HP NonStop G-Series - Manual (Page 27)

OSS Directories and Subdirectories
You can organize your files into groups and subgroups by placing them in directories. In addition,
you can place directories within other directories. A directory that is held within another directory
is known as a “subdirectory.” Directories that contain subdirectories are often called “parent
directories.”
The terms “directory” and “subdirectory” are frequently used interchangeably. They are almost
invariably used relative to each other and to a pathname. (See
“OSS Pathnames” (page 28) .)
You can organize directories, subdirectories, and files in a system of hierarchies. A well-organized
system of directories and subdirectories helps you manage your files easily.
Directories differ from files in two significant ways:
•
Directories and subdirectories are organizational tools; files are storage places for data.
•
Directories and subdirectories contain the names of files, other directories, or both.
A home directory is usually set up for each user within the OSS file system by a system administrator,
operator, or manager. Most users perform the majority of their work within their home directory.
You’ll probably want to create your own system of directories and subdirectories in your home
directory.
Like filenames, OSS directory names can have a maximum length of 248 characters.
The OSS File-System Structure
While you’ll probably be doing most of your work in your own home directory, the OSS file system
consists of much more than just users’ home directories.
Figure 3 shows a typical OSS file system. In Figure 3 , the names of directories appear in boldface
and the names of files are in italics.
Figure 3 A Typical OSS File System
At the top of the file system shown in Figure 3 is a / (slash) character. The /character represents
a file system’s root directory. All other directories and subdirectories in a file system are inside the
root directory.
OSS Directories and Subdirectories 27