A question about home directory.

[hack3rcon]

Hello,
When installing Linux, I can define a partition for "home" directory, but why after it, I can see "home" in "/"?

Thanks.

[ruwolf]

Can you explain in more details your problem? Because I can see no problem in your current question...

[bryanmc]

Code: Select all

man mount

[Bloom]

The separate partition is mounted to /home, so that's why you see it.
If you open a terminal window and type

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$ mount


you can see all mounted partitions including the one for /home.

[hack3rcon]

Thanks, but I meant was when I defined a separate partition for "home" then why I can see "home" directory in "/"? The "mount" command show me that the "home" directory is on another partition but why the directory existed to the "/" location? Is it because of Linux structure?

[Bloom]

A mount point is an empty directory in the local filesystem. You can have any directory be used as a mount point for a separate partition or a network share.
The system is rigged by default to use /home as the home directory tree, but if you want it on a separate partition the mount point stays on /home but points to that other partition.
I think it's one of the very neat features of Linux (and Unix) that all drives, local or remote are just directories in the local filesystem. That means that no software has to be aware (although it can be if it wants) of the difference between a local drive, another partition or a remote system with a network share.
Although it is possible to relocate the /home directory elsewhere (at work, I work with a legay Solaris Unix system which has my home directory on /export/home/...), I don't advise it because lots of software will expect /home.

[p.H]

when I defined a separate partition for "home" then why I can see "home" directory in "/"?

Where did you expect to see it ?

[bryanmc]

Here is the beginning of the man page for mount. Judging by your last post, I don't think you tried it or read it.

Code: Select all

All files accessible in a Unix system are arranged in one big tree, the file hierarchy, rooted at /].  These files can be spread out  over  several  devices.

[hack3rcon]

Thus, It is because of file hierarchy.

[reinob]

Thus, It is because of file hierarchy.

The thing is you have a home partition, which needs to be mounted somewhere. That somewhere, the mount point, is usually /home. Thus the root partition (/) needs to have an empty directory called /home, on which the actual partition will be mounted.

Note that if you unmount /home, you can then write stuff on the root partitions /home directory. The contents will be hidden (shadowed) when the home partition is mounted on top of it.

[None1975]

/home is a standard subdirectory of the root directory that contains users' home directories. Also, please check this.