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Linux /lib and its architecture!
Guide outline
- 1.1. Overview
- 1.2. The Root Directory
- 1.3. /bin
- 1.4. /boot
- 1.5. /dev
- 1.6. /etc
- 1.7. /home
- 1.8. /initrd
- 1.9. /lib
- 1.10. /lost+found
- 1.11. /media
- 1.12. /mnt
- 1.13. /opt
- 1.14. /proc
- 1.15. /root
- 1.16. /sbin
- 1.17. /usr
- 1.18. /var
- 1.19. /srv
- 1.20. /tm
- 2. Glossary
Additional Linux Resources
Here is a list of resources for learning Linux:
Resources for System Administrators
Linux System Admin Guide- What is Linux Operating System and how it works
Linux System Admin Guide- What are Directory Tree and Filesystem Hierarchy in Linux
Linux System Admin Guide- Introduction to Linux File Systems for System Admins
Linux System Admin Guide- Overview of Linux Virtual Memory and Disk Buffer Cache
Linux System Admin Guide- Best Practices for Monitoring Linux Systems
Linux System Admin Guide- Best Practices for Performing Linux Boots and Shutdowns
Linux System Admin Guide- Best Practices for Making and Managing Backup Operations
Resources for Linux Kernel Programmers
How Linux Operating System Memory Management works
Comprehensive Review of Linux Kernel Operating System Processes
Comprehensive Review of Linux File System Architecture and Management
What are mechanisms behind Linux Kernel task management
How Linux Kernel Sources and Functions work
Comprehensive look at how Linux Data Structures work
Hands-on Linux classes
- Linux shell and bash scripting via hybrid training
- Hands-on Linux programming for system administration via hybrid training
- Live and self-paced SQL coding and database management
- Introduction to Linux OS
- Intro to Linux Bash Scripting
- Advance Linux Bash Scripting
- Linux Management for System Admins
- Essential Linux Commands in 6 Hours by Hands-on Exercises
- Linux Bash & Shell Scripts in 6 Hour by Hands-on Exercises
Linux Operating System Distributions
Comprehensive list of all Linux OS distributions
Comprehensive list of all special purpose Linux distributions
Comprehensive list of all secure Linux distributions for cybersecurity professionals
One-to-One Live Linux Classes
Coding Bootcamps school offers One-to-One Live Linux Classes for Beginners.
1.9. /lib
The /lib directory contains kernel modules and those shared library images (the C programming code library) needed to boot the system and run the commands in the root filesystem, ie. by binaries in /bin and /sbin. Libraries are readily identifiable through their filename extension of *.so. Windows equivalent to a shared library would be a DLL (dynamically linked library) file. They are essential for basic system functionality. Kernel modules (drivers) are in the subdirectory /lib/modules/’kernel-version’. To ensure proper module compilation you should ensure that /lib/modules/’kernel-version’/kernel/build points to /usr/src/’kernel-version’ or ensure that the Makefile knows where the kernel source itself are located.
- /lib/’machine-architecture’
- Contains platform/architecture dependent libraries.
- /lib/iptables
- iptables shared library files.
- /lib/kbd
- Contains various keymaps.
- /lib/modules/’kernel-version’
- The home of all the kernel modules. The organisation of files here is reasonably clear so no requires no elaboration.
- /lib/modules/’kernel-version’/isapnpmap.dep
- has details on ISA based cards, the modules that they require and various other attributes.
- /lib/modules/’kernel-version’/modules.dep
- lists all modules dependencies. This file can be updated using the depmod command.
- /lib/modules/’kernel-version’/pcimap
- is the PCI equivalent of the /lib/modules/’kernel-version’/isapnpmap.dep file.
- /lib/modules/’kernel-version’/usbmap
- is the USB equivalent of the /lib/modules/’kernel-version’/isapnpmap.dep file.
- /lib/oss
- All OSS (Open Sound System) files are installed here by default.
- /lib/security
- PAM library files.
The FSSTND states that the /lib directory contains those shared library images needed to boot the system and run the commands in the root filesystem, ie. by binaries in /bin and /sbin. Shared libraries that are only necessary for binaries in /usr (such as any X Window binaries) must not be in /lib. Only the shared libraries required to run binaries in /bin and /sbin may be here. In particular, the library libm.so.* may also be placed in /usr/lib if it is not required by anything in /bin or /sbin. At least one of each of the following filename patterns are required (they may be files, or symbolic links): libc.so.* The dynamically-linked C library (optional) ld* The execution time linker/loader (optional) If a C preprocessor is installed, /lib/cpp must be a reference to it, for historical reasons. The usual placement of this binary is /usr/bin/cpp. The following directories, or symbolic links to directories, must be in /lib, if the corresponding subsystem is installed: modules Loadable kernel modules (optional) /lib<qual> : Alternate format essential shared libraries (optional) There may be one or more variants of the /lib directory on systems which support more than one binary format requiring separate libraries. This is commonly used for 64-bit or 32-bit support on systems which support multiple binary formats, but require libraries of the same name. In this case, /lib32 and /lib64 might be the library directories, and /lib a symlink to one of them. If one or more of these directories exist, the requirements for their contents are the same as the normal /lib directory, except that /lib<qual>/cpp is not required. /lib<qual>/cpp is still permitted: this allows the case where /lib and /lib<qual> are the same (one is a symbolic link to the other). |