Important Linux files

Where you can find performance metrics and configuration settings

On Linux systems, there are several important files that contain performance metrics and configurations. Some of these files include:

Here are some important files in the /proc directory:

  • /proc/cpuinfo - contains information about the processor, including its type, speed, and available features
  • /proc/meminfo - contains information about system memory, including total, free, and used memory
  • /proc/uptime - contains the uptime of the system in seconds
  • /proc/loadavg - contains the load average of the system over the past 1, 5, and 15 minutes
  • /proc/stat - contains various statistics about system activity, including the number of processes, context switches, and interrupts
  • /proc/devices - lists the device files in the /dev directory and their corresponding major and minor device numbers
  • /proc/filesystems - lists the filesystem types supported by the kernel
  • /proc/kcore - a copy of the kernel's physical memory
  • /proc/kmsg - contains kernel messages
  • /proc/sys - contains various system parameters that can be modified using sysctl
  • /proc/sysrq-trigger - a file that can be used to perform emergency actions when the system is in a critical state
  • /proc/self - a symbolic link to the directory corresponding to the current process

It is important for a Linux administrator to be familiar with these and other configuration files, as they contain important information about the system and its settings.