HIER(7)

NAME
hier - layout of filesystems

DESCRIPTION
An outline of the filesystem hierarchy.

Naming is very important. The UNIX System relies on filename conventions for much of its power as a system. The following file system layout describes generally where things are and what they are, with references to other man pages for more detailed documentation.

Not all files will be in every system.

/   root directory of the system

/COPYRIGHT
    system copyright notice, most often put on CD-ROM distributions.

/[a-z]
    user filesystems

/altroot/
    alternate root filesystem, in case of disaster

/amd/
    home directories mount point; see amd(8)

/bin/
    utilities used in both single and multi-user environments

/dev/
    block, character and other special device files

    MAKEDEV
        script for creating device files; see makedev(8)
    console
        the computer's console device
    fd/ file descriptor files; see fd(4)
    drum
        system swap space; see drum(4)
    klog
        kernel logging device; see syslog(3)
    kmem
        kernel virtual memory device; see mem(4)
    log UNIX domain datagram log socket; see syslogd(8)
    mem kernel physical memory device; see mem(4)
    stderr
    stdin
    stdout
        file descriptor files; see fd(4)
    null
        the null device; see null(4)
    tty process' controlling terminal device; see tty(4)

/dump/
    online dump(8) repository

/etc/
    system configuration files and scripts

    aliases*
        name alias files for sendmail(8)
    amd*
        configuration files for amd(8)
    changelist
        files backed up by the security script
    crontab
        schedule used by the cron(8) daemon
    csh.cshrc
    csh.login
    csh.logout
        system-wide scripts for csh(1)
    daily
        script run each day by cron(8)
    disklabels/
        backup disklabels; see disklabel(8)
    disktab
        disk description file, see disktab(5)
    dm.conf
        dungeon master configuration; see dm.conf(5)
    dumpdates
        dump history; see dump(8)
    exports
        filesystem export information; see mountd(8)
    fstab
        filesystem information; see fstab(5) and mount(8)
    ftpusers
        users denied ftp(1) access; see ftpd(8)
    ftpwelcome
        ftp(1) initial message; see ftpd(8)
    gettytab
        terminal configuration database; see gettytab(5)
    group
        group permissions file; see group(5)
    hosts
        host name database backup for named(8); see hosts(5)
    hosts.equiv
        trusted machines with equivalent user ID's
    hosts.lpd
        trusted machines with printing privileges
    inetd.conf
        Internet server configuration file; see inetd(8)
    kerberosIV/
        configuration files for the kerberos version IV; see kerberos(1)
    localtime
        local timezone information; see ctime(3)
    mail.rc
        system-wide initialization script for mail(1)
    man.conf
        configuration file for man(1); see man.conf(5)
    master.passwd
    passwd
    pwd.db
    spwd.db
        password files and their databases; see pwd_mkdb(8)
    mk.conf
        optional file containing make(1) variables, read by pkgsrc and the system sources.
    monthly
        script run each month by cron(8)
    motd
        system message of the day
    mtree/
        mtree configuration files; see mtree(8)
    named.*
    namedb/
        named configuration files and databases; see named(8)
    netgroup
        network groups; see netgroup(5)
    netstart
        network startup script
    networks
        network name data base; see networks(5)
    phones
        remote host phone number data base; see phones(5)
    printcap
        system printer configuration; see printcap(5)
    protocols
        protocol name database; see protocols(5)
    rc
    rc.local
        system startup files; see rc(8)
    remote
        remote host description file; see remote(5)
    security
        daily (in)security script run by cron(8)
    sendmail.*
        sendmail(8) configuration information
    services
        service name data base; see services(5)
    shells
        list of permitted shells; see shells(5)
    sliphome/
        SLIP login/logout scripts; see sliplogin(8)
    syslog.conf
        syslogd(8) configuration file; see syslog.conf(5)
    termcap
        terminal type database; see termcap(3)
    ttys
        terminal initialization information; see ttys(5)
    uucp/
        UUCP configuration files; see uucp(1) and uucico(8).
    weekly
        script run each week by cron(8)

/home/
    mount point for the automounter; see amd(8)

/mnt/
    empty directory commonly used by system administrators as a temporary mount point

/netbsd
    pure kernel executable (the operating system loaded into memory at boot time).

/root/
    home directory for the super-user

    .rhosts
        super-user id mapping between machines
    .cshrc
        super-user start-up file
    .login
        super-user start-up file
    .profile
        super-user start-up file

/sbin/
    system programs and administration utilities used in both single-user and multi-user environments

/stand/
    programs used in a standalone environment

/sys
    symbolic link to the operating system source

/tmp/
    temporary files, usually a mfs(8) memory-based filesystem (the contents of /tmp are usually NOT preserved across a system reboot)

