3

The Linux Filesystem

Files and filesystems are the topics of discussion in this chapter. The Unix ethos of everything is a file carries on in Linux, and while that’s not true 100% of the time, most resources in Linux are actually files.

In this chapter, we will first define several relevant concepts. Then we will investigate Linux’s implementation of the everything is a file concept. We will then cover the specialized filesystems the kernel makes use of to report data about running processes or attached hardware. We will then move on to normal files and filesystems, things you would typically associate with documents, data, and applications. Finally, we will explore standard filesystem operations and provide comparisons with other available ...

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