The Linux File System

All users, including superuser, have their own directories where all private data such as documents, addresses or emails are stored. The Ripper user can only change the central configuration files or system directories that carry executable files. Learn more about access permissions and how to change them to suit your needs to change file permissions.

In Linux, you can choose whether you want to manage files and folders with the file manager, or whether you want to use a traditional command line. The latter is usually faster, but some commands require a deeper knowledge of the list of files, creating, deleting, or modifying files. For more information about commands used to change files, see "Working with files and directories". File Manager provides a more intuitive and graphical way to accomplish these tasks. Learn more about GNOME and KDE file managers in the GNOME User Guide and KDE User's Guide. Regardless of the method, you choose: The following sections provide basic information about the file system and provide an overview of the default directory structure for Linux.

In Linux, all files and directories resemble a tree. The upper directory is called a root file system or only / (not to be confused with the root user). / In Windows system maybe it will be C: . All other directories in Linux are accessible from the root directory and organized in a hierarchical structure.

Found Linux file system basics listed below highlight some of the basic differences between Linux and the Windows / DOS file system:

• Select Tracks. Unlike the Windows operating system, Linux does not use backslashes for separate components for the path name; it uses a backslash instead. For example, data can be stored for Windows users under C: Documents Mail, while under Linux / Home / Username / Litters.
• Plates, Engines / Hardware, and Manuals. Linux does not use drive letters as Windows does. On the Linux operating system, you can not tell from the perspective of only one path name, partition, drive, device, network device, or "normal" directory.
• Installation and separation. Another important difference between Windows / DOS and Linux is the concept of installing and removing partitions, drivers, or directories. During the Windows boot process, the partitions detect the drivers and assign them a drive letter. However, partitions in Linux

The devices are usually invisible in the directory tree unless they are connected; this means that the directory tree is integrated into the file system in a particular location. As a normal user, you can not access data in a partition or device unless it is inserted. However, do not worry - most of the time you do not have to manually connect partitions or devices. During the installation of your system, you can identify which parts will be installed automatically when you start the system. Removable devices are usually detected automatically and installed by your system. Desktop environments such as KDE or Gnome will tell you about the appearance of a new device.

It may seem complicated or cumbersome at first sight this installation and separation concept, which provides a great deal of flexibility: for example, it can be easily installed from another device on the network in a directory and you can move in this directory as you think on your local machine.

The Sensitivity of the Situation

Who distinguishes between the upper and lower characters in the file system. For example, because of the file name test.txt, TeST.txt or Test.txt will make a difference in Linux. This also applies to directories: You can not access a directory named Messages by name.

File extensions

As in the Windows operating system, files on Linux can have a file extension, such as .txt, but you do not need to add. When you start working with Shell, sometimes you are used to listing the contents of a directory that makes it difficult for beginners to create differences between files and folders, depending on the commands. Learn more about some of Shell's core orders in Shell Essentials. If you use the graphical file manager in KDE or GNOME (see GNOME user guide and KDE user manual), files and folders, depending on which display symbolizes the different icons you choose.

Hidden Files

Linux, like Windows, is also found in hidden files with "normal" files. These are usually configuration files that you do not want to see or access as a normal user. In Linux, hidden files are referred to as a point (for example, .hiddenfile). (Chapter 1, Getting Started with KDE Desktop, ? KDE User Manual) can now be rendered as the manager of a row or shell appearance, you can use a particular command using the command options "section As described in

File System Controls

Because Linux is a multi-user system, each file in the Linux file system belongs to a user and group. Only one file or directory (or, of course, root) can be granted access to other users who own it. Who basically distinguishes between three different types of access permissions: write permission, read permission and execute permission. You can access a file or a folder if you have at least read permission to it. There are several ways to change the access permissions of files and folders: either traditionally via the shell or with the help of your desktop's file manager (see Section “Changing Access Permissions” (Chapter 1, Getting Started with the KDE Desktop, ?KDE User Guide)). If you have root privileges, you can also change the owner and the group of a file or folder. Read how to do so in a shell in Modifying File Permissions

For more detailed information about file system permissions refer to File Access Permissions. Apart from the traditional permission concept for file system objects, there are also extensions available which handle permissions more flexible. Read more in Chapter Access Control Lists in Linux (?Reference).

