This EX200 practice question tests your understanding of deploy, configure, and maintain systems. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An administrator needs to ensure that a mounted NFS filesystem is not accessible to users without proper Kerberos authentication, even if the NFS server exports with no_root_squash. Which mount options should be used in /etc/fstab?
sec=krb5i,soft
Why wrong: krb5i provides integrity but not privacy; soft can cause data loss if server is unreachable.
sec=sys,ro
Why wrong: sec=sys uses AUTH_SYS (no Kerberos), so authentication is not enforced.
sec=krb5,noexec
Why wrong: krb5 without 'p' provides authentication but not privacy; noexec is not relevant to authentication.
sec=krb5p,hard
krb5p provides authentication and encryption; hard ensures the mount persists.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
sec=krb5p,hard
Option D is correct because `sec=krb5p` enforces Kerberos authentication with full encryption of NFS traffic, ensuring that only users with valid Kerberos tickets can access the filesystem. The `hard` mount option ensures persistent retries if the server becomes unreachable, which is standard for critical NFS mounts. This combination prevents unauthorized access even if the server uses `no_root_squash`, as Kerberos authentication is enforced at the RPC layer.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
sec=krb5i,soft
Why it's wrong here
krb5i provides integrity but not privacy; soft can cause data loss if server is unreachable.
sec=sys,ro
Why it's wrong here
sec=sys uses AUTH_SYS (no Kerberos), so authentication is not enforced.
sec=krb5,noexec
Why it's wrong here
krb5 without 'p' provides authentication but not privacy; noexec is not relevant to authentication.
sec=krb5p,hard
Why this is correct
krb5p provides authentication and encryption; hard ensures the mount persists.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse `sec=krb5` (authentication only) with `sec=krb5p` (full encryption), or assume `sec=sys` is sufficient for security, ignoring that `no_root_squash` bypasses UID-based restrictions.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, NFSv4 with Kerberos (RPCSEC_GSS) uses `sec=krb5` for authentication only, `krb5i` adds integrity (checksums), and `krb5p` adds full encryption of all RPC payloads. The `hard` mount option causes NFS to retry indefinitely on server failures, which is critical for Kerberized mounts because a dropped connection could require re-authentication; `soft` would return errors after a timeout, potentially corrupting data. In real-world scenarios, `sec=krb5p,hard` is required for compliance with security standards like STIGs when mounting sensitive data over NFS.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Deploy, configure, and maintain systems — This question tests Deploy, configure, and maintain systems — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: sec=krb5p,hard — Option D is correct because `sec=krb5p` enforces Kerberos authentication with full encryption of NFS traffic, ensuring that only users with valid Kerberos tickets can access the filesystem. The `hard` mount option ensures persistent retries if the server becomes unreachable, which is standard for critical NFS mounts. This combination prevents unauthorized access even if the server uses `no_root_squash`, as Kerberos authentication is enforced at the RPC layer.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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