Linux File System


Linux file system is generally a built-in layer of a Linux operating system used to handle the data management of the storage. It helps to arrange the file on the disk storage. It manages the file name, file size, creation date, and much more information about a file. The diagram below represents (part of) a Linux file system, which has a hierarchal file structure (a tree structure).

The topmost directory is called the root (/) directory. All other directories can be accessed from the root directory. A line from one node to a node on its right indicates containment. For example, the student directory is contained within the home directory.

Navigation Basics
The directories or folders help us to store the files and locate them when we need them. Linux does not use the backslash (\) to separate the components; it uses forward slash (/) as an alternative. For example, as in Windows, the data may be stored in C:\My Documents\Work”, whereas, in Linux, it would be stored in /home/My Document/Work”. The following Linux shell commands are used to manage the file system.

Command Description
cd Change the current working directory.
ls List status information for files and directory contents.
mkdir Make directories.
pwd The pwd (“print working directory”) tells you where you are in the file system by printing the current working directory.
rm/rmdir Remove directory entries.


Review: Linux Shell Commands
    Which Linux shell command tells you where you are in the file system?

      chmod
      grep
      more
      pwd
        Result: