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# Overview of a Linux System

God looked over everything he had made,
and saw that it was very good.
Genesis 1:31

This chapter gives an overview of a Linux system. First, the major services provided by the operating system are described. Then, the programs that implement these services are described with a considerable lack of detail. The purpose of this chapter is to give an understanding of the system as a whole, so that each part is described in detail elsewhere.

- Various parts of an operating system
- Important parts of the kernel
- Major services in a UNIX system
  - `init`
  - Logins from terminals
  - Syslog
  - Periodic command execution: `cron` and `at`
  - Graphical user interface
  - Networking
  - Network logins
  - Network file systems
  - Mail
  - Printing
- The filesystem layout