CompTIA Linux+ (XK0-004) — Question 136

A system ran out of storage space on a particular mount and will not allow anything to be written to disk. The df command shows there are 6GB free on the mount, and there is no inode exhaustion. This issue has happened before due to a known large log file that was not being rotated. The administrator remembers the file name but cannot remember the location of the log file or which process is writing to it. Which of the following would be the BEST solution to correct this issue while maintaining availability?

Answer options

• A. Use the lsof command to find where the large log file is located and truncate it
• B. Use the locate command to find where the large log file is located and delete it
• C. Use the du command to find where the large log file is located and delete it
• D. Use the ps command to find which process is writing to the log file, and then kill and restart the process

Correct answer: D

Explanation

The correct answer is D because it allows the administrator to identify the process responsible for the log file, enabling them to manage it without losing any data. Answers A, B, and C focus on locating and potentially deleting the log file, which may not be the best approach for maintaining availability and could lead to data loss. By restarting the process, the log file can be managed effectively while keeping the system operational.