I have created a VPS on Linode and went in to create a VPN. The first step in the LMS directions is run “cd ~/Downloads” which I ran and it said there is no such file or directory. Can anybody tell me where my files and folders are because I can’t find anything on the vps? It looks like I don’t have any kind of a system setup. Don’t know if this maters but I have Linux Mint on my computer and the option I picked for the server is Ubuntu 21.10.
Rich
@rlegarra . Is this still an issue for you? I noticed the lack of reply, so let’s see what @vasileios thinks.
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No sir, I think I figured out that there won’t be anything on the vps until I actually install something.
I was able to go in and set up an OpenVPN which was pretty cool to get accomplished for this beginner anyway, and when I look to see what is on the vps now I do find the OpenVPN setup. I am assuming that is all that should be there. Thanks for the follow up though, It is good to know somebody is there trying to help those of us who really need it.
Hey Rich!
The fact is that there is no home directorty structure when you install the Linux OS on a Linode VPS. The same goes for when you create a new user. You’ll need to manually create that folder via:
mkdir ~/Downloads
This command should be executed when you logged in as a normal user. If you do this while you are root, make sure you include the full path of your user:
mkdir /home/username/Downloads
And then make sure you use the chown command to give your normal user ownership and privileges. Otherwise, the folder will be innaccessible. 
@vasileios,thanks for the help. If i am using the Linode VPS just for a VPN do I need to make a downloads folder and is the firewall a good idea? When I was setting the VPN up it sounded like it really did’t have much of a purpose.
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Hey @rlegarra!
Not really, on both ends. However, if you wish to have the extra security, then you can just install and enable UFW.
On a similar note, the “Downloads” folder is just for the purpose of having a clean folder structure.