Logical Layout - Raspberry Pi A User Manual

C H A P T E R 3

Logical Layout

The way Linux deals with drives, files, folders and devices is somewhat different to other
operating systems. Instead of having multiple drives labelled with a letter, everything appears
as a branch beneath what is known as the root file system.
If you log in to the Pi and type
Some of these are areas of the SD card for storing files, while others are virtual directories for
accessing different portions of the operating system or hardware.
The directories visible on the default Raspbian distribution are as follows:
boot—This contains the Linux kernel and other packages needed to start the Pi.
❍
bin—Operating system-related binary files, like those required to run the GUI, are
❍
stored here.
dev—This is a virtual directory, which doesn't actually exist on the SD card. All the
❍
devices connected to the system—including storage devices, the sound card and the
HDMI port—can be accessed from here.
L I N U X S Y S T E M A D M I N I S T R A T I O N
you'll see various directories displayed (see Figure 3-3).
ls /
53
Figure 3-3:
A directory
listing for the
Pi's root file
system