—

—

Handling directories in Linux – Absolute and Relative Paths

When traversing directories in Linux, there are two ways to type a file or directory path, an absolute path and relative path.

An absolute path is the specific location irrespective of the current working directory or combined paths and are written with reference to the root directory, starting with a forward slash /. Example of using absolute path, “cd /usr/bin”

A relative path is the path relative to the current working directory using period and double periods, indicating current and parent directories. Example of using a relative path when the current working directory is /usr/, “cd bin”

Both types will take you to the same place but take different steps and criterias to do so, when you handling directories in Linux.

How to Create a Directory 

To create a directory, we will use the mkdir command to do so. Follow the steps below to proceed. 

1. To create a directory in Linux, you can use the mkdir command followed by the name of the directory, as shown below.

The command will create a directory in the root directory (/) called “Net_Growth_21”.

mkdir /Net_Growth_21 which will create a directory in / with that name.

2. Creating a directory in a different directory, the full path can be given with the command.

mkdir /guide/Net_Growth_21 which will create the directory in a directory, /guide/, as shown below.

How to Navigate and List Directories in Linux

To navigate through directories, we will be using the following commands, pwd, ls, and cd.

1. The pwd command will print the working directory which you are currently working in.

2. The ls command will list all items in the directory you are currently working in.

Another good option with ls is ls -lh which will present the items size and in a list form.

3. The cd command is used to move through directories.

1. 1. Using cd . will navigate to the current directory as the period (.) is used to represent the current directory.
   2. Using cd .. will navigate one directory above the current directory.
   3. Using cd ~ will take you to the home directory of the currently logged user. Two examples are listed below for root and psuissa users.

How to Move a Directory in Linux

If you’re trying to move a directory in Linux from one location to another, just follow these 4 steps:

1. To move a directory in Linux, you can use the mv command followed by the source and destination directories, as shown below.

mv [source directory] [destination directory]

2. So, if you wanted to move /directory1 into a second directory name /directory2, you would use the following command:

mv /directory1 /directory2

Note: If no “/directory2” exists, /directory1 will be renamed as “/directory2”, essentially “moving” it into a newly created directory, otherwise, all content from /directory1 will move to /directory2.

3. This can also be done for multiple files and directories at once. Let’s say you have 3 files (File1, File2, and File3), and you’d like to move all them into /Directory1. Simply list out all your sources before your destination, and Linux will automatically move all these files at once.

mv file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt /home/directory1

4. Keep in mind that in order to move files and directories, a user must have permissions allowing them to modify both the source and destination directories. Otherwise, an error will occur and permission will be denied.

How to Copy a Directory in Linux

If you’re trying to make a copy of an existing directory, just follow these 4 steps:

1. To copy a directory or file in linux, just use the copy command followed by the Source (the directory you’re copying), and the Destination (the place you’re copying it to):

cp -R [Source] [Destination]

2. to make a copy of /directory1 and place it inside of /directory2, you would use the command:

cp -R /directory1 /directory2

*Note: If no “/directory2” exists, a new directory will be created, with that name, and containing the contents of /Directory1.

3. Like moving files, it is possible to copy multiple files into a single directory by listing out multiple filenames for sources, followed by a single destination. For example:

cp -R file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt /directory1

Which would copy file1, file2, and file3 into /directory1.

4. Additionally, if you wanted to copy the entire contents of /Directory1 into /Directory2 (duplicating the files inside the folder but not the folder itself), you can do so by adding ” /* ” after the source directory. For example:

cp – R /directory1/* /directory2

This would create copies of all the files located in /directory1, placing duplicates of its content into /directory2, but not duplicating the actual directory itself.

How to Rename a Directory in Linux

If you need to rename an existing directory in Linux to something new, just follow these 2 steps:

1. Interestingly, due to the way Linux’s file structures work, moving a file and renaming a file are actually the same action. This is because when you’re “moving” a file in Linux, you’re really “renaming” its file path: giving it a new name but also a new location in your system’s structure.

mv [Source Directory] [Destination Directory]

So, to rename /directory1 to /directory_new, you would use the command:

mv /directory1 /directory_new

If “/directory_new” already exists, then this command will move the contents of /directory1 to /directory_new. However, if “/directory_new” does NOT already exist, this command will rename /directory1 to /directory_new.

The post Handling Directories in Linux appeared first on Hivelocity Hosting.

To install a Linux package, you need to use a package manager, such as apt, yum, or pacman. Package managers handle the dependencies, updates, and removal of packages. They also allow you to search for available packages and install them from online repositories.

