Table A-1 describes the directories in the Linux directory tree.
Table A-1. The Linux directory tree
| Directory | Description |
|---|
| /bin | User programs and scripts essential to system startup |
| /boot | Boot information, including the kernel |
| /dev | Device files |
| /etc | Host-specific configuration files |
| /etc/sysconfig | Stores configuration files specific to Red Hat Linux |
| /home | Users' home directories |
| /initrd | Used during boot process as a mount point for a directory containing special device drivers |
| /lib | Libraries, modules, and other object files |
| /lib/modules | Loadable kernel modules |
| /lost+found | Recovered data from bad clusters |
| /mnt | Temporarily mounted filesystems |
| /opt | Used to store large applications |
| /proc | Kernel pseudo-directory that provides access to kernel information and configuration items |
| /root | System administrator's home directory |
| /sbin | System administration programs and scripts essential to system startup |
| /tmp | Temporary files, which are automatically deleted by Red Hat Linux |
| /usr | Files needed for system operation but not needed to boot system (can be mounted read-only, except when being changed by root user) |
| /usr/bin | Programs and scripts not essential to system startup |
| /usr/dict | System dictionaries for spell checking |
| /usr/etc | Configuration files |
| /usr/games | Game files |
| /usr/include | C/C++ header files |
| /usr/kerberos | Kerberos files |
| /usr/lib | Libraries and kernel modules |
| /usr/libexec | Libraries stored in alternate formats |
| /usr/local | Locally defined directory tree (structure is similar to that of /usr) |
| /usr/sbin | System administration programs and scripts not essential to system start up |
| /usr/share | Shared files |
| /usr/share/doc | Documentation (formerly residing in /usr/doc) |
| /usr/share/man | Manpages |
| /usr/src | Source files |
| /usr/src/linux | Linux kernel source |
| /usr/X11R6 | X-related files |
| /var | Dynamic files, such as log files and spool files |
| /var/cache | Application cache data |
| /var/ftp | Data used by the FTP server |
| /var/gdm | Data used by the GNOME display manager |
| /var/lib | Variable state information |
| /var/lib/rpm | Files related to RPM |
| /var/local | Locally defined data |
| /var/lock | Lock files |
| /var/log | Log files and directories |
| /var/named | Data used by BIND (named) |
| /var/opt | Data used by applications in /opt |
| /var/run | Process IDs of running processes |
| /var/spool | Application spool data |
| /var/spool/at | At's spool data |
| /var/spool/cron | Cron's spool data |
| /var/spool/cups | CUPS printing service data. |
| /var/spool/lpd | Printer queues |
| /var/spool/mail | Mail boxes |
| /var/spool/mqueue | Mail queue |
| /var/spool/samba | Samba spool data |
| /var/spool/up2date | Files used by Red Hat Update Agent |
| /var/tmp | Temporary files preserved between system reboots |
| /var/www | Files used by Apache |
| /var/yp | Files used by NIS |
For more information on the Linux directory tree, see the current version of the Linux Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (http://www.pathname.com/fhs). Red Hat Linux generally complies with that standard.
