A customer wants to determine what failed during the last boot sequence of a Linux partition. Which file can be examined to identify the error condition from the system messages?

Introduction / Context:
This question examines basic Linux troubleshooting skills, specifically how to investigate problems that occur during system startup. When a Linux partition fails to boot correctly, administrators often need to inspect log files that record kernel and system service messages generated during the boot sequence.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The environment is a Linux partition, possibly on an IBM platform.

The partition has recently experienced a problem during boot.

The administrator wants to see which messages or errors occurred at that time.

Standard Linux filesystem layout and logging practices are assumed.

Concept / Approach:
On many Linux distributions, the system log daemon writes kernel and service messages to files under the /var/log directory. The file /var/log/messages is a common central log that includes entries from the boot process, system daemons, and kernel events. Examining this file allows an administrator to scroll through timestamps and identify warnings and errors related to the last startup attempt.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Recall that persistent system logs are typically stored in the /var/log directory on Linux. 2. Recognize that /var/log/messages is a widely used file for general system messages, including boot events. 3. Note that /proc is a virtual filesystem representing current kernel state, not historical logs of past boots. 4. Understand that /usr/sbin and /etc are locations for executables and configuration, not for chronological log entries. 5. Conclude that /var/log/messages is the correct file to review for error messages from the last boot sequence.

Verification / Alternative check:
An administrator can run commands such as tail, less or grep on /var/log/messages to search for entries around the time of the failed boot. Some distributions may also use journalctl with systemd, but the presence of /var/log/messages is still very common for syslog based logging.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The path /proc/startup would represent live kernel data rather than historical log entries and is not a standard log file.
The directory /usr/sbin contains administration binaries, not message logs of boot failures.
The directory /etc contains configuration files, including boot loader settings, but not a chronological record of boot messages.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is confusing configuration files with logs, or assuming that the /proc filesystem retains past events. Another pitfall is overlooking distribution specific logging mechanisms. For exam style questions, /var/log/messages remains a safe default answer because it is widely used for general system messages.

Final Answer:
The correct file to examine for errors from the last boot is /var/log/messages.