fdisk and lsblk in Linux CLI - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output of this lsblk command?

You run the command lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,TYPE,MOUNTPOINT on a system with one disk sda of 100G and two partitions sda1 (50G, mounted on /) and sda2 (50G, not mounted). What is the output?

Linux CLI

lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,TYPE,MOUNTPOINT

A

NAME   SIZE TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda    100G part 
sda1    50G disk /
sda2    50G part 

B

NAME   SIZE TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda    100G disk /
sda1    50G part 
sda2    50G part 

C

NAME   SIZE TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda    50G disk 
sda1    50G part /
sda2    50G part 

D

NAME   SIZE TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda    100G disk 
sda1    50G part /
sda2    50G part 

💡 Hint

Remember that the disk is the whole device and partitions are parts of it. Only partitions can be mounted.

The disk sda is 100G and of type disk. Its partitions sda1 and sda2 are each 50G and of type part. Only sda1 is mounted on /. The disk itself is not mounted.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What error does this fdisk command produce?

You run fdisk /dev/sdx on a system where /dev/sdx does not exist. What error message appears?

Linux CLI

fdisk /dev/sdx

A fdisk: permission denied

B fdisk: invalid partition table

C fdisk: cannot open /dev/sdx: No such file or directory

D fdisk: device is busy

💡 Hint

Check if the device file exists before running fdisk.

If the device file does not exist, fdisk cannot open it and shows 'No such file or directory'. Other errors occur in different situations.

📝 Syntax

advanced

Which fdisk command sequence creates a new primary partition?

You want to create a new primary partition on /dev/sdb using fdisk interactively. Which sequence of commands inside fdisk is correct?

Linux CLI

fdisk /dev/sdb
# Then enter commands interactively

A p (print), n (new partition), e (extended), 1 (partition number), w (write)

B n (new partition), p (primary), 1 (partition number), default start, default end, w (write)

C d (delete), n (new partition), l (logical), 1 (partition number), w (write)

D n (new partition), l (logical), 1 (partition number), default start, default end, q (quit)

💡 Hint

Primary partitions are created with 'p' after 'n'.

To create a primary partition, use 'n' to create new, then 'p' for primary, specify partition number, accept defaults for start and end, then 'w' to write changes.

🚀 Application

advanced

How to list only disks (not partitions) with lsblk?

You want to list only the disks (not their partitions) on your system using lsblk. Which command achieves this?

A lsblk -d

B lsblk -p

C lsblk -a

D lsblk -l

💡 Hint

The option '-d' shows only disks, no children.

The '-d' option in lsblk lists only the disks without showing partitions or other children.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

What is the effect of running 'fdisk -l' without root privileges?

You run fdisk -l as a normal user without sudo. What happens?

Linux CLI

fdisk -l

A It shows 'Permission denied' error and no output.

B It prompts for root password to continue.

C It lists only partitions on removable devices.

D It lists all partitions and disks without error.

💡 Hint

fdisk needs root to read disk info.

Without root privileges, fdisk cannot access disk info and shows a permission denied error.