Chapter 14: File-System Implementation (Ch 14 Silberschatz)

Question 1

To improve I/O efficiency, I/O transfers between memory and mass storage are performed in units of

Answer 1

blocks. Each block on a hard disk drive has one or more sectors.

Question 2

File systems provide

Answer 2

efficient and convenient access to the storage device by allowing data to be stored, located, and retrieved easily.

Question 3

The I/O control level consists of

Answer 3

device drivers and interrupt handlers to transfer information between the main memory and the disk system.

Question 4

In computing, a disk system refers to

Answer 4

the hardware and software components involved in storing and retrieving data on disk storage devices.

Question 5

The basic file system (called the “block I/O subsystem” in Linux) needs only to issue generic commands to the

Answer 5

appropriate device driver to read and write blocks on the storage device. It issues commands to the drive based on logical block addresses.

Question 6

The file-organization module knows about files and their

Answer 6

logical blocks. Each file’s logical blocks are numbered from 0 (or 1) through
N. The file organization module also includes the free-space manager, which tracks unallocated blocks and provides these blocks to the file-organization module when requested.

Question 7

The logical file system manages

Answer 7

metadata information. Metadata includes all of the file-system structure except the actual data (or contents of the files).

Question 8

A file-control block (FCB) (an inode in UNIX file systems) contains

Answer 8

information about the file, including ownership, permissions, and location of the file contents. The logical file system is also responsible for protection.

Question 9

UNIX uses the __________ file system (__________), which is based on the __________. Windows supports disk file-system formats of FAT, FAT32, and NTFS (or WindowsNT File System), as well as CD-ROM and DVD file-system formats.

Answer 9

UNIX uses the UNIX file system (UFS), which is based on the Berkeley Fast File System (FFS). Windows supports disk file-system formats of FAT, FAT32, and NTFS (or WindowsNT File System), as well as CD-ROM and DVD file-system formats.

Question 10

An in-memory mount table contains

Answer 10

information about each mounted volume.