EX200 Configure local storage Practice Question
Which TWO statements about Logical Volume Manager (LVM) metadata are correct?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the role of 'pvs' (a display tool) with a repair tool, or mistakenly think LVM metadata is stored in a configuration directory like /etc/lvm, when it is actually stored on the physical volumes themselves.
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 'pvck' command can be used to check physical volume metadata.
The 'pvck' command is specifically designed to check the metadata of physical volumes in LVM. It verifies the consistency and integrity of the PV metadata, including the volume group descriptor area (VGDA), without making changes. This is a diagnostic tool used before attempting repairs.
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 'pvck' command can be used to check physical volume metadata.
Why this is correct
The pvck command is a specialized LVM utility designed to verify the consistency and integrity of physical volume metadata located in the metadata areas on a PV. It can also dump the raw metadata contents for debugging purposes, but it only checks and displays; it does not repair or rewrite the metadata. Use it when you suspect corruption on a PV.
- ✗
The 'pvs' command can repair corrupted metadata.
Why it's wrong here
The pvs command is exclusively a reporting tool that presents a formatted summary of physical volume attributes by reading existing LVM metadata. It has no write, repair, or rewrite capability, so it cannot fix corrupted metadata. Repair operations require dedicated LVM utilities such as pvck for checking and pvcreate/pvchange for reinitializing or adjusting metadata.
- ✗
The 'fsck' tool is used to verify LVM metadata.
Why it's wrong here
The fsck utility is a filesystem consistency checker for filesystems such as ext4 and XFS, which reside on top of logical volumes. It has no knowledge of LVM metadata structures, which live on physical volumes in the volume group descriptor area. Therefore, fsck can never validate or verify LVM metadata; only LVM-specific commands like pvck can interpret those structures.
- ✓
Metadata is stored in the volume group descriptor area (VGDA) on each physical volume.
Why this is correct
In LVM, each physical volume contains a volume group descriptor area (VGDA), a reserved metadata region that stores records describing the physical volume, its volume group, and all logical volumes in that group. This on-disk placement means the entire volume group structure can be reconstructed by scanning the PVs alone, without a central configuration file. Copies of this metadata may exist on multiple PVs for redundancy, but the VGDA is the authoritative source at runtime.
- ✗
LVM metadata is stored in /etc/lvm directory.
Why it's wrong here
The /etc/lvm directory holds LVM configuration files such as lvm.conf and runtime settings, but the authoritative volume group metadata is never stored there. Instead, it is written to the VGDA on each physical volume, allowing the devices to carry their own metadata. Treating /etc/lvm as a metadata store confuses configuration with on-disk state; you can safely move PVs to another system and the metadata will be read from the devices.
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