Linux Basic Administration Concepts

System Directory Structure

The UNIX directory tree is structured based on the type of use of the files. A typical UNIX setup includes the following directories under the root directory (/):

Directory Contents
/bin
Essential executables, used by all users
/boot
Files needed to start the system, including the kernel
/dev
Interfaces to system hardware (devices)
/etc
Configuration files of all software and the system itself
/home
Users' home directories, which include personal files
/lib
Essential libraries and kernel modules (drivers)
/mnt
Mount-points of foreign filesystems (see below)
/opt
Optional files and programs (usually empty)
/proc
Interface to the kernel and running processes
/root
Home directory of the root user
/sbin
Essential system executables for use mostly by root
/tmp
Temporary files, writable by all users
/usr
All non-essential programs and program data
/var
Variable system files, such as logs, mail, and print jobs
Valid HTML 4.01!Alon Altman