A Complete Guide to Linux Filesystem

Do you want to be an expert at managing business computer systems in the multi-user computing environment? This course will introduce you to Linux and give you a broad understanding of how its filesystem (FS) works. A FS is a logical collection of files on a partition or disk. Each file or directory in the Linux filesystem is uniquely identified by its name, the directory in which it resides, and a unique identifier typically called an inode. You will learn about Linux’s hierarchical file system structure, which resembles an upside-down tree, with the root directory at the base and the rest of the directories expanding off it. A partition is an information container that can span an entire hard drive, and the Oracle VirtualBox is a platform that allows users to run multiple operating systems on the same hardware.

First, you will be introduced to the general structure of the Linux operating system. Find out that Linux has multiple layers and the base layer is the hardware that manages all operating systems. The primary appeal of Linux to programmers is that the majority of its well-written user programs are independent of the underlying hardware, making them readily portable to new systems. What is the significance of using a multi-user and multitasking operating system? This value is one of the many effects you will come to understand in this course. Discover that most Linux filesystem types have a similar general structure. Its central concepts are the superblock, inode, data block, directory block and indirection block. The superblock contains information about the filesystem as a whole while the inode contains all the information relating to a specific file. You will also master the roles of the different parts of the directory tree.

Next, you will learn about the different commands and prompts in Linux that will make your job as a system administrator easier. The ‘locate command’ uses a pre-built database that should be regularly updated, while the ‘find command’ iterates over a filesystem to locate files. A ‘wildcard’ is a character used as a substitute for a class of characters in a search, thereby greatly increasing flexibility and efficiency of searches. Wildcards are commonly used in shell commands in Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. You will master the three main wildcards in Linux and the benefits of using them. Finally, you will see how to connect to Linux using absolute and relative paths, file system navigation commands, and change the system password. This course will be of interest to systems administrators or students interested in learning about the Linux file system.