File System Management

Master the intricacies of Linux file systems. Learn how to navigate, manage, and secure your files and directories with precision and confidence.

File System Hierarchy

  • Understanding the Linux directory structure
  • Root (/) and its primary directories
  • Purpose of key directories like /home, /etc, /var
  • Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS)

Example Commands

/ : Root directory/home : User home directories/etc : System configuration files/var : Variable data files

Permissions and Ownership

  • User, Group, and Others permissions
  • Read, Write, Execute permissions
  • Changing file permissions with chmod
  • Modifying file ownership

Example Commands

chmod 755 file.txt (rwxr-xr-x)chown user:group file.txtls -l (view permissions)umask (default permission mask)

Disk Management

  • Mounting and unmounting filesystems
  • Disk partitioning basics
  • Checking disk usage
  • Managing storage devices

Example Commands

df -h (disk free space)du -sh /directory (directory size)mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/externalfdisk /dev/sda (partition management)

Advanced File Operations

  • Finding files with locate and find
  • Comparing files
  • Archiving and compression
  • Symbolic and hard links

Example Commands

find / -name filenamediff file1 file2tar -czvf archive.tar.gz directoryln -s /path/to/original /path/to/link
Previous: Command Line MasteryNext: System Security

Best Practices

Security Recommendations

  • Limit file permissions
  • Use principle of least privilege
  • Regularly audit file permissions

Storage Management

  • Monitor disk usage
  • Use quotas for users
  • Implement backup strategies