How are the linux components organized on disk?

partitions / /usr /home swap

Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesystem_Hierarchy_Standard

$ man hier # show complete tree of system folders

Directories:
/ - root of the tree
/bin - binary executable files
/boot - files used during boot
/dev - one file for each device, physical and virtual
/etc - configuration files
/tmp - temporary files, will be empty at next boot
/usr - duplicate of whole tree
/home - one folder for each user
/root - for the root user, not /home/root

Directories

• / - root of the tree
• /bin - binary executable files
• /boot - files used during boot
• /dev - one file for each device, physical and virtual
• /etc - configuration files
• /tmp - temporary files, will be empty at next boot
• /usr - duplicate of whole tree
• /home - one folder for each user
• /root - for the root user, not /home/root

See more about the /etc folder
https://www.linuxnix.com/linux-directory-structure-explainedetc-folder/

Locations for binary executables and scripts.
/bin # in Ubuntu 20, soft link to /usr/bin
/sbin # in Ubuntu 20, soft link to /usr/sbin
/usr/bin #
/usr/sbin #
/usr/local/bin # put my own scripts here
/usr/local/sbin # put my own root scripts here

sbin - s is for system, for commands that require root privileges bin - root not required

According to the documentation, /bin and /sbin are for commands that are required before the /usr partition is mounted. But in Ubuntu 20 on my RacerSwift, they are soft linked to /usr.

The first four - /bin, /sbin, /usr/bin, /usr/sbin - should be populated only by the package manager. /usr/local/bin and sbin is for files not coming from the package manager.

Where do executables live?

Notes:

• /bin vs /sbin - the s stands for system, used by administrators, require root
• /bin and /sbin - for exes called early in the boot, before /usr is mounted
• /usr/bin and /usr/sbin - for exes called after /usr is mounted
• /usr/local - overrides will not be tampered with during package manager update

Special cases

• /lib
• /etc/init.d - startup scripts, services
• Libraries are also executable?
• What are bin, lib, share?

Where do configuration files live?

• /etc

Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesystem_Hierarchy_Standard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesystem_Hierarchy_Standard)

$ man hier # show complete list of folders

/ - kernel

/bin - binary executable files

/boot - files used during boot

/dev - hardware devices - not a folder, device and partition names

/etc - configuration files

/tmp - temporary, will be gone at next boot

/usr - duplicate

/home

/root - for the root user, not /home/root

See more about the /etc folder

[https://www.linuxnix.com/linux-directory-structure-explainedetc-folder/](https://www.linuxnix.com/linux-directory-structure-explainedetc-folder/)

Locations for binary executables and scripts.

/bin # in Ubuntu 20, soft link to /usr/bin

/sbin # in Ubuntu 20, soft link to /usr/sbin

/usr/bin #

/usr/sbin #

/usr/local/bin # put my own scripts here

/usr/local/sbin # put my own root scripts here

sbin - s is for system, for commands that require root privileges

bin - root not required

According to the documentation, /bin and /sbin are for commands that are required before the /usr partition is mounted. But in Ubuntu 20 on my RacerSwift, they are soft linked to /usr.

The first four - /bin, /sbin, /usr/bin, /usr/sbin - should be populated only by the package manager. /usr/local/bin and sbin is for files not coming from the package manager.

<table>

<tr>
 <td><strong>Folder</strong>
 </td>
 <td><strong>Who populates</strong>
 </td>
 <td><strong>Who uses</strong>
 </td>
 <td>
 </td>
</tr>
<tr>
 <td>/bin
 </td>
 <td>package manager
 </td>
 <td>any user
 </td>
 <td>
 </td>
</tr>
<tr>
 <td>/sbin
 </td>
 <td>package manager
 </td>
 <td>root
 </td>
 <td>
 </td>
</tr>
<tr>
 <td>/usr/bin
 </td>
 <td>package manager
 </td>
 <td>any user
 </td>
 <td>
 </td>
</tr>
<tr>
 <td>/usr/sbin
 </td>
 <td>package manager
 </td>
 <td>root
 </td>
 <td>
 </td>
</tr>
<tr>
 <td>/usr/local/bin
 </td>
 <td>any user
 </td>
 <td>any user
 </td>
 <td>
 </td>
</tr>
<tr>
 <td>/usr/local/sbin
 </td>
 <td>any user
 </td>
 <td>root
 </td>
 <td>
 </td>
</tr>
<tr>
 <td>/home/me/.local/bin
 </td>
 <td>me
 </td>
 <td>me
 </td>
 <td>
 </td>
</tr>

</table>

/bin vs /sbin - the s stands for system, used by administrators, require root

/bin and /sbin - for exes called early in the boot, before /usr is mounted

/usr/bin and /usr/sbin - for exes called after /usr is mounted

/usr/local - overrides will not be tampered with during package manager update

Special cases

/lib

/etc/init.d - startup scripts, services

Libraries are also executable?

What are bin, lib, share?

Where do configuration files live?

/etc

Soft links in FHS

/bin → /usr/bin

/sbin → /usr/sbin

/lib → /usr/lib

/lib32 → /usr/lib32

/lib64 → /usr/lib64

/libx32 → /usr/libx32