What does etc mean in linux

etc in Linux means to store the entire file system configuration file required by the program. It is a folder under the system; the attributes of each file under the folder can be viewed by ordinary users. But only root has the right to modify, such as personnel account and password files, starting files of various services, etc.

#The operating environment of this tutorial: linux7.3 system, Dell G3 computer.

What does etc mean in linux

ETC is a folder under the Linux system, which is generally used to store the configuration files of the entire file system required by the program.

/etc is used to store the main configuration files of the system, such as personnel account and password files, starting files for various services, etc. Generally speaking, the attributes of each file in this directory can be viewed by ordinary users, but only root has the right to modify them.

In early UNIX, Bell Labs’ explanation was: etcetra directory. etc. It’s Et cetra. It means other, etc., and you can often see this abbreviation in English. It is used to store other content that cannot be classified into other directories.

Later, FHS stipulated that it was used to store configuration files, which was interpreted as: "Editable Text Configuration" or "Extended Tool Chest".

Extended information

Directory under /etc

1, /etc /passwd

User database, the fields in which give the user name, real name, home directory, encrypted password and other user information.

2, /etc/mtab

The list of currently installed file systems is initialized by scripts and automatically updated by the mount command. Use it when you need a list of currently installed file systems, such as the df command.

3./etc/shadow

The shadow password file on the system where the shadow password software is installed. The shadow password file moves the encrypted password in the /etc/passwd file to /etc/ shadow, which is only readable by root, which makes deciphering passwords more difficult.

4./etc/securetty

Confirm the secure terminal, that is, which terminal allows root login. Generally, only the virtual console is listed, so that it is impossible to break into the system through modem or network and obtain Superuser privileges.

5./etc/shells

Lists trusted shells. The chsh command allows users to change the login shell within the scope specified in this file. Check the service process ftpd that provides FTP service for a machine. Whether the user shell is listed in the /etc/shells file, if not, the user will not be allowed to log in.

6./etc/termcap

Terminal performance database explains what "escape sequence" controls are used by different terminals. When writing a program, do not directly output the escape sequence (which will only work on a specific brand of terminal), but look for the correct sequence for the job to be done from /etc/termcap. In this way, most programs can run on most terminals.

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