Operating System Directories
- /boot
Files for booting the system. This is where the kernel lives, typically named /boot/vmlinuz.
- /lost+found
Damaged files that were rescued by a disk recovery tool.
- /proc
Describes currently-running processes; for advanced users.
The files in /proc provide views into the running kernel and have special properties. They always appear to be zero sized, read-only, and dated now:
$ ls -l /proc/version -r--r--r-- 1 root root 0 Oct 3 22:55 /proc/version
However, their contents magically contain information about the Linux kernel:
$ cat /proc/version Linux version 2.4.22-1.2115.nptl ...
Mostly these files are used by programs. Go ahead and explore. Here are some examples.
/proc/ioports | A list of your computer’s input/output hardware. |
/proc/version | The operating system version. The |
/proc/uptime | System uptime, i.e., seconds elapsed since the system was last booted. Run the |
/proc/nnn | Where |
/proc/self | Information about the current process you’re running; a symbolic link to a /proc/ |