RPM

Linux RPM is a package management system that allows you to install, update, verify, and remove software packages on Linux systems. RPM stands for Red Hat Package Manager, but it is used by many Linux distributions, such as Fedora, CentOS and openSUSE. RPM packages have the .rpm extension and contain a set of files and metadata. You can use the rpm command or a front-end tool like yum to manage RPM packages.

To check all the packages installed on your system, you can use the following command.

rpm -qa

DPKG

The dpkg command is a tool for managing Debian packages on Linux systems. It can install, remove, configure, and display information about .deb files. The dpkg command has various options and actions that can be used to customize its behavior.

To check all the packages installed on your system, you can use the following command.

dpkg-query -l

Slackware

Slackware is one of the oldest Linux distributions, founded in 1993 by Patrick Volkerding. It is known for its simplicity, stability, and adherence to the Unix philosophy. Slackware does not use a graphical installer or a package manager with automatic dependency resolution. Instead, it relies on the user’s knowledge and skills to configure and maintain the system. Slackware is suitable for experienced Linux users who want full control over their system and enjoy tinkering with it.

To check all the packages installed on your system, you can use the following command.

ls /var/log/packages

Alternatively, to install packages and view packages through the text-based tool called pkgtool, you can use the command below to open it.

pkgtool

YUM Package Manager

YUM Package Manager is a tool that allows users to install, update, and remove software packages on Linux systems. YUM stands for Yellowdog Updater Modified, and it was originally developed for Red Hat Linux. 

YUM can work with repositories of RPM packages, which are collections of software that are compatible with each other. YUM can also resolve dependencies, which are requirements that a package needs to function properly.

To check all the packages installed on your system, you can use the following command.

yum list installed

APT Package Manager

The APT package manager is a tool that simplifies the installation, removal, and updating of software packages on Debian and Debian-based Linux distributions. It uses a database of available packages from online or offline repositories and resolves dependencies automatically. APT consists of several command-line programs, such as apt, apt-get, and apt-cache, that provide different functions for managing packages.

To check all the packages installed on your system, you can use the following command.

apt list –installed

DNF Package Manager

Linux DNF is a package manager for RPM-based Linux distributions. It is a successor of YUM and provides faster and more reliable updates. DNF also supports modular content, parallel downloads, and automatic dependency resolution.

To check all the packages installed on your system, you can use the following command.

dnf list installed

OpenSUSE

Linux is a family of open-source operating systems that can run on different types of hardware. OpenSUSE is one of the Linux distributions that offers a stable, secure, and user-friendly environment for desktops and servers. OpenSUSE is developed by a community of volunteers and sponsored by SUSE, a company that provides enterprise-level Linux solutions.

To check all the packages installed on your system, you can use the following command.

zypper search -i

The post Determining Which Packages Are Installed On a Linux System appeared first on Hivelocity Hosting.

A package manager is a tool that handles the downloading, installation, and configuration of software packages from a central repository. Debian’s package manager is called APT (Advanced Package Tool), and it can work with different formats of packages, such as .deb, .rpm or .tar.gz. APT also resolves dependencies, which are the other packages that a software needs to function properly. APT makes it easy to keep the system up to date and secure, as well as to customize it according to the user’s preferences.

First, we will need a package that we want to remove. For this scenario, we will assume that we’ve already installed the program neofetch, have run it, and are now ready to remove it from our system.

Now, we’ll use the following command to remove it:

apt remove neofetch

This will remove the package and it will no longer work in our system.

The post How Do I Remove a Package in Debian? appeared first on Hivelocity Hosting.

$ links https://http.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/d/dpkg/
… download the good dpkg_version_arch.deb
$ su
password: *****
# ar x dpkg_version_arch.deb
# mv data.tar.gz /data.tar.gz
# cd /
# tar xzfv data.tar.gz

The post What to do if the dpkg command is broken? appeared first on Hivelocity Hosting.

For example:

# dpkg -i fetchmail_6.2.5-4_i386.deb

If attempting to install a package this way fails due to dependency violations and you really need to install the package then you can override dependency checks using dpkg’s –ignore-depends, –force-depends and other options. See dpkg(8) for details.

The post How do I rescue using dpkg? appeared first on Hivelocity Hosting.

To enable service service in runlevel R create the symbolic link /etc/rcR.d/Sxyservice with target ../init.d/service. The sequence number xy should be the sequence number that was assigned to the service when the package was installed.

It is convenient to use a runlevel editor such as sysv-rc-conf or ksysv for these purposes.

It is possible to delete the S symlink for a service in a particular runlevel directory instead of renaming it. This does not disable the service but leaves it in a “floating” state as far as the sysv-rc init system is concerned: on runlevel changes the service will be neither started nor stopped but will be left as it was, whether running or not running. Note, however, that a service left in such a floating state will be started if its package is upgraded whether or not it was running before the upgrade. This is a known shortcoming of the current Debian system. Note also that you should retain a service’s K symlinks in runlevels 0 and 6. If you delete all the symlinks for a service then on upgrade the service’s package will restore the symlinks to their factory default state.

