399 lines
6.0 KiB
HTML
399 lines
6.0 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
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<HTML
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><HEAD
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><TITLE
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>The /var filesystem</TITLE
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><META
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NAME="GENERATOR"
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CONTENT="Modular DocBook HTML Stylesheet Version 1.7"><LINK
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REL="HOME"
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TITLE="Linux System Administrators Guide"
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HREF="index.html"><LINK
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REL="UP"
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TITLE="Overview of the Directory Tree"
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HREF="dir-tree-overview.html"><LINK
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REL="PREVIOUS"
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TITLE="The /usr filesystem."
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HREF="usr-fs.html"><LINK
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REL="NEXT"
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TITLE="The /proc filesystem"
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HREF="proc-fs.html"></HEAD
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><BODY
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CLASS="SECT1"
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BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"
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TEXT="#000000"
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LINK="#0000FF"
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VLINK="#840084"
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ALINK="#0000FF"
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><DIV
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CLASS="NAVHEADER"
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><TABLE
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SUMMARY="Header navigation table"
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WIDTH="100%"
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BORDER="0"
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CELLPADDING="0"
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CELLSPACING="0"
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><TR
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><TH
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COLSPAN="3"
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ALIGN="center"
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>Linux System Administrators Guide: </TH
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></TR
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><TR
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><TD
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WIDTH="10%"
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ALIGN="left"
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VALIGN="bottom"
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><A
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HREF="usr-fs.html"
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ACCESSKEY="P"
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>Prev</A
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></TD
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><TD
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WIDTH="80%"
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ALIGN="center"
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VALIGN="bottom"
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>Chapter 3. Overview of the Directory Tree</TD
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><TD
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WIDTH="10%"
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ALIGN="right"
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VALIGN="bottom"
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><A
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HREF="proc-fs.html"
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ACCESSKEY="N"
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>Next</A
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></TD
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></TR
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></TABLE
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><HR
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ALIGN="LEFT"
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WIDTH="100%"></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="SECT1"
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><H1
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CLASS="SECT1"
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><A
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NAME="VAR-FS"
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></A
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>3.6. The <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var</TT
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> filesystem</H1
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><P
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>The <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var</TT
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> contains data that is
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changed when the system is running normally. It is specific for each
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system, i.e., not shared over the network with other computers.
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<DIV
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CLASS="GLOSSLIST"
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><DL
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><DT
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><B
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><TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/cache/man</TT
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></B
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></DT
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><DD
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><P
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>A cache for man pages that are formatted on
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demand. The source for manual pages is usually stored in
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<TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/usr/share/man/man?/</TT
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>
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(where ? is the manual section. See the manual page for
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<B
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CLASS="COMMAND"
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>man</B
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>
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in section 7); some manual pages
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might come with a pre-formatted version, which might be
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stored in <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/usr/share/man/cat*</TT
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>
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. Other
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manual pages need to be formatted when they are first
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viewed; the formatted version is then stored in
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<TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/cache/man</TT
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> so that the next person
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to view the same page won't have to wait for it to be
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formatted. </P
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></DD
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><DT
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><B
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><TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/games</TT
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></B
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></DT
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><DD
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><P
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>Any variable data belonging to games in
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<TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/usr</TT
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> should be placed here. This is in
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case /usr is mounted read only.
