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| Newer page: | version 12 | Last edited on Saturday, October 16, 2004 2:08:36 am | by AristotlePagaltzis | Revert |
| Older page: | version 11 | Last edited on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 3:55:21 pm | by AristotlePagaltzis | Revert |
@@ -1,39 +1,39 @@
A Linux machine has typical locations for the storage of most common things a system needs to run. Their contents:
__<tt>/</tt>__:
- the
filesystem root where all of the "directory tree" grows out of
+ The
filesystem root where all of the "directory tree" grows out of
__<tt>/boot</tt>__:
- the
kernel. This is usually a separate [Partition] at the beginning of the hard drive.
+ The
kernel. This is usually a separate [Partition] at the beginning of the hard drive.
__<tt>/bin</tt>__:
- system
executable files for use by all users
+ System
executable files for use by all users
__<tt>/dev</tt>__:
- device
nodes, ie files that represent your computer's periphery
+ Device
nodes, ie files that represent your computer's periphery
__<tt>/etc</tt>__:
- configuration
files for programs
+ Configuration
files for programs
__<tt>/home</tt>__:
- one
subdirectory for each user to store all their personal files in. Your own subdirectory here is called your home and is commonly abbreviated as <tt>~~</tt>, though this must be explicitly supported by the program in question (all [Shell]s do).
+ One
subdirectory for each user to store all their personal files in. Your own subdirectory here is called your home and is commonly abbreviated as <tt>~~</tt>, though this must be explicitly supported by the program in question (all [Shell]s do).
__<tt>/lib</tt>__:
libraries needed to run the programs in <tt>/bin</tt> and <tt>/sbin</tt>
__<tt>/mnt</tt>__:
MountPoint for temporary filesystems (eg CDROM, floppy disk)
__<tt>/opt</tt>__:
- admin installed
software (
as opposed to LinuxDistribution installed software)
. Usually StaticallyLinked LinuxStandardsBase compliant programs provided
in binary form
. Some people install TarBall~s in here too, especially beta software.
+ Intended for additional, self-contained
software packages in subdirectories, such
as TarBall~s which contain binaries rather than source
. [KDE] is often found
in <tt>/opt/kde</tt>, even though it doesn't fit the "self-contained" criterion
. Some people install source
TarBall~s in here too, especially beta software.
__<tt>/proc</tt>__:
- a
virtual FileSystem containing pseudo files with information about the hardware and [Kernel] configuration and the running processes
+ A
virtual FileSystem containing pseudo files with information about the hardware and [Kernel] configuration and the running processes
__<tt>/root</tt>__:
- home
directory of the <tt>root</tt> SuperUser
+ Home
directory of the <tt>root</tt> SuperUser
__<tt>/sbin</tt>__:
- executable
files only of interest to the <tt>root</tt> SuperUser
+ Executable
files only of interest to the <tt>root</tt> SuperUser
__<tt>/usr</tt>__:
- files
that can be shared across a whole site among multiple users
+ Files
that can be shared across a whole site among multiple users
__<tt>/usr/local</tt>__:
- anything
shared across the system but not supplied by the system vendor traditionally goes here -- most commonly, packages compiled from TarBall~s
+ Anything
shared across the system but not supplied by the system vendor traditionally goes here -- most commonly, packages compiled from TarBall~s
__<tt>/var</tt>__:
- variable
data files, such as logs, mail and printer spools
+ Variable
data files, such as logs, mail and printer spools
__<tt>/tmp</tt>__:
- temporary
files -- that is ''literally'' temporary files. On some systems this directory is frequently purged, and on machines with modern [Linux] kernels it may be mounted as [Tmpfs] FileSystem that exists only in memory. When VirtualMemory subsystems were not as good as they are today, many userland programs had to explicitly balance memory and disk consumption in <tt>/tmp/</tt>, and some still do (such as find(1)).
+ Temporary
files -- that is ''literally'' temporary files. On some systems this directory is frequently purged, and on machines with modern [Linux] kernels it may be mounted as [Tmpfs] FileSystem that exists only in memory. When VirtualMemory subsystems were not as good as they are today, many userland programs had to explicitly balance memory and disk consumption in <tt>/tmp/</tt>, and some still do (such as find(1)).
More information can be found at the [filesystem hierarchy standard | http://www.pathname.com/fhs/2.2/], and in hier(7).
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CategoryBeginners
