1.3 Given a scenario, configure and manage storage using the appropriate tools

Question 1

Define fdisk utility

Answer 1

Used to manage partitions on MBR disks

Question 2

What does command fdisk -l do?

Answer 2

Lists the current partition configuration on the system

Question 3

From the fdisk utility, what does “l” do?

Answer 3

Lists the the supported partition types, i.e. Linux, LVM, fat, etc….

Question 4

From the fdisk utility, what does “m” do?

Answer 4

Displays the help screen which lists the available commands

Question 5

From the fdisk utility, what does “n” do?

Answer 5

Creates a new partition

Question 6

From the fdisk utility, what does “p” do?

Answer 6

Displays the partition table for that device

Question 7

From the fdisk utility, what does “q” do?

Answer 7

Exits fdisk without saving (writing) the partition changes specified

Question 8

From the fdisk utility, what does “w” do?

Answer 8

Writes the partition changes

Question 9

From the fdisk utility, what does “d” do?

Answer 9

Deletes the partition

Question 10

What command opens the fdisk utility?

Answer 10

fdisk [devicename, i.e. /dev/sda]

Question 11

What command can be used to update the kernel with partition changes made without rebooting the system?

Answer 11

partprobe

Question 12

Define mount

Answer 12

making a storage device accessible to system users through the directory tree

Question 13

What must be done before a storage device can be mounted?

Answer 13

Must create a directory to which the device will be mounted

Question 14

Name the 2 system directories that are used to store mount points

Answer 14

/mnt or /media depending on distribution

Question 15

What happens if a device is mounted to a directory that contains data?

Answer 15

The data it contains will not be accessible

Question 16

What must be done to make a mount point persistent and exist after system reboot?

Answer 16

An entry for the mount point must be added to /etc/fstab

Question 17

What are the 3 files monitor/manage mount points?

Answer 17

1. /etc/fstab
2. /etc/mtab
3. /procs/mounts

Question 18

What are the 6 fields required for a mount point in /etc/fstab? What is the delimiter that must be used?

Answer 18

1. device to mount
2. mount point
3. file system type
4. options
5. dump (0 or 1)
6. fsck order (1 if root filesystem, 2 otherwise)

Tab delimited

Question 19

What entry in the “options” field of /etc/fstab can be used for the default options?

Answer 19

defaults

Question 20

What 7 options are set when “defaults” is used for mounting a device via /etc/fstab?

Answer 20

1. rw - read/write
2. suid
3. dev - allow block files
4. exec - allow program/script execution
5. auto - automatically mount on system boot
6. nouser - only root can mount file system
7. async - changes written to device asynchronously by system

Question 21

Compare the “sync” and “async” options for mounting in /etc/fstab

Answer 21

1. sync writes changes immediately to the device, typically specified for removable storage media
2. async caches changes for system to write when not busy, improves performance, good for non-removable devices

Question 22

What is /etc/mtab file for?

Answer 22

tracks currently mounted volumes

Question 23

What is /proc/mounts file for?

Answer 23

contains entries for all currently mounted volumes