/usr/
    contains the majority of the system utilities and files

    X11R6/
        X11 files

        bin/
            X11 binaries
        include/
            X11 include files
        lib/
            X11 libraries

    bin/
        common utilities, programming tools, and applications
    games/
        the important stuff
    include/
        standard C include files

        arpa/
            include files for Internet service protocols
        g++/
            include files for the C++ compiler
        kerberosIV/
            include files for kerberos authentication package; see kerberos(1)
        machine/
            machine specific include files
        net/
        netatalk/
            C include files for AppleTalk protocols miscellaneous network include files; see atalk(4)
        netccitt/
            CCITT networking include files
        netinet/
            include files for Internet standard protocols; see inet(4)
        netiso/
            include files for ISO standard protocols; see iso(4)
        natm/
            C include files for native mode ATM
        netns/
            C include files for XNS standard protocols; see ns(4)
        nfs/
            C include files for NFS (Network File System)
        protocols/
            C include files for Berkeley service protocols
        sys/
            system C include files (kernel data structures)
        ufs/
            C include files for UFS (The U-word File System)

    lib/
        archive, profiled, position independant archive, and shared libraries
    libdata/
        miscellaneous utility data files
    libexec/
        system daemons & system utilities (executed by other programs)

        uucp/
            UUCP binaries and scripts (historically placed; to be moved)

    local/
        local executables, libraries, etc.

        bin/
            local binaries
        include/
            local include files
        libexec/
            local daemons
        libdata/
            local data files

    mdec/
        boot blocks, etc.
    pkg/
        packages maintained by groups other than the NetBSD Project.

        bin/
            contributed binaries
        sbin/
            contributed system utilities
        include/
            contributed include files
        libexec/
            contributed daemons
        libdata/
            contributed data files

    pkgsrc/
        build descriptions ("packages") for the NetBSD packages system.

        distfiles
            Where unchanged source archives are fetched to/stored
        packages
            Where compiled binary packages are stored

        There are also several other subdirectories which contain packages of a certain category, e.g. archivers, graphics, ...

    bin/
        contributed binaries
    obj/
        architecture-specific target tree produced by building the /usr/src tree; normally a symbolic link or mounted filesystem
    sbin/
        system daemons and system utilities (normally executed by the super-user)
    share/
        architecture-independent text files

        calendar/
            a variety of calendar files; see calendar(1)
        dict/
            word lists; see look(1) and spell(1)

            words
                common words
            web2
                words of Webster's 2nd International
            papers/
                reference databases; see refer(1)
            special/
                custom word lists; see spell(1)

        doc/
            miscellaneous documentation; source for most of the printed 4.3BSD manuals (available from the USENIX association)
        games/
            text files used by various games
        lkm/
            documentation on the loadable kernel modules interface
        man/
            formatted manual pages
        me/ macros for use with the me(7) macro package
        misc/
            miscellaneous system-wide text files

            termcap
                terminal characteristics database; see termcap(5)

        mk/ include files for make(1)
        ms/ macros for use with the ms(7) macro package
        skel/
            sample initialization files for new user accounts
        tabset/
            tab description files for a variety of terminals, used in the termcap file; see termcap(5)
        tmac/
            text processing macros; see nroff(1) and troff(1)
        zoneinfo/
            timezone configuration information; see tzfile(5)

/usr/src/
    4BSD and local source files

    bin/
        source for utilities/files in /bin
    distrib/
        tools and data-files for making distributions
    domestic/
        source covered by US ITAR export restrictions
    etc/
        source (usually example files) for files in /etc
    games/
        source for utilities/files in /usr/games
    include/
        source for files in /usr/include
    lib/
        source for libraries in /usr/lib
    libexec/
        source for utilities/files in /usr/libexec
    sbin/
        source for utilities/files in /sbin
    share/
        source for files in /usr/share

        doc/

            papers/
                source for various Berkeley technical papers
            psd/
                source for Programmer's Supplementary Documents
            smm/
                source for System Manager's Manual
            usd/
                source for User's Supplementary Documents

    sys/
        kernel source files

        adosfs/
            AmigaDOS file-system support; see mount_ados(8)
        arch/

            alpha/
                support for the Digital Equipment Corp. Alpha architecture
            amiga/
                support for the Amiga architecture
            arm32/
                support for the ARM32 architecture
            atari/
                support for the Atari architecture
            bebox/
                support for the Be Inc. BeBox architecture
            hp300/
                support for the Hewlett-Packard 9000/300 68000-based workstations
            i386/
                support for the Intel 386/486/Pentium/etc. workstations
            m68k/
                general support for the 68000 processor
            mac68k/
                support for the Apple Computer 68000-based workstations
            mips/
                general support for MIPS architectures
            mvme68k/
                support for the VME 68000-based cards
            pc532/
                support for the pc532 architecture
            pica/
                support for the Acer PICA architecture
            pmax/
                support for the MIPS-based DECstation architecture
            powerpc/
                support for the PowerPC architecture
            sparc/
                support for the Sun Microsystems SPARC architecture
            sun3/
                support for the Sun Microsystems 68000-based architecture
            sun3x/
                more support for the Sun Microsystems 68000-based architecture
            vax/
                Digital Equipment Corp. VAX architecture
            x68k/
                support for the x68k architecture

