<s>
In	O
a	O
computer	B-Application
file	I-Application
system	I-Application
,	O
and	O
primarily	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
Unix	B-Application
and	O
Unix-like	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
systems	I-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
root	B-Application
directory	I-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
or	O
top-most	O
directory	B-Application
in	O
a	O
hierarchy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
be	O
likened	O
to	O
the	O
trunk	O
of	O
a	O
tree	B-Application
,	O
as	O
the	O
starting	O
point	O
where	O
all	O
branches	O
originate	O
from	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
root	B-Application
file	I-Application
system	I-Application
is	O
the	O
file	B-Application
system	I-Application
contained	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
disk	B-Application
partition	I-Application
on	O
which	O
the	O
root	B-Application
directory	I-Application
is	O
located	O
;	O
it	O
is	O
the	O
filesystem	B-Application
on	O
top	O
of	O
which	O
all	O
other	O
file	B-Application
systems	I-Application
are	O
mounted	B-Application
as	O
the	O
system	O
boots	O
up	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unix	B-Application
abstracts	O
the	O
nature	O
of	O
this	O
tree	B-Application
hierarchy	O
entirely	O
and	O
in	O
Unix	B-Application
and	O
Unix-like	B-Operating_System
systems	I-Operating_System
the	O
root	B-Application
directory	I-Application
is	O
denoted	O
by	O
the	O
/	O
(	O
slash	O
)	O
sign	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
the	O
root	B-Application
directory	I-Application
is	O
conventionally	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
/	O
,	O
the	O
directory	B-Application
entry	O
itself	O
has	O
no	O
name	O
its	O
path	O
is	O
the	O
"	O
empty	O
"	O
part	O
before	O
the	O
initial	O
directory	B-Application
separator	O
character	O
(	O
/	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
file	B-Application
system	I-Application
entries	O
,	O
including	O
mounted	B-Application
file	B-Application
systems	I-Application
are	O
"	O
branches	O
"	O
of	O
this	O
root	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
UNIX-like	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
systems	I-Operating_System
,	O
each	O
process	B-Operating_System
has	O
its	O
own	O
idea	O
of	O
what	O
the	O
root	B-Application
directory	I-Application
is	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
most	O
processes	O
this	O
is	O
the	O
same	O
as	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
actual	O
root	B-Application
directory	I-Application
,	O
but	O
it	O
can	O
be	O
changed	O
by	O
calling	O
the	O
system	B-Operating_System
call	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chroot	B-Application
is	O
not	O
meant	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
enhanced	O
security	O
as	O
the	O
processes	O
inside	O
can	O
break	O
out	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
Unix	B-Application
systems	I-Application
support	O
a	O
directory	B-Application
below	O
the	O
root	B-Application
directory	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Normally	O
,	O
"	O
/..	O
"	O
points	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
same	O
inode	B-Application
as	O
"	O
/	O
"	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
under	O
,	O
this	O
can	O
be	O
changed	O
to	O
point	O
to	O
a	O
super-root	O
directory	O
,	O
where	O
remote	O
trees	O
can	O
be	O
mounted	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
two	O
workstations	O
"	O
pcs2a	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
pcs2b	O
"	O
were	O
connected	O
via	O
"	O
connectnodes	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
uunite	O
"	O
startup	O
script	O
,	O
"	O
/../pcs2b	O
"	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
root	B-Application
directory	I-Application
of	O
"	O
pcs2b	O
"	O
from	O
"	O
pcs2a	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
many	O
Unixes	B-Application
,	O
there	O
is	O
also	O
a	O
directory	B-Application
named	O
(	O
pronounced	O
"	O
slash	O
root	O
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
the	O
home	B-Application
directory	I-Application
of	O
the	O
'	O
root	O
 '	O
superuser	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
many	O
Mac	B-Device
and	O
iOS	B-Application
systems	O
this	O
superuser	B-Application
home	B-Application
directory	I-Application
is	O
.	O
</s>
