LFCS · Question #496
According to the FHS, where are user mailboxes kept? Assume that mail is not being delivered to somewhere in their home directories.
The correct answer is C. /var/mail. The question asks for the standard location of user mailboxes according to the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS). The FHS specifies /var/mail as the primary location for user mailboxes.
Question
Options
- A/var/spool
- B/etc/mail
- C/var/mail
- D/usr/mail
How the community answered
(25 responses)- B4% (1)
- C88% (22)
- D8% (2)
Why each option
The question asks for the standard location of user mailboxes according to the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS). The FHS specifies `/var/mail` as the primary location for user mailboxes.
`/var/spool` contains data that is awaiting processing, such as print jobs (`/var/spool/lp`) or cron jobs, but not directly user mailboxes. Mail queues might be in a subdirectory like `/var/spool/mqueue`, but not individual user mailboxes.
`/etc/mail` typically contains configuration files for mail transfer agents (MTAs) like Sendmail or Postfix, not user mailboxes.
According to the FHS, `/var/mail` is the designated directory for user mailboxes. This directory typically contains individual files named after each user (e.g., `/var/mail/username`), where incoming mail is stored.
`/usr/mail` is an older, deprecated location for user mailboxes and is now typically a symbolic link to `/var/mail` or not used directly according to modern FHS.
Concept tested: FHS mail directory
Source: https://refspecs.linuxfoundation.org/FHS_3.0/fhs/ch05s07.html
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