This document discusses the Linux file system structure and naming conventions for files. It explains that files are stored in a hierarchical tree structure with directories and sub-directories. The root directory sits at the top of the tree and has subdirectories like bin, boot, home, usr, etc. User files are stored under the /home directory. When creating a file, the name can be up to 256 characters but cannot start with a number or period, or contain special characters like /, ?, *. A filename may have a primary name before the period and a secondary extension after. The full name of a file includes its path in the directory structure.

1. R.D.SIVAKUMAR, M.Sc.,M.Phil.,M.Tech.,
Assistant Professor of Computer Science &
Assistant Professor and Head, Department of M.Com.(CA),
Ayya Nadar Janaki Ammal College,
Sivakasi – 626 124.
Mobile: 099440-42243
e-mail : sivamsccsit@gmail.com
website: www.rdsivakumar.blogspot.in
The Linux File System

2. The Linux File System
How will you store information in a computer as long as you wish to retain
them? The information can be stored in a file. But, what is a file?
File is a collection of records. A record gives information about an entity.
A record consists of fields. collection of files, which is called as a directory.
All relevant files of the same type will form another set of files called a directory
as already stated.
In this fashion a school may have several set of files All the files are stored on
the disk under one main directory called the root directory. The files are arranged
under a tree structure.
If you stand on your head and watch a tree (without trunk), the root of the tree
is at the top then comes braches, braches will give rise to other branches and ends
up with leaves. The leaf represents the file, the branches represent directories or
sub directories and the root as you have guessed is the root directory.
The root directory has been further sub-divided into directories such as bin,
boot, home, usr, etc, lib, dev, tmp. User directories are created under the home
directory. The home directory is written as /home.

3. The Linux File System
This shows that home directory is the child of /(called root) directory and root
directory is the parent of home directory. There is no parent for the root directory.
There is no child for the file.
Linux directory structure
When a child is born, the child should be named. In a similar fashion, when
you create a file, you should name it. You should follow the following rules to
create a file.

4. The Linux File System
The file name
1. may contain characters, underscores, numbers, periods and commas.
2. can be up to 256 characters.
3. should not have a number as the first character.
4. should not begin with a period. (Even though under certain special circumstances
you may start a filename with a period, you will be in a better position if you do not
make use of it. If a file starts with a dot, that file is called a dot file. The dot files are
used normally by the system.)
5. should not contain slash, question mark and asterisk.
6. should not duplicate command names.
The filename may have a primary and a secondary name. The name before the
period is called the primary (or proper) name. The name after the period is called
the secondary name or extension. The extension is used to classify the files. For
example consider files with extension c (.c files). These represents c files.
The name that you give, when you create a file or directory, is not its full name.
The full name of a directory is its path name. The tree structure of the file system
can be used to unambiguously identify and reference any directory or file.

5. Thank you..!!