520	Part VI Troubleshooting and Maintaining System Hardware

Summary

This chapter details the processes and possible problems that you may encounter during the Linux boot process. For the exam, keep these points in mind:

Boot Process Steps: BIOS, MBR, LILO, kernel initialization, init, and process startup

Boot Problems

•BIOS can detect many hardware errors during the POST routine

•fdisk /mbr to format master boot record

•Reinstall LILO into the MBR by running /sbin/lilo

•Make sure entries in /etc/fstab are correct

Disk and Resource Utilities

•fsck — Repairs file systems, the file systems must be not mounted

•setserial — Identifies and configures serial port properties

•top — Shows current resource usage

Boot and Rescue Disks

•Boot Disk — Will be able to boot into the root partition on your hard drive

•Root/Rescue Disk — The floppy contains its own condensed root file system

•Utility Disk — Contains important disk utilities and command line tools to help repair a system

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STUDY GUIDE

The Study Guide section provides you with the opportunity to test your knowledge about the Linux+ exam objectives that are covered in this chapter. The Assessment Questions provide practice for the real exam, and the Scenarios provide practice with real situations. If you get any questions wrong, use the answers to determine the part of the chapter that you should review before continuing.

Assessment Questions

1.A Linux system was recently turned into a dual boot system after the installation of Microsoft Windows. When the system was rebooted, however, no LILO prompt appeared, and the system booted directly into Windows. What is the most likely cause of the problem?

A.The Windows installation removed LILO.

B.Linux is incompatible with Windows.

C.The Linux partition was erased.

D.Two hard drives are needed for dual boot.

2.What is the purpose of the POST routine?

A.To load Linux into the BIOS

B.To initialize LILO

C.To examine and test the system’s hardware at boot time

D.To load the Linux kernel

3.After a one-minute power outage, your system starts up from a powered off state. You receive a warning error stating that the machine was not shut down properly, and fsck will be run. What is the cause of this message?

A.fsck will run randomly after any shutdown.

B.The fsck utility will run if there is no UPS on the system.

C.fsck will always run after a power outage.

D.The fsck utility will run automatically when file systems are not unmounted properly.

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4.When you try to boot a Linux system, you receive a message stating that it can’t mount the /home partition because of errors. What can you do to fix the problem?

A.Run LILO

B.Run an fdisk /mbr to clear the problem

C.Format the partition and restore from backup

D.Run the fsck utility on that partition to attempt recovery

5.During the bootup of a Linux system, there is no output on the monitor, the machine beeps, and then halts the boot-up process. What is the most likely cause of the problem?

A.Systemboard failure

B.Linux kernel is corrupted

C.The master boot record is corrupt

D.LILO has not been properly run

6.During the startup of a Linux system, the machine halts with the error that it can’t mount the root file system. What is the best way to fix the problem?

A.Force a mount using the mount -f command

B.Try to run LILO to replace the root partition

C.Use a boot disk, and then run fsck on the root partition

D.Reinstall Linux

7.As the LILO prompt appears on a booted machine, it halts with only the letters “LI” showing. What is the cause of this problem?

A.LILO is waiting for a user prompt.

B.LILO is not finished running yet.

C.The boot loader could not run.

D.Windows has been installed on the same hard drive.

8.What is the most important utility that should be on your Linux boot rescue disk?

A.vi

B.fsck

C.init

D.setserial

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9.During a system’s POST routine, the system halts halfway through the memory check. What is the most likely cause of the problem?

A.One of the memory chips has failed

B.Not enough memory exists to run Linux

C.The system cache is corrupt

D.The systemboard is faulty

10.What must you do before performing fsck on a file system?

A.setserial must be run first

B.fsck must be run from a boot disk

C.The file system must be mounted

D.The file system must be unmounted

11.What is the purpose of the setserial command?

A.To configure modems for dialing

B.It allows you to examine and set properties for serial ports

C.Run by fsck during drive checking

D.A boot loader

12.Where is LILO normally stored by default?

A.Floppy disk

B.On a DOS partition

C.First boot device

D.Master Boot Record

13.What command can be used to remove LILO from the system?

A.LILO -remove

B.Boot with a DOS disk and use fdisk /mbr

C.format /dev/hda1

D.ULILO

14.A Linux administrator wants to review the messages that scrolled up the screen during a system boot. How can this be accomplished?

A.View the log /var/log/dmesg

B.show bootlog

C.Reboot the system and pause the screen

D.vi bootlog

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15.Instead of properly shutting down a Linux system, an administrator mistakenly just turned the machine off with the on/off switch. What will happen when the system restarts?

A.fsck will automatically check the disks

B.Nothing, the system will boot up normally

C.The kernel will fail to load

D.LILO won’t be able to run

16.As a Linux system is booting up, the LILO prompt halts when the letter L and some numbers are displayed. What is the cause of this error?

A.LILO is waiting for a user prompt

B.LILO is corrupted

C.It indicates a disk error

D.The Linux kernel can’t be loaded

17.After installing Linux on a system, the administrator reboots the machine. After the POST routine is completed, a message stating “No Operating System Found” error appears. What is the most likely cause of the error?

A.The hard drive is corrupt

B.The Linux installation did not finish formatting the drive

C.The system does not support Linux

D.LILO did not install properly

18.During a Linux startup, one of the partitions — /dev/sda7 — did not mount properly because of errors. What command can you use to repair the problem?

A.fsck /dev/sda7

B.fdisk /dev/sda

C.fdisk /mbr

D.fsck /dev/hda7

19.During a Linux system startup, the LILO program loaded, and the word LILO appeared on the screen. What does this message mean?

A.You have a physical hard drive error

B.The kernel can’t be found

C.You have a problem with the boot loader

D.LILO loaded successfully