Chapter 2: File System

Operating system

TS. DO TIEN DUNG

[email protected]

Faculty of Information Technology

Post and Telecommunication Institute of Technology

August 15, 2023

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Content
Definitions
File Definition
Cấu trúc files Files system

Access Methods
File operations

Folder
Folder Definition
Folder operations
Folder structure
Acyclic graph
Directory name
Inside folder Organizer

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Content of Chapter 2

1. Definitions
2. File access methods
3. File Operations (các thao tác với file)
4. Folder
5. File volume allocation
6. Disks management
7. File systems robustness
8. File systems security
9. FAT files system

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Definitions
▶ File is defined as a collection of related information, which is named
and stored in external memory.

Hình 2: Files system

▶ File attribute: to manages files based on content, OS also defines

attributes, properties (thuộc tính, tính chất).
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Definitions (cont.)

▶ File attributes:
• File name
• File type
• File volume
• File creater, owner
• File access permission
• Thời gian tạo file, sửa file, truy cập lần cuối File created, edit time,
last edited time
• File location

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Definitions (cont.)

Hình 3: File attributes

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Definitions (cont.)

▶ File name:
• Identify files.
• Most used informtion when users work with files.
• Rules of file names:

Hình 4: Rule of file name

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Definitions
Files system

▶ Information inside files could be different.

▶ Some files have unstructured information: text file. Structured files
such as: database file, file excel.
File structure is also different and depends on the information of files
▶ OS need to know and support file structures?
▶ Support file structure at OS level:
• Advantages:
▶ File operations will be easier for application programmers.
▶ OS can control file operations.

• Disadvantages:
▶ Size up the system volume/
▶ Reduce the flexibility of system.

▶ In reality, OS consider files as collection of unstructured byte.

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Definitions (cont.)
Files system

▶ Most of OS do not support and manage structured file.

▶ The file structure is managed by the application program and users.
▶ In UNIX, DOS, WINDOWS, files are considered as collection of bytes.
▶ Application programs will create and manage their own file structures.
For instance: The graphical program saves the file as an unzipped
binary, the data management system program creates a file that in-
cludes logs.

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Access Methods

▶ To read/write files, OS must specify how to access the file contents.

Each OS supports one or more different access ways.
▶ Sequential access:
• Information is read/write by byte/loge from the file beginning.
• Use pointer to allocate the current position in files.
• After one read/write operation, the pointer position will increase one
to next position.
• This type of access is suitable for files stored on magnetic tape. Infor-
mation is written or read in the direction of the tape rotation.

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Access Methods (cont.)

▶ Direct access:
• File is considered as numbered blocks/logs.
• Blocks can be accessed by arbitrary order.
• For instance: it can read 50th block, then 13th and 101th.
• Direct access is based on disk access characteristics, which allows ac-
cessing to any block.
• File is allocated at different blocks in disk, which allows non-sequential
access.

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Access Methods (cont.)
▶ Index-based access:
• Allows access to logs in the file, not by the number or position of log,
but by the corresponding key to that log.
• File has one private index: includes keys and pointer to logs in files.
• Access: find corresponding key in index list, then pointer identify logs
and access directly to it.

Hình 5: Index-based access

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File operations

▶ OS regulate operations that users and applications can work with files.
▶ Most used operations are:
• Create file: create empty file; File is allocated the space with attributes
such as created time, name, user.
• Delete file:
▶ Free up the space that file takes in the disk.
▶ Free up the file in folder.
▶ Free up the space can simply mark as free space.
• Open file:
▶ Before read/write file.
▶ Read file attributes in the disks to speed up the next read/write oper-
ation.
• Close file:
▶ Delete file information in the memory table to give a space for coming
file.

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File operations (cont.)

▶ Many OS restrict the number of opened files at the same time, so close
the accessed file is important.
• Write to file:
▶ Data is written at the current position in file.
▶ If the current position is at the end of file, information is added and
the file volume increase.
▶ If the current position is not at the end, information will be overwritten.

• Read file Information at current position will be read.

• seek Indentify the current file position.
• Read file attributes: Some application need to read the file attributes
such as access permission for security purpose.
• Change file attributes: Reset some file attributes.
• Delete file content: Delete file contend, release the space volume that
file occulpies, but keep file attributes except length.

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File operations (cont.)

• Lock file: When many processes change file content, it may result in
unexpected results, so OS allow locking file. When a process opens
file, it can request to lock file and do not allow other processes access,
read or write that file.

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Folder
Folder Definition

▶ The number of files stored in the disks is huge => need to organize
files for easy management and access.
▶ Disk is assigned into partition/volume (logic disk).

* Disk is assign into:

Partitions, Minidisks, Volumes.
* Each partition is separated storage area. It can have OSs.

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Folder (cont.)
Folder Definition

▶ Combine some disks into a big logic disk.

