Core Characteristics of Linux Filesystem
- All directories logically reside under the root directory "/"
- Directory contents are organized by functional categories
Primary Directory Strutcure
/bin Essential binary executables
/boot Boot loader files and kernel images
/dev Device files
/etc System-wide configuration files
/home User home directories
/lib Shared library files
/mnt Temporary mount points
/opt Optional application packages
/proc Virtual filesystem for process information
/usr Secondary hierarchy for user programs
/tmp Temporary files
# View structure with:
ls -la /
# Or:
tree -L 1 /
Critical Configuration Directories
/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 Network interface config
/etc/resolv.conf DNS resolver config
/etc/hosts Hostname resolution
/etc/fstab Filesystem mounts
/etc/sysconfig/network Hostname configuration
/etc/init.d Service scripts
/etc/profile Global environment settings
User and System Configuration Files
/etc/passwd User account information
/etc/shadow Encrypted password data
/etc/group Group definitions
/etc/sudoers Privilege escalation rules
/etc/login.defs Default login settings
/etc/syslog.conf System logging configuration
Log and Variable Data Locations
/var/log/messages System event logs
/var/log/secure Authentication logs
/var/log/wtmp Login records
/var/spool/cron Scheduled tasks
/var/spool/mail User mailboxes
System Information in /proc
/proc/cpuinfo Processor details
/proc/meminfo Memory statistics
/proc/loadavg System load averages
/proc/version Kernel version
/proc/devices Available devices
/proc/filesystems Supported filesystems
Additional Configuration Paths
/etc/X11 X Window System config
/etc/protocols Network protocol definitions
/etc/host.conf Name resolution order
/etc/hosts.allow Access control rules