Data Management Flashcards
Why does the Finder hide certain folders at the root of the system volume?
It hides traditional UNIX resources from average users because they don’t need to have access to those items.
What 2 methods are used to hide items from the Finder?
Periods at the beginning of file names
Hidden file flag enabled
What does OS X use bundles or packages for?
To combine complex items into individual folders. Packages have the additional advantage of appearing as a single item in the Finder.
How does an alias differ from a symbolic link?
An alias contains additional information that allows the system to keep track of the original item if it’s renamed or moved within the same volume.
What are the 4 default top-level folders visible in the Finder?
Applications
Library
System
Users
What are 6 common system resources? What purpose does each resource serve? where are they located in the file hierarchy?
Extensions - attach themselves to the system kernel to provide hard are and peripheral driver support
Frameworks - shared code libraries that provide additional software resources for applications and system processes
Fonts
Preference Files - contain application and system configuration information
LaunchAgents & Daemons - used by launched to provide services that automatically start when needed at system startup or at user login
Logs - text files that contain error and progress entries from nearly any application or system service
What are the 4 system resource domains? What purpose does each domain serve?
User - contains applications and system resources specific to each user account
Local - contains applications and system resources available to all users on the local Mac
Network (optional) - contains applications and system resources available to any Mac that has an automated network share
System - contains applications and system resources required to provide basic system functionality
What purpose does the ~/Library/Containers folder serve? What items will you find in this folder?
Contains resources for sandboxed applications.
What happens when a user double-clicks on a font file?
It automatically opens a preview of the font in the Font Book application. From here, the user can click the Install Font button to copy the font into ~/Library/Fonts.
How can you identify duplicate fonts?
The Font Book application shows a small dot next to the name of any font that has duplicate resources
What’s file system metadata? What are some examples of file system metadata?
It’s information stored outside of a file or folder. It provides additional information including file flags, extended file attributes, and permissions
What are some of the common file flags used by OS X? (2 things)
Locked Flag
Hidden Flag
What are file system tags? Where can you find tags in the user interface?
A type of metadata that allow you to quickly assign keyword, or “tags” to any item. The user can customize the tag names and colors.
How does the Spotlight search service use metadata?
It creates index databases of file system metadata so that it can perform normally time intensive searches nearly instantly.
Where does Spotlight store its metadata index databases? How about the Spotlight plug-ins?
They are stored at the root of every volume in a /.Spotlight-V100 folder. However, a Legacy FileVault user’s database is stored in his encrypted home folder. Mail.app has its own database in each user’s home folder at ~/Library/Mail/V2/MailData/Envelope Index.
Spotlight plugins are located in any Library folder in a folder named Spotlight.
What are some privacy and security concerns with the Spotlight service?
It allows other users to search the contents of locally attached non system volumes when ownership is ignored on those volumes.
How do you resolve an issues where a Spotlight search doesn’t find the correct item?
Force a rebuild of Spotlight index databases - Add an item to the Spotlight preferences Privacy list and then remove it.
What type of file is created by the Finder when you select the Archive option?
Compressed zip archive files
What OS X application is set as the default for opening archive files?
The system automatically expands the contents of the zip archive
Which OS X application is responsible for the creation and management of disk images?
Disk Utility
Why would one use an archive file over a disk image? Why would one use a disk image over an archive file?
Archive files are much simpler to create in the Finder and are compatible with third-party operating systems. Disk Images are more difficult to create and manage, but they offer greater flexibility.
What backup destination disks does Time Machine support?
Any Mac OS X Extended volume or network shares hosted from Time Capsule or OS X Server
How does Time Machine maintain a backup history of the file system?
It starts with a full copy of the file system to the backup disk. It then maintains a list of changes to the file system, and every hour copies only the changes to the backup disk. In the backup it creates a simulation of the full file system using hard links for files that haven’t changed.
What types of files are omitted from Time Machine backups? (5 things)
Temporary files Spotlight indexes Items in the Trash Log files Any other caches
Why is Time Machine inefficient at backing up large databases?
Because it must back up the entire database file every time any change, no matter how small, is made to the database
Why might a previously backed-up item no longer be available in Time Machine?
If the backup volume is full and Time Machine had to start deleting older items to make room for newer items.
What 4 methods can be used to restore from a Time Machine backup?
Navigating through the backup history via the Time Machine application
Restoring a user account via Migration Assistant
Restoring an entire system via OS X Recovery
Manually restoring items via the Finder
