Novell LINUX ENTERPRISE SERVER 10 - INSTALLATION AND ADMINISTRATION 11-05-2007, Installation Manual

Page: 355 / 982

17.1.3 Working with Directories and Files
To address a certain file or directory, you must specify the path leading to that directory
or file. There are two ways to specify a path:
• The entire (absolute) path from the root directory to the respective file
• A path starting from the current directory (relative path)
Absolute paths always start with a slash. Relative paths do not have a slash at the begin-
ning.
NOTE: Linux Is Case-Sensitive
Linux distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase in the file system. For
example, entering
test.txt
or
Test.txt
makes a difference in Linux. Keep
this in mind when entering filenames or paths.
To change directories, use the
cd
command.
• To switch to your home directory, enter
cd
.
• Refer to the current directory with a dot (
.
). This is mainly useful for other com-
mands (
cp
,
mv
, …).
• The next higher level in the tree is represented by two dots (
..
). For example, to
switch to the parent directory of your current directory, enter
cd ..
.
Examples of Addressing a File
The
cd
commands in Section 17.1.3, “Working with Directories and Files” (page 337)
used relative paths. You can use also absolute paths. For example, suppose you want
to copy a file from your home directory to a subdirectory of
/tmp
:
1 First, from your home directory create a subdirectory in
/tmp
:
1a If your current directory is not your home directory, enter
cd ~
to switch
to it. From anywhere in the file system, you can reach your home directory
by entering
cd ~
.
Working with the Shell 337