Unix Interview Questions and Answers
Question - 111 : - What is a directory?
Answer - 111 : -
Every file is assigned to a directory. A directory is a specialized form of a file that maintains a list of all files in it.
Question - 112 : - What is inode?
Answer - 112 : -
An inode is an entry created on a section of the disk set aside for a file system. The inode contains nearly all the information about a file. It includes the location on the disk where the file starts, the size of the file, when the file was last used when the file was last changed, what the various read, write and execute permissions are, who owns the file, and other information.
Question - 113 : - You have a file called tonky in the directory honky. Later you add new material to tonky. What changes take place in the directory, inode, and file?
Answer - 113 : -
The directory entry is unchanged since the name and inode number remain unchanged. In the inode file, the file size, time of last access, and time of last modification are updated. In the file itself, the new material is added.
Question - 114 : - Describe file systems in UNIX
Answer - 114 : -
Understanding file systems in UNIX has to do with knowing how files and inodes are stored on a system. What happens is that a disk or portion of a disk is set aside to store files and the inode entries. The entire functional unit is referred to as a file system.
Question - 115 : - Differentiate relative path from an absolute path.
Answer - 115 : -
Relative path refers to the path relative to the current path. An absolute path, on the other hand, refers to the exact path as referenced from the root directory.
Question - 116 : - Explain the importance of directories in a UNIX system
Answer - 116 : -
Files in a directory can be a directory itself; it would be called a subdirectory of the original. This capability makes it possible to develop a tree-like structure of directories and files, which is crucial in maintaining an organizational scheme.
Question - 117 : - Briefly describe the Shell’s responsibilities
Answer - 117 : -
- program execution
- variable and file name substitution
- I/O redirection
- pipeline hookup
- environment control
- interpreted programming language
Question - 118 : - What are shell variables?
Answer - 118 : -
Shell variables are a combination of a name ( identifier), and an assigned value, which exists within the shell. These variables may have default values, or whose values can be manually set using the appropriate assignment command. Examples of shell variable are PATH, TERM, and HOME.
Question - 119 : - What are the differences among a system call, a library function, and a UNIX command?
Answer - 119 : -
A system call is part of the programming for the kernel. A library function is a program that is not part of the kernel but which is available to users of the system. UNIX commands, however, are stand-alone programs; they may incorporate both system calls and library functions in their programming.
Question - 120 : - What is Bash Shell?
Answer - 120 : -
It is a free shell designed to work on the UNIX system. Being the default shell for most UNIX-based systems, it combines features that are available both in the C and Korn Shell.