Inode

The inode (index node) is a data structure in a Unix-style file system that describes a file-system object such as a file or a directory. Each inode stores the attributes and disk block locations of the object's data.[1] File-system object attributes may include metadata (times of last change,[2] access, modification), as well as owner and permission data.[3]

A directory is a list of inodes with their assigned names. The list includes an entry for itself, its parent, and each of its children.

  1. ^ Tanenbaum, Andrew S. Modern Operating Systems (3rd ed.). p. 279.
  2. ^ JVSANTEN. "Difference between mtime, ctime and atime - Linux Howtos and FAQs". Linux Howtos and FAQs. Archived from the original on 2016-11-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "Anatomy of the Linux virtual file system switch". ibm.com.