Location of ini config files in linux unix

Question

Two questions, really:

1. Is there a standard/convention regarding the placement on configuration files?

   For system or quasi-system programs they seem to usually be somewhere in /etc. It seems less clear for plain application programs or programs with insufficient privileges for /etc.

2. In processing program options is there a standard hierarchy of what takes precedence? E.g. does a command line option override an initialization file and/or an environment variable? Vice versa? Or is this entirely up to the developer?

Answer 1

To modify a Linux configuration file, all you have to do is locate it and open it with a text editor. The great majority of Linux configuration files keep their configuration data in plain text, so all an administrator needs to do to update the settings is change the contents and save the file. The process can be done with a variety of text editors, and it usually boils down to personal preference. The /etc/ directory or a subdirectory contains the vast majority of Linux configuration files.

The command line will be used to edit these configuration files the majority of the time, so get familiar with apps like Nano or Vi.

What is the Network-scripts Config File and How Do I Configure It?
In Linux, there are two ways to edit network interface configurations:

Command-line environment
Both REHL (and CentOS) and Ubuntu have graphical editors for these configuration files. Depending on whose graphical interface you're using, those graphical utilities will be accessed in a different method.

However, these options are usually accessible in the networking area of the system preferences or the utility section. Each interface available in the system will be listed in the networking settings. Most of the parameters discussed above will be accessible when editing these networking interfaces.