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All directories are organized in a tree-structure like manner. See the Linux Filesystem standard (FSSTND) for complete details.
- The root directory is simply identified as a "/"
- All other directories branch off root
- Directories in red should be created or are used in this How-to
The following lists the most common directories and their intended contents.
- / - root directory
- /bin - binary executable programs that all users need
- /boot - Files used by the bootstrap loader, Grub. Kernel images are often kept here.
- /dev - device files that control drives, terminals and any equipment attached to the server
- /etc - configuration files
- /skel - When a home directory is created it is initialized with files from this directory
- /sysconfig - default configuration files
- /sysconfig/network-scripts - network scripts
- /sysconfig/daemons - special programs that run in background, such as print spooling
- /home - where directories are contained for each user
- /{name} - personal home directories of users
- /lib - Shared libraries needed by the programs on the root filesystem
- /modules - Loadable kernel modules
- /mnt - Mount points for temporary mounts by the system administrator
- /proc - This filesystem is not on a disk. It is a virtual filesystem that exists in the kernels imagination which is memory
- /tmp - Temporary files.
Programs running after bootup should use /var/tmp - /usr - pronounced 'user' and contains Linux commands and utilities
- /bin - binary executable programs
- /lib - program libraries,
- /sbin - more executable programs and Linux utilities
- /doc - documentation
- /src - source code to programs
- /usr - Contains all commands, libraries, man pages, and static files for normal operation.
- /bin - Almost all user commands. Some commands are in /bin or /usr/local/bin.
- /sbin - System admin commands not needed on the root filesystem.
- /include - Header files for the C programming language.
Should be below /user/lib - /lib - Unchanging data files for programs and subsystems
- /local - The place for locally installed software and other files.
- /man - Manual pages
- /info - Info documents
- /doc - Documentation
- /tmp
- /X11R6 - The X windows system files. There is a directory similar to usr below this directory.
- /var - user specific files
- /backup
- /email
- /file
- /lib - Files that change while the system is running normally
- /local - Variable data for programs installed in /usr/local.
- /lock - Lock files. Used by a program to indicate it is using a particular device or file
- /log - log files containing system usage and errors
- /netshare - directories for common file-shares
- /run - Files that contain information about the system that is valid until the system is next booted
- /spool - Directories for mail, printer spools, news and other spooled work.
- /tmp - Temporary files that are large or need to exist for longer than they should in /tmp.
- /spool - where spooled files are stored during print spooling process
- /mail- where system emaill files are stored. With Courier IMAP and Maildrop we recommend email being moved into /home/{name}. OpenGroupware and Open-Xchange both have different email stores.