010-160 · Question #72
What can be found in the /proc/ directory?
The correct answer is D. One directory per running process. The /proc/ virtual filesystem in Linux exposes kernel and process information as a pseudo-filesystem. Each running process is represented by a numbered directory matching its PID (process ID).
Question
Options
- AOne directory per installed program.
- BOne device file per hardware device.
- COne file per existing user account.
- DOne directory per running process.
- EOne log file per running service.
How the community answered
(46 responses)- A2% (1)
- C9% (4)
- D87% (40)
- E2% (1)
Why each option
The /proc/ virtual filesystem in Linux exposes kernel and process information as a pseudo-filesystem. Each running process is represented by a numbered directory matching its PID (process ID).
Installed programs do not have corresponding directories in /proc/ - application data resides in directories like /usr/ or /opt/, not in the process filesystem.
Hardware device files are located in /dev/, not /proc/ - /dev/ is managed by udev and contains block and character device nodes.
User account information is stored in /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow, not as files within /proc/.
The /proc/ directory is a virtual filesystem created by the Linux kernel that presents runtime system and process information as files and directories. Each running process has a subdirectory named after its numeric PID (e.g., /proc/1234/), containing files that expose details such as memory maps, file descriptors, and command-line arguments. This information exists only in memory and is generated on demand by the kernel.
Service log files are stored in /var/log/ or managed by the systemd journal - /proc/ does not contain log files for running services.
Concept tested: Linux /proc virtual filesystem and process directories
Source: https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/filesystems/proc.html
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