It is not advisable to make any changes to symlinks in /etc/rcS.d/.

The post How do I customize runlevels? appeared first on Hivelocity Hosting.

The individual files are:

preinst

This script executes before the package is unpacked from its Debian archive (“.deb”) file. Many preinst scripts stop services for packages which are being upgraded, pausing them until the installation or upgrade is complete (and following the successful execution of the postinst script).

postinst

This script typically completes any required configuration of the package foo once foo has been unpacked from its Debian archive (“.deb”) file. Often, postinst scripts ask the user for input, and/or warn the user that if they accept the default values, they should remember to come back and re-configure the package, as the situation warrants. Many postinst scripts then execute any commands necessary to start or restart services once a new package has been successfully installed or upgraded.

prerm

This script typically stops any daemons associated with a package. It is executed before the removal of files associated with the package.

postrm

This script typically modifies links or other files associated with foo, and/or removes files created by the package. (Also see What is a Virtual Package?, Section 6.8.)

Currently, all of the control files can be found in the directory /var/lib/dpkg/info. The files relevant to package foo begin with the name foo and have file extensions of preinst, postinst, prerm, and postrm as appropriate.

The file foo.list, contained within that same directory, lists all of the files that were installed with the package foo. *Note: the location of these files is a dpkg internal – you should not rely on it.

Popular Links

Looking for more information on Debian? Search our Knowledge Base!

Interested in more articles about Operating Systems? Navigate to our Categories page using the bar on the left or check out these popular articles:

• How to Check the Apache Version on a Linux Dedicated cPanel Server
• How to Change a Password in Linux
• How to Check if Your Linux Server is Under DDoS Attack

Popular tags within this category include: Linux, Windows, Apache, CentOS, Debian, Fedora, RedHat, and more.

Don’t see what you’re looking for? Use the search bar at the top to search our entire Knowledge Base.

The Hivelocity Difference

Seeking a better Dedicated Server solution? In the market for Private Cloud or Colocation services? Check out Hivelocity’s extensive list of products for great deals and offers.

With best-in-class customer service, affordable pricing, a wide-range of fully-customizable options, and a network like no other, Hivelocity is the hosting solution you’ve been waiting for.

Unsure which of our services is best for your particular needs? Call or live chat with one of our sales agents today and see the difference Hivelocity can make for you.

The post What are Preinst, Postinst, Prerm, and Postrm Script? appeared first on Hivelocity Hosting.

Obtain the skeleton content of the /var directory from a minimum working Debian system based on the same or older Debian version, for example var.tar.gz, and place it in the root directory of the broken system. Then

cd /
mv var var-old
tar xvzf var.tar.gz
aptitude

This should provide a working system.

The post Rescue a system after crashing /var appeared first on Hivelocity Hosting.

The Debian C libraries are built with the most recent stable releases of the kernel headers.

For example, the Debian-1.2 release used version 5.4.13 of the headers. This practice contrasts with the Linux kernel source packages distributed at all Linux FTP archive sites, which use even more recent versions of the headers. The kernel headers distributed with the kernel source are located in /usr/include/linux/include/.

If you need to compile a program with kernel headers that are newer than those provided by libc6-dev, then you must add -I/usr/src/linux/include/ to your command line when compiling. This came up at one point, for example, with the packaging of the automounter daemon (amd). When new kernels changed some internals dealing with NFS, amd needed to know about them. This required the inclusion of the latest kernel headers.

The post How do I compile a kernel from non-Debian source? appeared first on Hivelocity Hosting.

The modconf package comes with a series of help files (in /usr/lib/modules_help/) which provide detailed information on appropriate arguments for each of the modules.

The post How are modules managed? appeared first on Hivelocity Hosting.

aptitude is the recommended package manager for Debian GNU/Linux systems. It is a text-based interface to APT using the curses library, and can be used to perform management tasks in a fast and easy way.

Before you can use aptitude, you’ll have to edit the /etc/apt/sources.list file to set it up. If you wish to upgrade to the latest stable version of Debian, you’ll probably want to use a source like this one:

https://http.us.debian.org/debian stable main contrib non-free

You can replace http.us.debian.org with the name of a faster Debian mirror near you. See the mirror list at https://www.debian.org/misc/README.mirrors for more information.

More details on this can be found in the sources.list(8) manual page.

To update your system, run

aptitude update

followed by

aptitude dist-upgrade

The post How can I keep my system current using aptitude? appeared first on Hivelocity Hosting.