CompTIA Linux+ (XK0-006)System ManagementMedium

An administrator is compiling and installing software from source code and wants to keep it completely separate from files managed by the distribution's package manager (dnf/apt), while still following the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard. Which directory tree is intended for this purpose?

  1. A/usr/local
  2. B/usr/share
  3. C/srv
  4. D/opt
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A. /usr/local

The FHS designates /usr/local for software compiled and installed locally by the system administrator, separate from distribution-managed packages. /opt is for self-contained third-party vendor packages, /usr/share holds architecture-independent shared data, and /srv holds data for services provided by the system.

Why the other options are wrong

  • B. Holds shared, architecture-independent data files like documentation and icons.
  • C. Holds data served by the system, such as web or FTP content.
  • D. Intended for self-contained third-party vendor application bundles, not source builds.

/usr/local

FHS directory for software compiled and installed locally by the administrator, kept separate from distro-managed packages.

  • Contains its own bin, lib, share subdirectories
  • Not touched by dnf/apt package upgrades
  • Different from /opt, which is for vendor bundles

Memory trick: 'usr/local' = the admin's private workshop, untouched by the package manager.

More System Management questions