File Systems and Directories

File systems consist of groups of directories and the files within the directories. File systems are commonly represented as an inverted tree. The root directory, symbolized by the slash (/) symbol, defines a file system and appears at the top of a file system tree diagram. Directories branch downward from the root directory in the tree diagram and can contain bothfiles and subdirectories. Branching creates unique paths through the directory structure to every object in the file system.

Collections of files are stored in directories. These collections of files are often related to each other; storing them in a structure of directories keeps them organized.

A file is a collection of data that can be read from or written to. A file can be a program you create, text you write, data you acquire, or a device you use. Commands, printers, terminals, correspondence, and application programs are all stored in files. This allows users to access diverse elements of the system in a uniform way and gives great flexibility to the file system.

This chapter discusses the following:

• File Systems
  • File System Types
  • File System Structure
  • Displaying Available Space on a File System (df Command)
• Directory Overview
  • Types of Directories
  • Directory Organization
  • Directory Naming Conventions
  • Directory Path Names
  • Directory Abbreviations
• Directory-Handling Procedures
  • Creating a Directory (mkdir Command)
  • Moving or Renaming a Directory (mvdir Command)
  • Displaying the Current Directory (pwd Command)
  • Changing to Another Directory (cd Command)
  • Copying a Directory (cp Command)
  • Displaying Contents of a Directory (ls Command)
  • Deleting or Removing a Directory (rmdir Command)
  • Comparing the Contents of Directories (dircmp Command)
• Command Summary for File Systems and Directories