Basic Linux Tutorial
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Linux Data Directories



Linux Data Directories

/home

This is where users keep their personal files. Every user has their own directory under /home, and usually it’s the only place where normal users are allowed to write files. It is common practice to name the users home directory after the user name in the format /home/$USERNAME. A typical Linux/ Linux user profile contains many hidden files (files whose file name starts with a dot). The hidden files of the Linux/ Unix user profiles contain settings specific for that user.

/srv

It may use /srv for data that is served by your system. The FHS allows locating cvs, rsync, ftp and www data in this location. The FHS also approves administrative naming in /srv, like /srv/project55/ftp and /srv/sales/www.

On Sun Solaris (or Oracle Solaris) /export is used for this purpose.

/media

The /media directory serves as a mount point for removable media devices such as CDROM's, digital cameras, and various usb-attached devices. Since /media is rather new in the Unix world, you could very well encounter systems running without this directory. Solaris 9 does not have it, Solaris 10 does. Most Linux distributions today mount all removable media in /media.

/mnt

The /mnt directory should be empty and should only be used for temporary mount points (according to the FHS). Directory created and/or mounted inside /mnt to be used for various local and remote filesystems.

/tmp

Applications and users should use /tmp to store temporary data when needed. Data stored in /tmp may use either disk space or RAM. Both of which are managed by the operating system. Never use /tmp to store data that is important or which you wish to archive.