Quiz 8

Question 1

What is “file system”?

Answer 1

File systems (or filesystems) are the mechanism in OS that controls how data is stored and retrieved in storage devices

Question 2

What are the possible major performance metrics regarding file systems?

Answer 2

How quickly access files in a storage device
How efficiently files are stored
How securely store files
How easily users access files

Question 3

What are the essential functions a file system should provide to human users or to an operating system?

Answer 3

Storing files
Free-disk space management
Disk space allocation for each file
User interface
Access control

Question 4

What are “executable files”? Mention one example of file extension for “executable files”.

Answer 4

They are a set of machine code the computer runs

.exe

Question 5

What are “regular files”? Mention three examples of file extension for “regular files”. (one from each of three different categories).

Answer 5

Files that the human user creates image file .png text file .txt music file .mp3

Question 6

What are “special files”? Mention three examples of “special files”.

Answer 6

Files that the operating system creates
.tmp .log .sys

Question 7

What are the two major internal files organizations?

Answer 7

Character sequence, Block sequence

Question 8

What are “sequential access files”?

Answer 8

Data in a file can be accessed from the beginning of a file to the end

Question 9

What are “random access files”?

Answer 9

Data in a file can be accessed from anywhere within a file

Question 10

What are the three major methods for file space allocation?

Answer 10

Contiguous allocation
Linked-List (“chained”)
Indexed

Question 11

What is the primary advantage in using contiguous file space allocation (“the relative advantage compared to the non-contiguous allocation)? What is the primary disadvantage in using contiguous file space allocation (“the relative disadvantage compared to the non-contiguous allocation)?

Answer 11

Fast Access

Fragmentation

Question 12

Describe how “linked-linked list non-contiguous file space allocation” works.

Answer 12

Data points to the next chunk of data until the very last disk sector

Question 13

Describe how “index non-contiguous file space allocation” works.

Answer 13

Each file has an index block or several index blocks and index blocks contain a list of pointers that point to a file.

Question 14

What types of file access can “sequential access files” and “random access files”? Fill “yes” or “no” for each blank in the following table

Answer 14

seq yes no
random yes yes