        compat/
            kernel compatibility modules directory

            common/
                common compatibility routines, old 4BSD and NetBSD routines.
            freebsd/
                support for FreeBSD binaries; see compat_freebsd(8)
            hpux/
                support for 68000 HP-UX binaries
            ibcs2/
                support for Intel Binary binaries
            linux/
                support for Linux binaries; see compat_linux(8)
            m68k4k/
                support for 4Kb page 68000 binaries
            osf1/
                support for Digital UNIX ( formerly OSF/1) binaries
            ossaudio/
                support for OSS audio
            sunos/
                support for SunOS 4.x binaries; see compat_sunos(8)
            svr4/
                support for System V Release 4 binaries; see compat_svr4(8)
            ultrix/
                support for Ultrix binaries

        conf/
            architecture independent configuration directory
        ddb/
            in kernel debugger
        dev/
            architecture independent device support
        gdbscripts/
            support for accessing kernel structures from within the debugger gdb(1).
        ipkdb/
            support for kernel debugging over the network
        isofs/
            support for ISO filesystems

            cd9660/
                support for the ISO-9660 filesystem; see mount_cd9660(8)

        kern/
            support for the high kernel (system calls)
        lib/
            kernel libraries

            libkern/
                C library routines used in the kernel
            libsa/
                machine independant stand alone kernel library
            libz/
                compression library

        lkm/
            loadable kernel modules

            compat/
                LKM support compatibility modules; currently unsupported.
            netinet/
                LKM support networking modules

                if_ipl/
                    LKM for IP-Filter

            vfs/
                LKM support for file systems.

        miscfs/
            miscellaneous file systems

            deadfs/
                kernel only dead file system
            fdesc/
                file descriptor file system; see mount_fdesc(8)
            fifofs/
                POSIX FIFO support
            genfs/
                kernel only generic file system
            kernfs/
                kernel namespace file system; see mount_kernfs(8)
            nullfs/
                loop back file system; see mount_null(8)
            portal/
                portal file system; see mount_portal(8)
            procfs/
                process file system; see mount_procfs(8)
            specfs/
                kernel only special file system
            umapfs/
                user and group re-mapping file system; see mount_umap(8)
            union/
                union file system; see mount_union(8)

        msdosfs/
            MS-DOS file system; see mount_msdos(8)
        net/
            miscellaneous networking support
        netccitt/
            CCITT networking support
        netinet/
            TCP/IP networking support
        netiso/
            ISO networking support
        netnatm/
            ATM networking support
        netns/
            XNS networking support
        nfs/
            NFS support
        stand/
            kernel standalone support
        sys/
            kernel (and system) include files
        ufs/
            local filesystem support

            ffs/
                the Berkeley Fast File System
            lfs/
                the log-structured file system
            mfs/
                the in-memory file system
            ufs/
                shared UNIX file system support
        vm/ virtual memory support
    usr.bin/
        source for utilities/files in /usr/bin
    usr.sbin/
        source for utilities/files in /usr/sbin

/var/
    multi-purpose log, temporary, transient, and spool files

    account/
        system accounting files

        acct
            execution accounting file; see acct(5)

    at/ timed command scheduling files; see at(1)
    backups/
        miscellaneous backup files, largely of files found in /etc
    crash/
        system crash dumps; see savecore(8)
    db/ miscellaneous automatically generated system-specific database files
    games/
        miscellaneous game status and log files
    log/
        miscellaneous system log files

        amd.*
            amd(8) logs
        daily.out
            output of the last run of the /etc/daily script
        ftp.*
            ftp(1) logs
        kerberos.*
            kerberos(1) logs
        lastlog
            system last time logged in log; see utmp(5)
        lpd-errs.*
            printer daemon error logs; see lpd(8)
        maillog.*
            sendmail(8) log files
        messages.*
            general system information log
        monthly.out
            output of the last run of the /etc/monthly script
        secure
            sensitive security information log
        sendmail.st
            sendmail(8) statistics
        timed.*
            timed(8) logs
        weekly.out
            output of the last run of the /etc/weekly script
        wtmp
            login/logout log; see utmp(5)

    mail/
        user system mailboxes
    msgs/
        system messages; see msgs(1)
    preserve/
        temporary home of files preserved after an accidental death of ex(1) or vi(1)
    quotas/
        filesystem quota information
    run/
        system information files, rebuilt after each reboot

        utmp
            database of current users; see utmp(5)

    rwho/
        rwho data files; see rwhod(8), rwho(1), and ruptime(1)
    spool/
        miscellaneous printer and mail system spooling directories

        ftp/
            commonly “~ftp”, the anonymous ftp root directory; see ftpd(8)
        mqueue/
            undelivered mail queue; see sendmail(8)
        news/
            Network news archival and spooling directories
        output/
            printer spooling directories
        uucp/
            uucp spool directory
        uucppublic/
            commonly “~uucp”, the uucp public temporary directory; see uucp(1)

    tmp/
        temporary files that are not discarded between system reboots

        vi.recover/
            recovery directory for new vi(1)

SEE ALSO
apropos(1), ls(1), whatis(1), whereis(1), which(1),

HISTORY
A hier manual page appeared in AT&T UNIX.