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File System Interface

The document outlines the concept of files in a file system, detailing their attributes, operations, and types. It discusses file management, including open file handling, access methods, and directory structures. Additionally, it explains directory organization and various directory types, emphasizing the importance of efficiency and grouping in file management.

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4 views

File System Interface

The document outlines the concept of files in a file system, detailing their attributes, operations, and types. It discusses file management, including open file handling, access methods, and directory structures. Additionally, it explains directory organization and various directory types, emphasizing the importance of efficiency and grouping in file management.

Uploaded by

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

File Concept
• Collection of related information stored on
disk.
• A file is a sequence of bits, bytes, lines of
records.
• Source program, object program, Executable
program, numeric data, text, graphic images,
sound recordings etc.
File Attributes
• Name – only information kept in human-readable form
• Identifier – unique tag (number) identifies file within file system
• Type – needed for systems that support different types
• Location – pointer to file location on device
• Size – current file size
• Protection – controls who can do reading, writing, executing
• Time, date, and user identification – data for protection, security, and
usage monitoring
• Information about files are kept in the directory structure, which is
maintained on the disk
• Many variations, including extended file attributes such as file checksum
• Information kept in the directory structure
File Operations
• File is an abstract data type
• Create
• Write – at write pointer location
• Read – at read pointer location
• Reposition within file - seek
• Delete
• Truncate
• Open(Fi) – search the directory structure on disk for entry Fi,
and move the content of entry to memory
• Close (Fi) – move the content of entry Fi in memory to directory
structure on disk
Open Files
• Several pieces of data are needed to manage open
files:
– Open-file table: tracks open files
– File pointer: pointer to last read/write location, per
process that has the file open
– File-open count: counter of number of times a file is
open – to allow removal of data from open-file table
when last processes closes it
– Disk location of the file: cache of data access information
– Access rights: per-process access mode information
Open File Locking
• Provided by some operating systems and file systems
– Similar to reader-writer locks
– Shared lock similar to reader lock – several processes can
acquire concurrently
– Exclusive lock similar to writer lock
• Mediates access to a file
• Mandatory or advisory:
– Mandatory – access is denied depending on locks held and
requested
– Advisory – processes can find status of locks and decide
what to do
File Types – Name, Extension
File Structure
• None - sequence of words, bytes
• Simple record structure
– Lines
– Fixed length
– Variable length
• Complex Structures
– Formatted document
– Relocatable load file
• Can simulate last two with first method by inserting
appropriate control characters
• Who decides:
– Operating system
– Program
Access Methods
• Sequential Access
read next
write next
reset
no read after last write
(rewrite)

• Direct Access – file is fixed length logical records


read n
write n
position to n
read next
write next
rewrite n
n = relative block number

• Relative block numbers allow OS to decide where file should be placed


– See allocation problem in Ch 12
Simulation of Sequential Access on Direct-
access File
Other Access Methods
• Can be built on top of base methods
• General involve creation of an index for the file
• Keep index in memory for fast determination of location of
data to be operated on (consider UPC code plus record of
data about that item)
• If too large, index (in memory) of the index (on disk)
• IBM indexed sequential-access method (ISAM)
– Small master index, points to disk blocks of secondary index
– File kept sorted on a defined key
– All done by the OS
• VMS operating system provides index and relative files as
another example (see next slide)
Example of Index and Relative Files
Directory Structure
• A collection of nodes containing information about all files

Directory

Files
F1 F2 F4
F3
Fn

Both the directory structure and the files reside on disk


Operations Performed on Directory
• Search for a file
• Create a file
• Delete a file
• List a directory
• Rename a file
• Traverse the file system
Directory Organization
• The directory is organized logically to
obtain
• Efficiency – locating a file quickly
• Naming – convenient to users
– Two users can have same name for different files
– The same file can have several different names
• Grouping – logical grouping of files by
properties, (e.g., all Java programs, all games,
…)
Single-Level Directory

s• A single directory for all users

• Naming problem
• Grouping problem
Two Level Directory
• Separate directory for each user

 Path name
 Can have the same file name for different user
 Efficient searching
 No grouping capability
Tree-Structured Directories
Tree-Structured Directories (Cont.)
• Efficient searching

• Grouping Capability

• Current directory (working directory)


– cd /spell/mail/prog
– type list
• Absolute or relative path name
• Creating a new file is done in current directory
• Delete a file
rm <file-name>
• Creating a new subdirectory is done in current directory
mkdir <dir-name>
Example: if in current directory /mail
mkdir count
Contd..

Deleting “mail”  deleting the entire subtree rooted by “mail”

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