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Ex 09

The document outlines the layered architecture of file systems, detailing components such as the I/O Control Layer, Basic File System, File-Organization Module, and Logical File System. It also discusses file system implementation, including in-memory data structures like Volume Control Block and Directory Structure, as well as partition types. Additionally, it covers directory implementation methods and allocation strategies, highlighting their advantages and trade-offs.

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9 views2 pages

Ex 09

The document outlines the layered architecture of file systems, detailing components such as the I/O Control Layer, Basic File System, File-Organization Module, and Logical File System. It also discusses file system implementation, including in-memory data structures like Volume Control Block and Directory Structure, as well as partition types. Additionally, it covers directory implementation methods and allocation strategies, highlighting their advantages and trade-offs.

Uploaded by

quyendz767
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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File System Structure

File system typically follow a layered architecture, where each level builds on the one below
it:

- I/O Control Layer: Handles physical data transfer between disk and memory using device
drivers and interrupt handlers.

- Basic File System: Manages reading and writing raw disk blocks via generic commands.

- File-Organization Module: Maps logical file blocks to physical disk blocks, manages free
space, and handles block allocation.

- Logical File System: Manages metadata including directory structures, file-control blocks
(FCB), and access control.

File System implementation


The OS also maintains in-memory data structures to manage file systems:

- Volume Control Block: Stores volume information (e.g., block size, free blocks, and number
of files). Called the superblock in UFS and master file table in NTFS.

- Directory Structure: Organizes files and directories.

- System-wide Open-File Table: Tracks all open files across the system.

Image: FCB.png

- Per-Process Open-File Table: Keeps file handles specific to each process, linked to the
system-wide table.

- Buffers: Temporarily hold file system blocks during I/O operations.

Disks are divided into partitions, each treated as a separate logical disk. A partition may be:

- Raw: Unformatted, used directly by applications like databases or swap space.

- Cooked: Contains a formatted file system.

Image: file system structures.png

Virtual file system


The key to a Virtual File System (VFS) is that it provides a unified interface for applications
to access diverse file systems, abstracting away their specific implementations.

Image: VFS.png
Section 12.3: Directory Implementation
Two primary methods are used to implement directory structures:

- Linear List: A simple list of file names and pointers to file data blocks. It’s easy to
implement but inefficient for large directories due to slow search times.

- Hash Table: Improves lookup speed by hashing file names to quickly locate entries.

Section 12.4: Allocation Methods


Different strategies are used to allocate disk blocks to files, each with advantages and trade-
offs:

- Contiguous Allocation: Files occupy a continuous block range on disk. It supports fast
access but suffers from:

- External Fragmentation: Difficulty in finding large enough free spaces.

- Poor support for dynamic file growth.

Image: Contiguous allocation.png

- Linked Allocation: Each file block contains a pointer to the next block. While it eliminates
external fragmentation and simplifies growth:

- It only supports sequential access.

- It introduces overhead for storing pointers.

- A variation, File Allocation Table (FAT), centralizes the block pointers into a table
indexed by block number.

Image: Linked allocation.png

- Indexed Allocation: An index block contains all pointers to a file’s data blocks. It supports
both direct and sequential access and avoids fragmentation. For large files:

- Multilevel indexing (single, double, triple indirect blocks) extends addressability.

- UNIX-based file systems use inodes that store a combination of direct and indirect
pointers.

Image: Indexed allocation.png

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