this could be used to teach about Unix file system

* Linux File System

Every thing is file on linux and if there is something that is not

file is process.

Open file manger in you your home/usr directory

click the up arrow and go up to the top level that is up to the single

/ which is called as the root directory or root partition where all

other folder are located under root partition.

Linux file manger shows following directories -- more often than not

basic directories are as following.

these might vary according to different linux distributions +

additional ones also may be there.

** bin (stands for binary)

this is the directory where some applications, some programs, some

scripts that are accessible to all users will be located. For

example there is a common command ls. that little program is located in

bin directory.

Goto *bin* directory -- and check for ls

SO bin directory contains some programs that are accessible to all users

** dev (devices)

this is a virtual directory meaning ther is no real sub folders

generally speaking in this *dev* directory because linux treats every

thing as files and folders. When you first boot up your linux

distribution, it start detecting your hardware. it will place

folders and files representing hardware in the dev directory. As

soon ad the hardware are detected there will be nodes (pointers)created and

todays distribution have another folder called udev also to

handle the hardwares.

Nodes are the virtual nodes that represent the hardware that re

detected by the linux distribution.

** etc

This is where your configurations files will be stored. Lot of

applications that are run at the command line will store the

configurations as the text files, But configuration setting will be

located generally in the *etc* directory.

etc directory will also have sub directories for the

initializations, run levels(later) , single user mode or multiuser mode -

these kind of scripts or configurations files will be located in

the etc directory.

** home

This is the default directory where user sub directories will be

created.

** lib ( library or libraries )

this is where shared libraries are stored.

e.g perl, python,c those tools are used by many applications on

linux which uses libraries are they share those libraries, and

those share libraries are located in this lib directories.

lib directories also contain kernel modules

** mnt ( mount )

in linux hard drives, floppy drives and cd-drives are mounted,

terminus use meaning they are plugged in to the directory

structure and the way it works is you create a folder or a

location for your say cdrom and that will be for example

/mnt/cdrom directory this is like your node or pointer your

location for the cdrom. The when you actually connect the cdrom

when linux detects it on boot if it is setup. What linux will do is

it will connect the CDROM drive and connect to that locations .

Then when you had put the cd the contents of the cdrom will be

visible at /mnt/cdrom directory.

Similarly for floppy, usb memory stick and others ...

Exercise : put in your USB-DRIVE and watch what happens at the

desktop.

This would mean that you can create your mount points for whatever

you want. This is why linux is so much superior to windows.

windows is based on the drives and linux is on single file system

and you can plug the drives where ever you want

Exercise: mkdir tempdir - and use mnt command to mount some of the drives to

that particular directory

this is so transparent where are the locations of the files even

you can locate the drives remotely. just a file will be enough to

mount the drives wherever they are provided you are linked.

** proc ( processes )

another virtual directory which contains information about your

system , you can see information about your processes that are running on

your system, pci bus information, PCI-ISA Slots. every thing about

the hard ware and how the system is going to be is contained in

this virtual directory.

** root

this is the default home directory for the root user. root user

administrators entire system this directory is not home/root

it is root.

** sbin (secure binary)

this is where certain programs information are located where

administrator level privileges are required.

these are programs and applications where normal user would not be

using. E.g *fdisk* - this may not required by every user , only

administrator should know about this application.

** tmp ( temporary )

temporary log , unpack peice of source code and move later ....

** usr ( unix system resources )

contains lot of sub directories in it.

this is where shared data and shared libraries shared binaries (

meaning applications ) will be located. because unix has networking

usr will have shared data in it - but not the host specific

but exceptions are ther elike /usr/local/ wher you put the local

data

some times when you install an application after having linux

installed that will install in the local subdirectory by default.

check out /usr/doc -where documentation is located. ( many not be

installed by default )

** var (variables- files of variable data )

log, files that are held data bases or websites or apache web

server is set up to manage its bas file location, variable

information , email server, -- variable data -- mainly is located

in this directory

** boot ( some distros will have )

contains about linux kernel config, system map files , some boot

loaders will store information i nthe boot directory, there will

also be info about

** media

(mnt is like temporary shared mounted partitions )

is removable media are mounted .. depends on

distributions

** opt (optional )

sand box or a testing kind of a base

some distros will install few packages ..

for extra or additional packages needed later on.

On Tue, Apr 22, 2008 at 1:17 PM, Shibu C Varughese shibucv@gmail.com wrote:

hi ... :)

Linux tutorials for begineers are there at youtube ... which need to be arranged in a good ordered list at some website with embedded links to youtube. This will enable (KGF) get some good idea...before someone goes there and takes the classes. Youtube has very good tutorials.....say -- ubuntu 7.10 installation...etc and so...on

Seeing ... the tutorials multiple time ...will move them close to linux bases OS.

Let me check if i can create a ordered list of tutorials from 1)Linux History 2) Installatoion to 3) File System introduction, ...etc.

Let's check what other's say...I think we can make better use of what we have on the web.

-- Regards,

Shibu | http://itmission.org _______________________________________________ FSUG-Bangalore mailing list FSUG-Bangalore@mm.gnu.org.in http://mm.gnu.org.in/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fsug-bangalore