Linux Essentials

CHAPTER 7

Managing Files

Much of what you do with a computer involves manipulating files. Most obviously, files hold the correspondence, spreadsheets, digital photos, and other documents you create. Files also hold the configuration settings for Linux—information on how to treat the network interfaces, how to access hard disks, and what to do as the computer starts up. Indeed, even access to most hardware devices and kernel settings is ultimately done through files. Thus, knowing how to manage these files is critically important for administering a Linux computer. This chapter begins with a description of the basic text-mode commands for manipulating files. Directories are files, too, so this chapter covers directories, including the commands ...