Standard Unix base directory stuctures look like this:
/ (root directory -- there is only one root directory for the whole system, regardless of how many physical disks you have)
/bin (base system binaries -- the most standardized stuff that will go with any system)
/boot (self-explanatory, the system boot stuff goes in here)
/dev (device descriptors -- these are files that bsically tell Unix how to map devices, such as keyboard, modem, etc..., including virtual devices)
/etc (this is where most of the global configuration files and initialization scripts go -- see also /usr/local/etc)
/home (or sometimes /usr/home -- this is where individual users other than 'root' log in. Each user has his/her own directory inside /home)
/mnt (info on mounted disk volumes, CDROMs, tape drives, etc...)
/proc (like /dev, but this is contains descriptors for current running processes in the system)
/root (the root user's home directory)
/sbin (standard system binaries, but only normally available to the root user)
/tmp (temporary files can be written here by a variety of applications. This is usually flushed upon reboot, or at regular intervals)
/usr (most specific applications for user interaction are installed inside /usr, so there is a /usr/bin, for example for binaries. Also /usr/local has many specific 'userland' applications installed)
/var (a place for global logfiles, printing spool data, etc...)
There are many variations to the above list, but most Unix/Linux systems emulate this to some degree. Also, remember that for Unix, the filesystem (directories) are completely independent of the physical disks in the system. Thus, for example /home could be on one physical disk or partition, while /home/james could be mounted on another disk. Unix provides for full logical independence of the directory structure from the physical disks (unlike Windows, with it's laughable C:, D:, etc...). This means it is very easy to add a new disk to take over for certain directories that are getting too full.
Hope this helps. For more background, spend some time at
P.S. And finally, a neat tip, if you arent' already familiar with it: if you are using the BASH command prompt to enter commands, you can use what is called "auto-completion". Start typing a directory or command, and hit the tab key. It will fill out to the closest match on the existing filesystem, then if you type a little more, and hit TAB, it will fill out to the next closest match. -------------------------------------------
"Now, this might cause some discomfort..."
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