The Directory Structure

The following table provides a short overview of the most important higher-level directories you find on a Linux system. Find more detailed information about the directories and important subdirectories in the following list.

The following list provides more detailed information and gives some examples which files and subdirectories can be found in the directories:

/bin

Contains the basic shell commands that may be used both by root and by other users. These commands include ls, mkdir, cp, mv, rm, and rmdir. /bin also contains Bash, the default shell in openSUSE.

/boot

Contains data required for bootings, such as the bootloader, the kernel, and other data that is used before the kernel begins executing user-mode programs.

/dev

Holds device files that represent hardware components.

/etc.

Contains local configuration files that control the operation of programs like the X Window System. The /etc/init.d subdirectory contains scripts that are executed during the boot process.

/home/username

Holds the private data of every user who has an account on the system. The files located here can only be modified by their owner or by the system administrator. By default, your e-mail directory and personal desktop configuration are located here.

Home Directory in a Network Environment

If you are working in a network environment, your home directory may be mapped to a directory in the file system other than /home.

/lib

Contains essential shared libraries needed to boot the system and to run the commands in the root file system. The Windows equivalent for shared libraries is DLL files.

/media

Contains mount points for removable media, such as CD-ROMs, USB sticks, and digital cameras (if they use USB). /media generally holds any type of drive except the hard drive of your system. As soon as your removable medium has been inserted or connected to the system and has been mounted, you can access it from here.

/mint

This directory provides a mount point for a temporarily mounted file system. Root may mount file systems here.

/opt Reserved for the installation of additional software. Optional software and larger add-on program packages, such as the KDE and GNOME desktop environments, can be found here.

/root

Home directory for the root user. Personal data of root is located here.

/bin

As the s indicates, this directory holds utilities for the superuser. /sbin contains binaries essential for booting, restoring, and recovering the system in addition to the binaries in /bin.

/srv

Holds data for services provided by the system, such as FTP and HTTP.

/tmp

Programs that require temporary storage of files use this directory. By default, the data stored in /tmp I s deleted regularly.

Storing Files in /tmp

Do not store any files in /tmp that you want to keep. This directory is automatically cleaned up by the system and files are removed in the process.

/usr

/usr has nothing to do with users but is the acronym for UNIX system resources. The data in /usr is static, read-only data that can be shared among various hosts compliant to the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS). This directory contains all application programs and establishes a second hierarchy in the file system. /usr holds a number of subdirectories, such as /usr/bin, /user/bin, /usr/local, and /usr/share/doc.

/usr/bin

Contains generally accessible programs.

/usr/bin

Contains programs reserved for the system administrator, such as repair functions.

/usr/local In this directory, the system administrator can install local, distribution-independent extensions.

/usr/share/doc

Holds various documentation files and the release notes for your system. In the manual subdirectory, find an online version of this manual. If more than one language is installed, this directory may contain versions of the manuals for different languages.

Under packages, find the documentation included in the software packages installed on your system. For every package, a subdirectory /usr/share/doc/packages/package name is created that often holds README files for the package and sometimes examples, configuration files, or additional scripts.

If HOWTOs are installed on your system /user/share/doc also holds the howto subdirectory in which to find additional documentation on many tasks relating to the setup and operation of Linux software.

/var

Whereas /user holds static, read-only data, /var is for data which is written during system operation and thus is variable data, such as log files or spooling data. For example, the log files of your system are in /var/log/messages (only accessible for root).

/windows

Only available if you have both Microsoft Windows and Linux installed on your system. Contains the Windows data available on the Windows partition of your system. Whether you can edit the data in this directory depends on the file system your Windows partition uses. If it is FAT32, you can open and edit the files in this directory. For an NTFS file system, however, you can only read your Windows files from Linux, but not modify them. Learn more in Accessing Files on Different Operating Systems on the same Computer”.