Operating Systems · Unit 5 · 6 hrs
File Management
Exam-focused notes for File Management (Operating Systems, CSC264): what the TU syllabus asks and how it has actually been tested, with 9 solved past questions from this unit.
What this unit covers
- File Overview: File Naming, File Structure, File Types, File Access, File Attributes, File Operations, Single Level, two Level and Hierarchical Directory Systems, File System Layout
- Implementing Files: Contiguous allocation, Linked List Allocation, Linked List Allocation using Table in Memory, Inodes
- Directory Operations
- Path Names
- Directory Implementation
- Shared Files
- Free Space Management: Bitmaps, Linked List
File Overview
List different file structures and explain them. [5]
A file structure defines how data is organized and stored within a file. Different types of files have different internal structures depending on their purpose and the programs that use them. --- Regular files contain user information. They are the most com...
Full solved answer →What is ment by file attributes? Discuss any one technique of implementing directories in detail. [5]
Every file has a name and the data it contains. In addition, a file system stores extra information associated with each file, known as file attributes (also called metadata). These attributes describe the properties of the file and help the operating syste...
Full solved answer →Why do we need hierarchical directory system? Explain structure of disk. [5]
--- A hierarchical directory system is the generalization of the two-level directory structure into a tree of arbitrary height. It allows users to create their own sub-directories and to organize their files accordingly. Directory Type Limitation ------ Sin...
Full solved answer →Implementing Files
Differentiate between contiguous and linked list file allocation technique. [5]
As stated in the notes, "the simplest allocation scheme is to store each file as a contiguous run of disk blocks." Each file occupies a set of consecutive blocks on the disk. The directory entry stores only the starting block address and the length of the f...
Full solved answer →Discuss the advantages disadvantages of implementing file system using Linked List. [5]
In a linked list allocation of a file system, each file is stored as a linked list of disk blocks. Each block contains a pointer to the next block of the file. The directory entry holds the address of the first block, and each block points to the next until...
Full solved answer →Discuss about contiguous and linked list file allocation technique. [5]
In contiguous allocation, each file is stored as a contiguous run of disk blocks on the disk. The directory entry for each file records the starting block address and the length of the file. Example: - On a disk with 1-KB blocks, a 50-KB file is allocated 5...
Full solved answer →Write short notes on : a. Inode b. RAID [5]
--- An inode (index node) is a fundamental data structure used in Unix/Linux file systems to store metadata about a file or directory. Every file in the file system has exactly one inode associated with it. - An inode stores all information about a file exc...
Full solved answer →Free Space Management
What approaches are using for managing free disk spaces? Explain linked list approaches with example. [5]
The system maintains a free space list to keep track of disk blocks not allocated to any file or directory. The two main approaches are: 1. Bitmap (Bit Vector) 2. Linked List --- In the linked list approach, all free disk blocks are linked together. Each fr...
Full solved answer →How can you manage free disk space? Explain the linked list approach of managing free disk space with example. [5]
The operating system maintains a free space list to keep track of disk blocks that are not allocated to any file or directory. This list is used to allocate space when new files are created and to reclaim space when files are deleted. The free space list ca...
Full solved answer →Make Unit 5 stick
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