LPIC-1 System Architecture Practice Question
Which directory contains information about hardware devices in a hierarchical structure, such as PCI devices and USB devices?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse /proc (which also contains some hardware info like /proc/cpuinfo) with /sys, but /proc lacks the structured, hierarchical device topology that sysfs provides for buses like PCI and USB.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
/sys
The /sys directory (sysfs) is a virtual filesystem that exports information about hardware devices, drivers, and kernel objects in a hierarchical structure. It organizes devices by their bus type (e.g., PCI, USB) and provides detailed attributes such as vendor IDs, device IDs, and power management states, making it the correct location for querying hardware topology.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
/sys
Why this is correct
/sys is the sysfs pseudo-filesystem, exposing kernel objects as directories and attributes, including PCI and USB device hierarchies. Unlike /dev, which holds device nodes, or /proc, which reports processes and kernel parameters, sysfs is specifically structured for enumerating hardware topology.
- ✗
/dev
Why it's wrong here
/dev contains device nodes (block and character special files) that provide access to devices, not a hierarchical bus topology. It is tempting because device names appear there, but PCI and USB parent-child relationships are exposed by the sysfs filesystem at /sys.
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/etc
Why it's wrong here
/etc holds static host-specific configuration files such as passwd and fstab, not a device hierarchy. It is tempting because administrators edit hardware-related settings there, but the sysfs tree exposing PCI and USB topology lives under /sys.
- ✗
/proc
Why it's wrong here
/proc is a virtual filesystem exposing kernel and process state, such as /proc/cpuinfo and /proc/interrupts, not a device bus hierarchy. It is tempting because it is kernel-generated and hardware-adjacent, but PCI and USB device trees are published by sysfs under /sys.
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