To list the block devices in the SSH terminal on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), you can use the `lsblk` command. This command provides a comprehensive view of the block devices attached to your virtual machine instances. In this context, block devices refer to the storage devices that are accessible at the block level, such as persistent disks.
The `lsblk` command displays information about block devices in a hierarchical format, making it easier to understand the relationships between devices and their components. By default, it shows the device name, major and minor numbers, size, and type of each device, along with the relationships between devices.
To use the `lsblk` command, open an SSH terminal to your virtual machine instance and run the following command:
lsblk
The output will provide a tree-like view of the block devices and their components, including disks, partitions, and logical volumes. Here's an example output:
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT sda 8:0 0 10G 0 disk └─sda1 8:1 0 10G 0 part / sdb 8:16 0 100G 0 disk
In the example above, two block devices are listed: `sda` and `sdb`. The `sda` device has a single partition (`sda1`) mounted as the root filesystem (`/`). The `sdb` device does not have any partitions and is currently not mounted.
The `MAJ:MIN` column represents the major and minor numbers associated with each device. The `RM` column indicates whether the device is removable (`1` for removable, `0` for non-removable). The `SIZE` column displays the size of the device, and the `RO` column indicates if the device is read-only (`1` for read-only, `0` for read-write). The `TYPE` column specifies the type of the device, such as disk or partition. Finally, the `MOUNTPOINT` column shows the mount point of the device, if applicable.
By default, the `lsblk` command provides a concise overview of the block devices. However, you can use various options to customize the output format and display additional information. For example, you can use the `-a` option to show all devices, including empty ones, or the `-o` option to specify the columns to display.
The `lsblk` command is a useful tool for listing block devices in the SSH terminal on Google Cloud Platform. It provides a detailed view of the devices and their components, allowing you to understand the storage configuration of your virtual machine instances.
Other recent questions and answers regarding Examination review:
- What command is used to mount the disk?
- What command is used to format the attached disk?
- How do you confirm that a persistent disk has been created successfully?
- What are the steps to create and mount a persistent disk in Google Cloud Platform (GCP)?

