Where can you typically find system partitions in Linux?

The choice of /proc/partitions as a location for finding system partitions in Linux is grounded in the way the Linux kernel presents information about system resources. Specifically, the /proc/partitions file provides a straightforward interface to view the current partitions on your system's block devices. This virtual file contains details such as the major and minor device numbers, the number of blocks, and the name of each partition.

Accessing /proc/partitions is useful for diagnostics and management, allowing users to quickly ascertain what partitions are available without requiring access to more complex or less transparent system files. This makes it a convenient first step when you want to check the configuration of physical or logical storage devices.

The other locations mentioned serve different purposes:

• /etc/mtab lists currently mounted filesystems and their respective mount points, but it does not give a complete view of all available system partitions.
• /dev/mapper is related to device-mapper devices, primarily used for logical volume management. It represents devices that have been created using the device-mapper framework, rather than listing all available partitions.
• /sys/block contains information about block devices in a structured format, but it's more low-level and is often utilized for system-level operations rather than simply checking available