Solaris™ Internals: Core Kernel Components

1.8. Files and File Systems

Solaris provides facilities for storage and management of data, as illustrated in Figure 1.7. A file provides a container for data, a directory contains a number of files, and a file system implements files and directories upon a device, typically a storage medium of some type.

Figure 1.7. Files Organized in a Hierarchy of Directories

A file system can be mounted on a branch of an existing file system to extend the hierarchy. The hierarchy hides the mount so that it is transparent to users or applications that traverse the tree.

Solaris implements several different types of files:

• Regular files store data within the ...