EX200 Create and configure file systems Practice Question
This EX200 practice question tests your understanding of create and configure file systems. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
# df -hT /mnt/data
Filesystem Type Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/vg00-lvol0 xfs 50G 30G 20G 60% /mnt/data
The administrator wants to reduce the file system size to 40GB. Which command sequence should be used?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "which command"
Why it matters: Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
It is not possible to shrink an XFS file system
XFS is a high-performance 64-bit journaling file system that does not support online or offline shrinking. Once an XFS file system is created, its size cannot be reduced; the only way to reclaim space is to back up the data, destroy the file system, recreate it at the desired size, and restore the data. Therefore, any attempt to shrink an XFS file system using lvreduce or similar tools will corrupt the file system.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
It is not possible to shrink an XFS file system
Why this is correct
XFS does not support shrinking. To reduce size, you must back up, recreate the LV and file system with the desired size, and restore.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Unmounting does not allow shrinking; xfs_growfs cannot shrink.
✗
lvreduce -L 40G /dev/vg00/lvol0; xfs_growfs
Why it's wrong here
lvreduce reduces the LV, but xfs_growfs cannot shrink the file system. The file system would become corrupted.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Red Hat often tests the misconception that any file system can be shrunk using logical volume management tools like lvreduce, but XFS is a notable exception that requires full data migration to reduce its size.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
XFS uses a B+ tree structure for metadata and a log-based design that assumes a fixed-size block device; shrinking would require rewriting all metadata and relocating data blocks, which the on-disk format does not support. In contrast, ext4 supports offline shrinking with resize2fs, but XFS explicitly lacks this capability, making it a common exam trap. A real-world scenario is when an administrator accidentally allocates too much space to an XFS volume and must use a backup-and-restore strategy to reduce it.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the EX200 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Create and configure file systems — This question tests Create and configure file systems — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: It is not possible to shrink an XFS file system — XFS is a high-performance 64-bit journaling file system that does not support online or offline shrinking. Once an XFS file system is created, its size cannot be reduced; the only way to reclaim space is to back up the data, destroy the file system, recreate it at the desired size, and restore the data. Therefore, any attempt to shrink an XFS file system using lvreduce or similar tools will corrupt the file system.
What should I do if I get this EX200 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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