /dev/sdb3
Why it's wrong here
Creating a volume group with vgcreate vg01 /dev/sdb3 is wrong because vg01 is already present and already contains /dev/sdb3 as its physical volume, as shown in the exhibit. Running vgcreate would fail because the volume group name already exists, and attempting to reuse an already-assigned PV could corrupt LVM metadata. The volume group layer is already complete, so the administrator should proceed directly to logical volume creation.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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