EX200 Create and configure file systems Practice Question
Network Topology
The administrator attempts to run 'xfs_growfs /dev/vg00/lvol1' but receives an error. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume `xfs_growfs` works like `resize2fs` for ext4, which can resize unmounted filesystems, but XFS requires the filesystem to be mounted for online growth, and the error message may be misinterpreted as a missing package or wrong filesystem type.
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 logical volume is not mounted
The `xfs_growfs` command requires the XFS filesystem to be mounted in order to resize it. If the logical volume `/dev/vg00/lvol1` is not mounted, the kernel cannot access the filesystem's superblock and allocation group information, causing the command to fail with an error such as 'XFS filesystem not mounted' or 'No such file or directory'.
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 file system is not XFS
Why it's wrong here
The error message from xfs_growfs for a non-XFS filesystem would explicitly state that the target is not an XFS filesystem (e.g., "xfs_growfs: /dev/vg00/lvol is not a mounted XFS filesystem" or similar), not the generic "is not mounted" error seen here. Since xfs_growfs is an XFS-specific utility, the command can only fail with a filesystem-type mismatch if the device exists but is formatted as something else, which would produce a distinct diagnostic. Therefore, the possibility that the file system is not XFS would not account for the actual error reported.
- ✗
Unmet dependencies
Why it's wrong here
Unmet dependencies would manifest as a missing executable or shared library — for example, "bash: xfs_growfs: command not found" if xfsprogs is not installed, or a dynamic linker error. The given error is from the XFS utility itself and indicates a runtime filesystem state problem, not missing packages. Package dependencies are resolved at install time; they do not cause a mounted/unmounted status error during execution. Thus unmet dependencies are not a plausible cause.
- ✗
The volume group is full
Why it's wrong here
A full volume group prevents lvextend from allocating more physical extents, but xfs_growfs simply expands the XFS filesystem into already-allocated space within the existing logical volume. The command does not contact the volume group or ask for new space; it only updates the internal XFS geometry to match the current size of the block device. If the VG were full, lvextend would fail with a "no free extents" error, but the administrator's command is not attempting an LV extension. So a full VG is irrelevant to the error shown.
- ✓
The logical volume is not mounted
Why this is correct
xfs_growfs requires the target XFS filesystem to be mounted because it performs an online growth operation, reading the current geometry via the mounted filesystem and updating the superblock without unmounting. The lvs attributes for lvol1 lack the 'o' flag (open), which indicates that the logical volume is not currently open/mounted. Since xfs_growfs is invoked on a device that is not mounted, it cannot determine the filesystem's mountpoint and returns an error indicating the filesystem is not mounted. Mounting the LV first and then re-running xfs_growfs with the mountpoint or device would resolve the issue.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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