EX200 Configure local storage Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are valid utilities for creating partitions on a disk in Red Hat Enterprise Linux?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse filesystem creation (`mkfs`) or mounting (`mount`) with actual partition creation, leading them to select those invalid options instead of the correct partitioning utilities.
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
✓
fdisk
C is correct because `fdisk` is a traditional command-line utility for creating, deleting, and managing MBR (Master Boot Record) partition tables on disks in Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It supports interactive and scripted partitioning, making it a valid tool for local storage configuration.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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mkfs
Why it's wrong here
mkfs (e.g., mkfs.ext4 or mkfs.xfs) is a filesystem builder, not a partition editor. It writes the superblock, journal, and inode tables needed for storing files, but it does not modify or create the MBR/GPT partition table. Running mkfs on a raw disk only initializes the disk's block structure without creating any partition entries, so you must first partition the disk with a utility like fdisk.
- ✗
mount
Why it's wrong here
The mount command attaches a filesystem from a block device or remote share to a directory in the Linux hierarchical namespace. It requires a pre-existing partition or filesystem located on a device; no partitions are created by mount because it only changes the VFS namespace. To create a partition, you must first use a tool that writes partition table records, such as gdisk or parted.
- ✓
fdisk
Why this is correct
fdisk is the traditional interactive text-based utility for creating, modifying, and deleting partitions on MBR (DOS) partition tables, and modern versions also support GPT with a compatible interface. It writes partition entries that define start and end sectors, partition type, and boot flag, but it cannot directly create a filesystem without a separate mkfs step. fdisk is well-suited for manual partition planning and small disks.
- ✓
gdisk
Why this is correct
gdisk (GPT fdisk) is specialized for GPT partition tables, offering advanced features such as setting unique GUIDs, changing partition type GUIDs, and creating hybrid MBR/GPT layouts. Unlike fdisk, gdisk is designed specifically for GPT disks, although it can display MBR data; it provides a safer way to manage large disks with more than 27 partitions. gdisk is the go-to tool when disks exceed 2 TiB or require modern firmware compatibility.
- ✓
parted
Why this is correct
parted is an interactive or command-line partition editor that manages both MBR and GPT partition tables, with additional capabilities like resizing, copying, and checking partitions. It can create partitions non-interactively using a script and can optionally invoke a filesystem format after creating a partition with the 'mkpart' command. Because it supports both table types and scripting, parted is often used in automated partitioning routines and system deployment tools.
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