CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202)Operating SystemsMedium
A technician needs to create a bootable USB drive for installing a new Linux distribution. The technician wants to ensure that the entire contents of the ISO image are copied directly to the USB drive, creating a bit-for-bit clone. Which Linux command-line utility is best suited for this task?
- Add
- Bmv
- Ccp
- Dtar
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. dd
The 'dd' (disk duplicator) command in Linux is specifically designed to convert and copy files, and is commonly used for creating bootable USB drives by performing a low-level, bit-for-bit copy of an ISO image directly to a block device.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. mv (move) moves files and directories, which is not applicable for creating a bootable drive.
- C. cp (copy) copies files and directories, but not in a bit-for-bit block device manner suitable for bootable media.
- D. tar (tape archiver) is used for archiving and compressing files, not for creating bootable disk images.
dd command (Linux)
A powerful command-line utility in Linux used for converting and copying files, often employed for creating bootable USB drives or backing up entire disk partitions by performing a raw, bit-for-bit data transfer.
- Stands for 'disk duplicator' or 'data dump'.
- Copies data block by block, ignoring file system structure.
- Requires caution as incorrect usage can lead to data loss.
Memory trick: Directly Duplicate Disks.