* Users only care about file and folder logic.

* They do not care about the disk partition management.

▶ To manage files in disk logic, file information is stored in folder.

▶ Folder is formed from entries and each entry is one file.
▶ Entry include file information: name, capacity, location, file type or
pointer of storage information.
▶ Folder as a table, each row is an entry. Finding necessary row based
on file name. Folder allow mapping file name to that row.
▶ Storage metheds:
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Folder (cont.)
Folder Definition

• All file properties are stored in folder. File contain content only =>
volume of entries, folder is big.
• A part of properties is stored with file content. Folder only store nec-
essary information for finding file location => volume is decreased

Hình 6: File properties storage a) With folder b) With file

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Folder
Folder operations

▶ Open file:
• OS find in folder/entry mapping to file name.
• Read properties and location of file in table containing opened files.
• If entry mapping to another file structure of file properties, this struc-
ture will be written in the table.
▶ File searching: folder structure allow searching with file name.
▶ File create: create new entry and add in folder.
▶ File delete: information of file and entry will be deleted from folder.
▶ Folder list: list files and information of that entry.
▶ Change name: only work with folder, not file content.

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Folder
Folder structure

▶ One level folder:

• Most simplest
• Only one folder and all files are stored in this folder.
• It is difficult to choose file name.
• It is difficult to search file.

Hình 7: One level folder structure

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Folder (cont.)
Folder structure

▶ Two level folder:

• Assign each user their own folder(UFD: User File Directory) containing
their files.
• When user access file, file will be search in their name folder.
• User can name files with same name.
• Isolate users. Files that share with many users => copy to all user
folders => waste of resource.

Hình 8: Two level folder structure

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Folder (cont.)
Folder structure

▶ Tree structure folder:

• Folder can contain other smaller folder and files.
• Folder structure is shown as tree structure: branch is folder and leaf is
file.

Hình 9: Tree structure folder

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Folder (cont.)
Folder structure

▶ Tree structure folder:

• Distinguish file entry and small folder entry: add special bit in entry
▶ 1: folder entry

▶ 0: file entry

• Each time, user work with current directory

• Organize tree structure foler for each disk:
▶ In file systems like FAT, DOS, tree folder is structured for disk. Folder
system is forest, each tree in one disk.
▶ Linux: whole system contain one tree.

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Folder
Folder structure

▶ Acyclic graph:

• Files and folder can be at different folders.

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Folder (cont.)
Folder structure

• This is a non-cyclic graph, and a extension of tree structure.

• Tree: leaf and branch may belong to other branches.
• Deployment:
▶ Use Sử dụng liên kết: con trỏ tới thư mục hoặc file khác

▶ Create the copies of shared files and store in different folder => ensure
the synthesis and consistency => avoid cross back-up, store one file
many times.

• Flexible but complicated

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Folder
Directory name

▶ Describe file location in folder

▶ Absolute directory:
• Directory from root folder, to intermediate folder, file.
For ex: C: -> bc -> bin -> bc.exe
▶ Relative Directory:
• From the current folderTính từ thư mục hiện thời
• Add 2 special entries in folder: "."represents current folder, và ".."for
upper folder.

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Folder
Inside folder Organizer

▶ List:
• Organize folder as the list of entries.
• Search entries by scanning the list
• Add new file in folder:
▶ Scan folder to check the existing of file name

▶ New entry is added at the end of the list or one cell in the table

• Open, delete file

• Search in the list (danh sách chậm)
• Store folder in the memory

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Folder (cont.)
Inside folder Organizer

▶ Binary tree:
• Increase searching speed thanks to structured data.
• NTFS file system of WinNT

▶ hash table:
• Use hash function to find location of entry in folder by file name.
• Quick searching time
• Hash function depends on the size of hash table => fixed hash table
size.

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Folder (cont.)
Inside folder Organizer

▶ Folder stucture of DOS:

• Each logic disk has its own folder, starting from ROOT folder.
• ROOT folder is placed at the beginning of disk, right after BOOT
sector and FAT table.
• ROOT folder contains files and other child folders.
• Child folder can have files and other lower level folders.
• Organize by table: each entry is one row in table and has fixed size of
32 bytes.

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Folder (cont.)
Inside folder Organizer

▶ Folder structure of Linux:

• Folder system Ext2 in Linux is simple.
• Entry has file name and I-node address.
• Other information of file properties and location of data block are
stored in I-node, not in folder.
• Entry size depends on length of file name.
• The headers of entry has information of entry size.

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Conclusions

Chapter 2

▶ Definitions
▶ File access methods
▶ File operations
▶ Folder

Next

▶ Cấp phát không gian cho file

▶ Quản lý không gian trống trên đĩa
▶ Độ tin cậy của hệ thống file
▶ File system security
▶ File system FAT

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