Linux grep command help and examples computer hope. The numbers refer to partitions, so devsda1 is the first partition of the first drive. For instance, to add a new hard drive to your system and have linux automount it on boot, youd have to edit etc fstab. There are roughly 290 linux distro variations available. The name tar stands for tape archiver, the format is an official posix standard.
Ext stands for extended file system, and was the first created specifically for linux. Linux general this linux forum is for general linux questions and discussion. Gecos stands for general electric comprehensive operating system. The history etc folder in linux unix in initial days of unix. What sudo does is incredibly important and crucial to many linux distributions. Operating system environment, and linux foundations filesystem hierarchy standard fhs. The naming convention of this folder is having some interesting history. How to create users within linux using the useradd command. On modern unix systems, almost all systemwide configuration files are under etc, but not all files in etc are configuration files. Create users in linux using the command line while many desktop linux distributions provide a graphical tool for creating users, it is a good idea to learn how to do it from the command line so that you can transfer your skills from one distribution to another without learning new user interfaces. I hope this linux distros comparison article will help you to choose the best one for your working environment. This file is executed and its contents displayed after a successful. For others, you should determine which program they belong to and read the manual page for that program.
Now etc folder means a central location for all your configuration. Alsa advanced linux sound architecture configuration file. How to use passwd and adduser to manage passwords on a linux vps posted september 4, 20 267. Pronounced like sue dough as a linux system administrator or power user, its one of the most important commands in your arsenal. Etc is a folder which contain all your system configuration files in it. In any unix based system there are many from linux to aix and bsd flavors, some standard directories are created from the root of the file system, and etc is one of these standard directories. I expect this will become another factor in the growing bifurcation of linux into red hatstyle distros and ubuntustyle distros see also systemd vs. A sample layout of skeleton user files is as shown below.
Linux file system hierarchy if you look at the linux file hierarchy, you find the following. Such as the motd file which stands for message of the day. There is a discussion going on over at slashdot regarding what etc in linuxunix stands for. The gecos or comment field are saved in etc passwd file in linux unix. Strangely enough usr actually means unix system resources. Etc is an abbreviation for et cetera, a latin saying that means and other things, but people commonly use it when they cant think of anything else to put on a list, but know they are other things that can go on that list. The root directory is the directory that contains all other directories and files on a system and. Have you ever tried to run a command in terminal only. Ext is the first version of the file system, introduced in 1992. The shorter version to make it easy to understand et cetera blah blah blah blah bla. There is a discussion going on over at slashdot regarding what etc in linux unix stands for. Nowadays, it would be more appropriate to say that etc stands for everything to configure, as it contains most, if not all systemwide configuration files.
Etc chilean tv network, a chilean cable television channel etc philippine tv network, a philippine television network zee etc bollywood, an indian television channel. Gecos was renamed to gcos when ges large systems division was sold to honeywell. You can find references to et cetera in old bell labs unix manuals and so on nowadays its used only for system. Cat is the basic command when we start learning linux unix, as the name suggest it is used to create new file,concatenate files and display the output of files on the standard output. Many networking configuration files are in etc as well. Meaning of directories on unix and unix like systems server fault. The linux tar command is the swiss army knife of the linux admin when it comes to archiving or distributing files. Normally, no binaries should be or are located here. Originally released in early 2002, arch linux is a general purpose linux distro designed to run on 32bit and 64bit pcs. The worlds most comprehensive professionally edited abbreviations and acronyms database all trademarksservice marks referenced on this site are properties of their respective owners. It is normally created via alsactl or other thirdparty sound configuration utilities that may be specific to a distribution such as sndconfig from redhat. Linux grep command help, examples, and additional information. In unix and operating systems inspired by it, the file system is considered a central component.
In initial days of unix os development there is a folder for each type of data like bin folder for all your executable binaries. Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes from the time you press the power button until the linux login prompt appears. A guide to files and folders on linux blog peter upfold. Ethiopian telecommunications corporation, a telecommunications provider. Effectively, sudo allows a user to run a program as another user most often the root user. Linux directory structure and important files paths explained. Linux is listed in the worlds largest and most authoritative dictionary database of abbreviations and acronyms. Understanding the etcskel directory in linux the geek.
Etc group ecojustice, an american appropriate technology organization etc group energy efficiency consultant, an. The var directory, explanation by the linux information. Looking for online definition of etc or what etc stands for. Its the directory which stores all of your configuration files. Gnu tar archives can contain multiple files and directories, file permissions can be preserved and it supports multiple compression formats. For more data on the layout of linux filesystems, look at the filesystem hierarchy standard now at version 2. Tuxfiles has a good description of the linux directory structure. Ive been using linux for a couple of years now but i still havent figured out what the origin or meaning of some the directory names are on unix and unix like systems. Etc is listed in the worlds largest and most authoritative dictionary database of abbreviations and acronyms the free dictionary. Its purpose in life is to host various configuration files from around your system. If it is linux related and doesnt seem to fit in any other forum then this is the place.
Linux debian and ubuntu are the most dominant distros out there in the market. For any person, who does not have a sound knowledge of linux operating system and linux file system, dealing with the files and their location, their use may be horrible, and a newbie may really mess up this article is aimed to provide the information about linux file system, some of the important files, their usability and location linux directory structure diagram. Understanding the linux filesystem etc, var, bin, opt. While the opinion is divided, the overwhelming thought is that it stands for et cetera. In early unix systems, the most important directory was the bin directory short for binaries compiled programs, and etc was for trivial stuff like startup, shutdown and admin. Et cetera used at the end of a list to indicate that further, similar items are included. Initially linux was intended to develop into an operating system of its own, but these plans were shelved somewhere along the way. That is, what ever data which doesnt belong to other directories are put into etc. Press the power button on your system, and after few moments you see the linux login prompt. T here is a discussion going on over at slashdot regarding what etc in linux unix stands for. Directory etc skel skel is derived from the skeleton is used to initiate home directory when a user is first created. Some linux distributions come with nf, which stands for extended internet services daemon.
Sudo stands for either substitute user do or super user do depending upon how you want to look at it. Basically, in linux and other unixbased systems, but ill keep it simple for now, there arent different drives. The following are the 6 high level stages of a typical linux boot process. This directory tree contains all the configuration files for the x window system. Uuid stands for universally unique identifier which helps linux system to identify a hard drives partition instead of block device file. Many of us also look at etc as a placeholder for the configuration files of programs which we run on our system. As time passed the meaning of this folder has changed but not the name etc. A runlevel is defined as the state in which the linux box currently is in. It was a major upgrade from the minix file system used at the time, but lacks important features. How to use passwd and adduser to manage passwords on a.