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practice task

Find the Largest Files Under /var

The root filesystem is nearly full and /var looks suspicious. You need a read-only way to find the biggest files without crossing into other mounted filesystems.

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Try first

find /var -xdev -type f -printf '%s %p\n' | sort -nr | head -20

Goal

List the largest regular files under /var and keep the search on the same filesystem.

Expected output

Rows beginning with byte counts followed by file paths, sorted from largest to smallest. Large logs, caches, or backups should stand out near the top.

Teaches

Use find for precise file selection and sort numerically before deciding what can be archived, truncated, rotated, or removed.

Common mistake

Using du on broad paths without -xdev and accidentally including backup mounts, container volumes, or network filesystems.

check your answer

Answer key

What should your command prove?

Rows beginning with byte counts followed by file paths, sorted from largest to smallest. Large logs, caches, or backups should stand out near the top.

How to explain it

Use find for precise file selection and sort numerically before deciding what can be archived, truncated, rotated, or removed.

What to avoid

Using du on broad paths without -xdev and accidentally including backup mounts, container volumes, or network filesystems.

command set

Commands to know

  1. find /var -xdev -type f -printf '%s %p\n'
  2. sort -nr
  3. head -20
  4. numfmt --to=iec

Related examples

answer check

Compare expected output

Open these command examples to compare your answer against realistic output.

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