Absolute FreeBSD, 3rd Edition

14EXPLORING /ETC

The /etc directory contains the basic configuration information needed to boot a Unix-like system. Every time I get saddled with an unfamiliar system, one of the first things I do is scope out /etc. The fastest way to go from a junior sysadmin to a midgrade one is to read /etc and the associated man pages. Yes, all of it. Yes, this is a lot of reading. Understanding /etc means that you understand how the system hangs together. As you progress as a sysadmin, you’re going to pick up this information piecemeal anyway, so you might as well take the easier route and master this part of your toolkit at the beginning.

I discuss many ...