Lesson 1: Linux Filesystem Hierarchy
The Linux filesystem is not chaos — it is a structured tree with clear conventions. At NVIDIA, on day one you will navigate between /proc and /dev to inspect GPU drivers. This lesson gives you the map.
The Linux filesystem is like an office building: every floor has a clear purpose. /etc is the document archive, /dev is the equipment room, /tmp is the kitchen cleaned every night.
- FHS (Filesystem Hierarchy Standard)
- A standard defining where each type of file should live in a Linux system
- inode
- A metadata record describing a file — size, permissions, disk location — without the name
- Directory
- A special file that contains a list of filenames and inode numbers — essentially a folder
- Symbolic link (symlink)
- A file that points to another path; breaks if the target is deleted
- Absolute path
- A path starting from / that describes the full location from root, independent of the current directory
