The Linux File System

Operating Systems 1

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 Data Storage on Linux
 All data are stored on disk (physical representation) as
files
 Linux hides the physical representation by imposing a
logical structure on the data storage
 The Linux operating system logical structure for data
storage is the file system
 A user of the Linux operating system is unaware of the
physical representation of data, they need only concern
themselves with the logical structure view

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 Physical and Logical Views
DISC SYSTEM

PHYSICAL LAYER OF THE DATA STORAGE

PARTITIONS, PARTITION TABLES ETC..

ADMINISTRATORS VIEW

/ (root)
LOGICAL LAYER OF THE DATA STORAGE

A FILE SYSTEM - A DIRECTORY TREE

THE USERS VIEW

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 The Logical View
 The file system is the part of the Linux operating
system that is responsible for the storage of data
– All data is stored in Files
 The files in the Linux operating system are organised in
a directory structure
– A directory can contain files
– A directory can contain other directories
– A directory can contain both files and other
directories

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 Very Important Distinction

TYPE WINDOWS LINUX

FILE FILE FILE

DIRECTORY FOLDER FILE

SUB-DIRECTORY SUB-FOLDER FILE

SYSTEM DIRECTORY FOLDER (ROOT) FILE (ROOT)

HOME DIRECTORY FOLDER (HOME) FILE (HOME)

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 The Directory Tree
/ (root)

home bin usr etc

users

students staff

phil nathan cara

f1 A file f2 A file
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 Paths through the File System

 A direction starting from root

 Through to the location of the target file
 Remember that this is the logical path.
 Next point in the path denoted by ‘/ ’
 First Linux command pwd
– Prints your current location within the file system
this is called the working directory

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 Tracing the path of a file
/ (root)

home bin usr etc

users

students staff /home/users/staff/phil/f1

phil nathan cara

f1 A file f2 A file

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 Absolute Paths

 These paths give the full path from the root

 Working directory ignored
 Here are two absolute paths:

/home/users/staff/phil/f1
/home/users/staff/nathan

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 Relative Paths
 These are paths that trace the root between
the current working directory and the file you
wish to describe
 Here are two examples with a working
directory of /home/users/

staff/phil/f1
staff/nathan

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 Hypothetical Linux File System
/ (root)
Nathan is logged on to his HOME directory,
consequently, his current working directory
home is /home/users/staff/nathan

users
The absolute pathname to file3 is
students staff /home/users/staff/nathan/letters/file3

phil nathan file1

The relative pathname to his file3 is
letters/file3
code letters

NB: Absolute paths always start with /

file2
file2 file3

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 You never get to see everything
 Users only get to see a small part of the file
system
 Only administrators see all files from root
onwards
 When you log on to Linux you can see from
home onwards
 In other words partial branches of the directory
tree (depends on your access rights)

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 So when Logging On

 Working directory set to your user name

 Only place where you have permission to write
information
 But you can read information elsewhere
 This all depends on the allocated file
permissions

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 Contents of Working Directory

 The ‘ls’ command lists the contents of the

current working directory
 Only lists contents one level below the current
directory

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 The ‘ls’ command

/ (root)

home

users Working Directory: staff

Listing: phil nathan
students staff

phil nathan file1

Working Directory: letters
Listing: file2 file3
code letters

file2
file2 file3

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 Changing the Working Directory

 The cd command is used to move up and

down the directory structure or tree
 Accepts one argument the new working path
 This can be absolute or relative path

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 The Change Directory command
/ (root)
Rebecca's HOME directory has
the following absolute
home
pathname
Rebecca’s Home users /home/users/students/rebecca
Directory and
Working directory students staff If Rebecca wished to change
from her HOME directory to the
phil nathan file1
rebecca cara
directory containing the file
code letters HelloWorld.java then she would
Rebecca’s new
java
Working directory need to use the cd command
file2
notes code file2 file3

case selection HelloWorld.java

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 The commands to use
COMMAND LINE DESCRIPTION
> cd /home/users/students/rebecca/java/code cd is the command and
/home/users/students/rebecca/java/code
is the argument (absolute path)
> cd java/code cd is the command and
java/code is the argument (relative path)
> cd cd is the command with no argument
takes you back to your home directory
> cd / cd is the command and
/ is the argument (absolute path again)
> cd . cd is the command and
. is the argument (refers to current working
directory so does nothing)
> cd .. cd is the command and
.. Is the argument moves up to next level in
directory tree (short for parent of working
directory)
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 The whole tree

 The tree command prints the directory tree

 Operates from working directory
 Recursively explores all the branches of the
directory tree
 Not just a single path

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 Using the On-Line manual
 The man command used to describe in detail
the operation of all other commands in the
Linux Operating System i.e.

Remember you must quit the

man command as it endlesses
loops waiting for the next
query.
When you quit it return you to
the Linux shell

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 Final Exit

 The command used to log off the Linux system

 Type exit
 This will log you off and then end your Linux
session
 Do not just kill the window off!
 This is bad practice

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 Two Applications to access Linux

 putty.exe (xterm terminal emulator)

 psftp.exe (Secure File Transfer Protocol)

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 Summary of File System Concepts

 Files and Directories

 Root
 Directory Tree
 Home Directory
 Working Directory
 Absolute Path
 Relative Path

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 Summary of OS Commands

 ls listing contents of a directory

 man description of all OS commands
 cd changing the current working
directory
 pwd displaying current working directory
 tree displaying a directory tree

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