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chroot

chroot

1 9.9
A computer command that makes a program use a new top folder to keep it separate from the system
  • noun
  • /ˈʧruːt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : chroot
  • By employing chroot(), he ensured that the program ran in a secure directory, preventing access to sensitive files.

Examples

  • NOTE: If you are getting /usr/sbin/grub-probe: error: cannot stat 'aufs' error, then the possible reason is that you didn't follow the commands listed above. Specifically, you did not do chroot, i.e., sudo chroot /mnt.

    Blog text (16)
  • Running it in chroot is pretty boring shit.

    Blog text (32)
  • Second, a typical OS kernel already provides a wide range of protection mechanisms, including user IDs, process memory protection, chroot jails, and so on.

    Academic text (2011)
  • NOTE: If you are getting /usr/sbin/grub-probe: error: cannot stat 'aufs' error, then the possible reason is that you didn't follow the commands listed above. Specifically, you did not do chroot, i.e., sudo chroot /mnt.

    Blog text (16)
  • The developers used chroot() to create a confined environment for testing software without affecting the main system.

  • To enhance security, the system administrator set up a chroot jail for the web server, isolating it from the rest of the system.

Surface Forms

chroot singular
chroots plural

Morphology

chroot = root (semi-transparent) = ch + root

The element 'root' directly relates to filesystem root, but 'ch' is an abbreviation/clipping of 'change' used in technical jargon and is not transparently interpretable to typical learners.

Etymology

Chroot comes from ch- (short for 'change') and root (the 'top' directory of a computer). It started as a Unix command to 'change root' for a process, and the name tells you its job: to move a program into a separate root so it cannot affect the rest of the system.