File-System Interface
Chapter 13
Sections 13.1 to 13.3 inclusive
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 1
Objectives
◼ To explain the function of file systems
◼ To describe the interfaces to file systems
◼ To discuss file-system design tradeoffs, including
◼ access methods
◼ file sharing
◼ file locking
◼ directory structures
◼ To explore file-system protection
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 2
Chapter Outline
◼ File Concept
◼ Access Methods
◼ Directory Structure
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 3
- File Concept
◼ Contiguous logical address space
◼ Types:
◼ Data
◼ numeric
◼ character
◼ binary
◼ Program
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 4
-- File Structure
◼ None
◼ sequence of words, bytes
◼ Simple record structure
◼ Lines
◼ Fixed length
◼ Variable length
◼ Complex Structures
◼ Formatted document
◼ Relocatable load file
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 5
-- 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
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 6
-- File Operations
◼ File is an abstract data type
◼ Create
◼ Write
◼ Read
◼ Reposition within file
◼ 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
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 7
-- Open Files
◼ Several pieces of data are needed to manage 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
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 8
-- File Types – Name, Extension
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 9
- Access Methods
◼ Sequential Access
read next
write next
reset
no read after last write
(rewrite)
◼ Direct Access
read n
write n
position to n
read next
write next
rewrite n
n = relative block number
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 10
-- Sequential-access File
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 11
-- Simulation of Sequential Access on a Direct-access File
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 12
-- Example of Index and Relative Files
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 13
- 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
▪ Backups of these two structures are kept on tapes
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 14
-- Operations Performed on Directory
◼ Search for a file
◼ Create a file
◼ Delete a file
◼ List a directory
◼ Rename a file
◼ Traverse the file system
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 15
-- Organize the Directory (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, …)
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 16
-- Single-Level Directory
◼ A single directory for all users
◼ Disadvantage:
◼ Naming problem
◼ Grouping problem
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 17
-- Two-Level Directory
◼ Separate directory for each user
Path name
Can have the same file name for different user
Efficient searching
No grouping capability
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 18
-- Tree-Structured Directories …
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 19
… -- Tree-Structured Directories …
◼ Efficient searching
◼ Grouping Capability
◼ Current directory (working directory)
◼ cd /spell/mail/prog
◼ type list
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 20
… -- Tree-Structured Directories
◼ 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
mail
prog copy prt exp count
Deleting “mail” deleting the entire subtree rooted by “mail”
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 21
-- Acyclic-Graph Directories …
◼ Have shared subdirectories and files
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 22
… -- Acyclic-Graph Directories
◼ Two different names (aliasing)
◼ If dict deletes list dangling pointer
Solutions:
◼ Backpointers, so we can delete all pointers
◼ Entry-hold-count solution
◼ New directory entry type
◼ Link – another name (pointer) to an existing file
◼ Resolve the link – follow pointer to locate the file
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 23
-- General Graph Directory …
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 24
… -- General Graph Directory
◼ How do we guarantee no cycles?
◼ Allow only links to file not subdirectories
◼ Garbage collection
◼ Every time a new link is added use a cycle detection
algorithm to determine whether it is OK
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 25
Disclaimer
◼ Parts of the lecture slides contain original work of Abraham Silberschatz, Peter B.
Galvin, Greg Gagne, Andrew S. Tanenbaum, and Gary Nutt. The slides are intended
for the sole purpose of instruction of Operating Systems course at KFUPM. All
copyrighted materials belong to their original owner(s).
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 26
April 28, 2025 OS: FSI 27