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</P
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></DD
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><DT
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><B
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><TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/lib</TT
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></B
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></DT
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><DD
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><P
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>Files that change while the system is
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running normally.</P
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></DD
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><DT
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><B
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><TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/local</TT
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></B
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></DT
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><DD
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><P
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>Variable data for programs that are
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installed in <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/usr/local</TT
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>
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(i.e.,
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programs that have been installed by the system
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administrator). Note that even locally installed
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programs should use the other <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var</TT
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>
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directories if they are appropriate, e.g.,
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<TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/lock</TT
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>.</P
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></DD
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><DT
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><B
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><TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/lock</TT
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></B
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></DT
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><DD
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><P
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>Lock files. Many programs
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follow a convention to create a lock file in
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<TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/lock</TT
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> to indicate that they
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are using a particular device or file. Other programs
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will notice the lock file and won't attempt to use the
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device or file.</P
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></DD
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><DT
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><B
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><TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/log</TT
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></B
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></DT
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><DD
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><P
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>Log files from various programs, especially
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<B
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CLASS="COMMAND"
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>login</B
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>(<TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/log/wtmp</TT
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>, which logs all logins and logouts into the system) and
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<B
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CLASS="COMMAND"
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>syslog</B
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>(<TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/log/messages</TT
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>, where all kernel
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and system program message are usually stored). Files in
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<TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/log</TT
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> can often grow indefinitely,
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and may require cleaning at regular
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intervals.</P
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></DD
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><DT
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><B
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><TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/mail</TT
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></B
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></DT
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><DD
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><P
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>This is the FHS approved location for user
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mailbox files. Depending on how far your distribution has
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gone towards FHS compliance, these files may still be held
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in <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/spool/mail</TT
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>.
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</P
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></DD
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><DT
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><B
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><TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/run</TT
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></B
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></DT
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><DD
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><P
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>Files that contain information about the
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system that is valid until the system is next booted.
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For example, <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/run/utmp</TT
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>
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contains information about people currently logged
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in.</P
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></DD
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><DT
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><B
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><TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/spool</TT
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></B
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></DT
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><DD
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><P
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>Directories for news, printer queues, and
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other queued work. Each different spool has its own
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subdirectory below <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/spool</TT
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>, e.g.,
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the news spool is in <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/spool/news</TT
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>
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.
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Note that some installations which are not fully compliant
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with the latest version of the FHS may have user mailboxes
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under <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/spool/mail</TT
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>.
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</P
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></DD
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><DT
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><B
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><TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/tmp</TT
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></B
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></DT
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><DD
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><P
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>Temporary files that are large
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or that need to exist for a longer time than
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what is allowed for <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/tmp</TT
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>
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.
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(Although the system administrator might not allow
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very old files in <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/var/tmp</TT
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>
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either.)</P
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></DD
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></DL
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></DIV
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></P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="NAVFOOTER"
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><HR
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|
ALIGN="LEFT"
|
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WIDTH="100%"><TABLE
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|
SUMMARY="Footer navigation table"
|
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WIDTH="100%"
|
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BORDER="0"
|
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CELLPADDING="0"
|
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CELLSPACING="0"
|
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><TR
|
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><TD
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WIDTH="33%"
|
|
ALIGN="left"
|
|
VALIGN="top"
|
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><A
|
|
HREF="usr-fs.html"
|
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ACCESSKEY="P"
|
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>Prev</A
|
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></TD
|
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><TD
|
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WIDTH="34%"
|
|
ALIGN="center"
|
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VALIGN="top"
|
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><A
|
|
HREF="index.html"
|
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ACCESSKEY="H"
|
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>Home</A
|
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></TD
|
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><TD
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WIDTH="33%"
|
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ALIGN="right"
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VALIGN="top"
|
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><A
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HREF="proc-fs.html"
|
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ACCESSKEY="N"
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>Next</A
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></TD
|
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></TR
|
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><TR
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><TD
|
|
WIDTH="33%"
|
|
ALIGN="left"
|
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VALIGN="top"
|
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>The <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/usr</TT
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> filesystem.</TD
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><TD
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WIDTH="34%"
|
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ALIGN="center"
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VALIGN="top"
|
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><A
|
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HREF="dir-tree-overview.html"
|
|
ACCESSKEY="U"
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|
>Up</A
|
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></TD
|
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><TD
|
|
WIDTH="33%"
|
|
ALIGN="right"
|
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VALIGN="top"
|
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>The <TT
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CLASS="FILENAME"
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>/proc</TT
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> filesystem</TD
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></TR
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></TABLE
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></DIV
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></BODY
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></HTML
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> |