Study Guide - Chap11: Handling Storage

Question 1

2- What raw device file would Linux create for the second SCSI drive connected to the system?

• /dev/hdb
• /dev/sdb
• /dev/sdb1
• /dev/hdb1
• /dev/sda

Answer 1

/dev/sdb

Linux creates files named sdx in the /dev folder for SCSI devices. For the second SCSI device, Linux would create the file /dev/sdb, so option B is correct. The /dev/hdb file would represent the second HDD drive connected to the system, so option A is incorrect, and /dev/sda would represent the first SCSI device connected to the system, so option E is incorrect. Options C and D both represent partitions and not entire drives, so they are both incorrect.

Question 2

3- What program runs in the background to automatically detect and mount new storage devices?

• mkfs
• fsck
• umount
• mount
• udev

Answer 2

udev

The udev program runs in the background on Linux systems and detects and mounts storage devices as they’re connected to the system, so option E is correct. The mkfs program creates a filesystem on partitions; it doesn’t mount them, so option A is incorrect. The fsck program repairs filesystems but doesn’t mount them, so option B is incorrect. The umount program unmounts filesystems, not mounts them, so option C is incorrect. The mount program manually mounts filesystems but doesn’t run in the background and automatically detect them, so option D is incorrect.

Question 3

4- What folder does the udev program use to create a permanent link to a storage device based on its serial number?

• /dev/disk/by-path
• /dev/sdb
• /dev/disk/by-id
• /dev/disk/by-uuid
• /dev/mapper

Answer 3

/dev/disk/by-id

The udev program creates files in the /dev/disk/by-id folder that are linked to the raw device files for storage devices. These files are identified by manufacturer information, including the serial number assigned to the device, so option C is correct. The /dev/disk/by-path folder links files based on the drive’s connection to the system, so option A is incorrect. The /dev/sdb file represents the raw device file assigned to the device, not a permanent link file, so option B is incorrect. The /dev/disk/by-uuid folder contains permanent link files based on the device UUID value, not the serial number, so option D is incorrect. The /dev/mapper folder contains files for virtual drives for LVM and multipath systems, not permanent links to raw device files, so option E is incorrect.

Question 4

udev

Answer 4

• a device manager for the Linux kernel that dynamically creates and removes device nodes in /dev when hardware devices are added or removed from the system
• Primary functions include detecting hardware changes, loading appropriate kernel modules, setting device permissions/ownership, and creating symbolic links based on device properties
• Configuration uses rules files in /etc/udev/rules.d/ and /usr/lib/udev/rules.d/ to define how devices should be handled, named, and what actions to take when devices are detected

Question 5

5- Which partitioning tool provides a graphical interface?

• gdisk
• gparted
• fdisk
• parted
• fsck

Answer 5

gparted

The GNU gparted program provides a graphical window for managing device partitions, so option B is correct. The gdisk, fdisk, and parted programs are all command‐line partitioning tools, so options A, C, and D are all incorrect. The fsck program is a tool to repair filesystems, not create or modify partitions, so option E is incorrect.

Question 6

6- Linux uses _ to add the filesystem on a new storage device to the virtual directory for users to access.

• Mount points
• Drive letters
• /dev files
• /proc folder
• /sys folder

Answer 6

Mount points

Linux uses mount points to insert a filesystem on a storage device to the virtual directory, so option A is correct. Unlike Windows, Linux doesn’t assign drive letters to storage devices, so option B is incorrect. The /dev files are used as raw devices for storage devices; they don’t access the filesystem, so option C is incorrect. The /proc and /sys folders are used by the kernel to display and change storage device information, not add the filesystem to the virtual directory, so options D and E are incorrect.

Question 7

9- What tool do you use to manually add a filesystem to the virtual directory?

• fsck
• mount
• umount
• fdisk
• mkfs

Answer 7

mount

The mount program allows you to insert the filesystem on a partition into the virtual directory, so option B is correct. The fsck program repairs filesystems but doesn’t insert them into the virtual directory, so option A is incorrect. The umount program removes filesystems from the virtual directory, as opposed to inserting them, so option C is incorrect. The fdisk program partitions devices but doesn’t create filesystems or insert them into the virtual directory, so option D is incorrect. The mkfs program creates filesystems but doesn’t insert them into the virtual directory, so option E is also incorrect.

Question 8

10- The _ program is a handy tool for repairing corrupted filesystems.

• fsck
• mount
• umount
• fdisk
• mkfs

Answer 8

fsck

The fsck program repairs corrupted filesystems, so option A is correct. The mount program inserts filesystems into the virtual directory, but it can’t repair them, so option B is incorrect. The umount program removes filesystems from the virtual directory but can’t repair them, so option C is also incorrect. The fdisk program creates and modifies partitions but doesn’t work with filesystems, so option D is incorrect. The mkfs program creates filesystems but doesn’t repair them, so option E is incorrect.

Question 9

fdisk

Answer 9

• a command-line utility used to create, delete, modify, and display disk partitions on hard drives and other block devices
• Interactive mode is accessed with fdisk /dev/sdX where you use single-letter commands like ‘n’ (new partition), ‘d’ (delete), ‘p’ (print table), and ‘w’ (write changes)
• Key features include support for MBR and GPT partition tables, ability to change partition types, and displaying partition information with fdisk -l to list all disk partitions

Question 10

mkfs

Answer 10

• a command-line utility used to create (format) file systems on disk partitions or storage devices
• Common syntax includes mkfs -t filesystem /dev/partition or direct commands like mkfs.ext4, mkfs.xfs, mkfs.ntfs to create specific file system types
• Key function prepares a partition for data storage by writing the file system structure, directory tables, and metadata required by the chosen file system type