220-1102 Question 246
Single answermountA technician is troubleshooting an Ubuntu workstation that should automatically provide access to a shared data volume every time the system starts. The volume is on a local secondary disk formatted with ext4. The technician adds an entry to /etc/fstab using the mount point /data, but after reboot the system reports an error that the mount failed and users cannot access the volume. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST to resolve the issue?
- A
Create the /data directory before rebooting and then test the fstab entry with mount -a
- B
Change the filesystem type in /etc/fstab from ext4 to ntfs and reboot again
- C
Run fdisk on the primary disk to recreate the partition table
- D
Use chmod 777 on /etc/fstab so all users can modify the mount configuration
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The best answer is to create the mount point directory and test the configuration with mount -a. In Linux, the mount command attaches a filesystem to an existing directory, and if that directory does not exist, the mount operation fails. For persistent mounts, /etc/fstab is the standard configuration file. A recommended troubleshooting process is to verify the mount point exists, confirm the /etc/fstab syntax, and then run mount -a to test all entries safely before rebooting. This aligns with standard Linux administration practices documented in mount(8), fstab(5), and common distribution guidance such as Ubuntu and Red Hat administration documentation.
- A. Correct.
Correct. In Linux, a filesystem must be mounted to an existing directory called a mount point. If /data does not already exist, the mount will fail. After creating the directory, testing with mount -a is a best practice because it validates /etc/fstab entries without requiring another reboot. This is the most appropriate first step in a real troubleshooting workflow.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Changing the filesystem type to ntfs would be inappropriate if the volume is actually formatted as ext4. This distractor reflects a common misconception that mount failures are usually caused by the filesystem type alone. While an incorrect filesystem type can cause a failure, the scenario specifically identifies the disk as ext4 and focuses on the mount point issue.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Recreating the partition table with fdisk is a destructive and unnecessary step for a simple mount failure. The issue described occurs after adding an /etc/fstab entry, which points to a configuration problem rather than disk structure corruption. A technician should verify the mount point and syntax before taking invasive actions.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. /etc/fstab should not be made world-writable. That would create a serious security risk and does nothing to fix a missing mount point. This option represents a misunderstanding of Linux permissions and configuration management.