File System

Linux provides a global and unified namespace of files and directories with root /. A file system is a collection of files and directories in a formal and valid hierarchy. File systems can be added (mounted) separately and removed (unmounted) from the global namespace of files and directories. Some directories are special, for example /dev and /proc.

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The directory structure in Linux is defined by a standard that can be found at http://www.pathname.com/fhs/.