Gestion des fichiers et des répertoires sous Linux

Introduction to File and Directory Management

• A file system (FS) organizes data on storage devices.
• Linux uses a single tree structure to access files regardless of the storage devices.
• Windows uses a tree structure per storage device.

Linux File Structure

• Linux file system is hierarchical, using a root directory (/).
• The root directory contains various subdirectories (e.g., /etc, /bin, /dev, /home, /root, /usr, /var, /proc).
• /etc: Configuration files.
• /bin: Command-line utilities available to all users.
• /boot: System startup files.
• /dev: Device files.
• /home: User home directories.
• /root: Root user's home directory.
• /usr: System programs and libraries.
• /var: Variable files (e.g., logs).
• /proc: Information about running processes.

Architecture of Directories

• The file system is organised in a tree structure.
• The root directory (/) contains all directories and files.
• Directories can contain subdirectories and files.
• Specific directories have special functions:
  • User's home directory is the directory for user-specific files, denoted by the user's name.
  • The current directory is denoted by a ".".
  • The parent directory is denoted by a "..".

File Types

• Ordinary files (e.g., documents, programs, data).
• Special files, manage communication with devices, the system, and between processes.

File Paths

• Absolute paths start with the root directory (/). Examples:
  • /usr/bin
• Relative paths are dependent on the current directory.

Common Commands

• pwd: Displays the current working directory's absolute path.
• ls: Lists files and directories in the current directory. Options like -a (show hidden files), -l (show detailed information).
• cd: Changes the current working directory.
• mkdir: Creates a new directory.
• rmdir: Deletes an empty directory.
• touch: Creates a new empty file (or updates timestamp).
• cat: Displays the content of a text file.
• gedit, vi, vim, nano: Text editors for editing files.

Linking Files

• Hard links are multiple names for the same inode, deleting one link doesn't affect the file.
• Symbolic links (soft links) are shortcuts (aliases) to another file or directory. Deletions don't affect the file contents.