1.2. The Root Directory

To comply with the FSSTND the following directories, or symbolic links to directories, are required in /.

       /bin       Essential command binaries
       /boot      Static files of the boot loader
       /dev       Device files
       /etc       Host-specific system configuration
       /lib       Essential shared libraries and kernel modules
       /media     Mount point for removeable media
       /mnt       Mount point for mounting a filesystem temporarily
       /opt       Add-on application software packages
       /sbin      Essential system binaries
       /srv       Data for services provided by this system
       /tmp       Temporary files
       /usr       Secondary hierarchy
       /var       Variable data
       

The following directories, or symbolic links to directories, must be in /, if the corresponding subsystem is installed:

     / -- the root directory
     /home User home directories (optional)
     /lib<qual> Alternate format essential shared libraries
                      (optional)
     /root Home directory for the root user (optional)
     

Each directory listed above is described in detail in separate subsections further on in this document.

The reference system will be based upon Debian 3.0r0 (Woody), 2.4.18 kernel configured to a Redhat kernel-2.4.18-i686.config file.

As we all know Linux file system starts with /, the root directory. All other directories are 'children' of this directory. The partition which the root file system resides on is mounted first during boot and the system will not boot if it doesn't find it. On our reference system, the root directory contains the following sub-directories:

bin/ dev/ home/ lost+found/ proc/ sbin/ usr/ cdrom/ opt/ vmlinuz boot/ etc/ lib/ mnt/ root/ tmp/ var/ dvd/ floppy/ initrd/ /tftpboot

In days past it was also the home directory of 'root' but now he has been given his own directory for reasons that will be explained further on in this document.