File Systems and Structures

This set of flashcards covers various aspects of file systems including structures, functionalities, and management within computer operating systems.

Layered File System

A structure that defines the organization of file systems, including logical, basic, and I/O control components.

FCB (File Control Block)

Data structure that contains file attributes and block locations, including permissions, dates, and owner information.

Logical File System

Maintains file structure via a FCB, providing an interface for operations on files.

File organization module

Responsible for translating logical blocks to physical blocks for file access.

Basic File System

Handles the conversion of physical blocks into disk parameters such as drive number and cylinder.

I/O Control

Component that manages the transfer of data between memory and disk.

Physical Disk Structure

Refers to the underlying organization of data on a disk, including parameters like cylinder and sector.

Cylinder

A circular track area on a platter where data is stored, equivalent to a track.

Platter

A surface on a hard disk that holds data, part of the disk structure.

Sector

The smallest unit that can be accessed on a disk, typically sized at 512 bytes.

Block (or Cluster)

The smallest unit that can be allocated to construct a file, which may consist of multiple sectors.

Cluster

A group of sectors that are treated as a single unit of storage.

Disk Fragmentation

Occurs when files are not stored in contiguous blocks, leading to wasted space and reduced performance.

UNIX File System

A file system structure used in UNIX that employs an i-node for managing file data.

FAT (File Allocation Table)

A file system structure used in Windows that maintains a table of clusters allocated to files.

NTFS (New Technology File System)

A file system developed by Microsoft with features such as transaction logging and improved security.

Super Block

Data structure that defines attributes of a file system including its size and block locations.

Boot Block

Area on a disk that contains the information necessary to boot an operating system.

Bit Vector (or BitMap)

A data structure that tracks free and occupied blocks in a storage system.

Linked List for Free Space Management

A method for tracking free blocks by linking them together in a list.

I-node

A data structure that represents a file or directory in UNIX file systems, storing metadata.

Directory Entry

A record that holds the file name and associated i-node number in the UNIX file system.

Meta Data

Data that provides information about other data, such as permissions and timestamps.

Cluster Size

The size of a cluster is determined by the size of the volume and affects space efficiency.

MFT (Master File Table)

Main structure in NTFS that contains information about all files and directories.

Boot Image

The data that enables the operating system to load during the boot process.

File Descriptor

An abstract indicator used to access a file or directory in a file system.

Contiguous Allocation

A method where files are stored in consecutive blocks on the disk.

Linked Allocation

A method of file storage where each file block points to the next block.

Indexed Block Allocation

A storage method that maintains an index of pointers to the blocks of a file.

Free Space List

A method to track available free blocks on a disk using a linked list.

Defragmentation

The process of reorganizing fragmented files into contiguous spaces on the disk.

Scandisk

A utility that checks and repairs file system errors on a disk.

Volume Size Constraints

Limitation imposed on partitions based on the number of clusters they can support.

Entry Reference Limitations

Constraints on the number of clusters that can be accessed due to data structure size.

File System Maintenance

Procedures to manage the integrity and performance of file systems.

Transaction Logging in NTFS

A feature that ensures data consistency by keeping a log of changes.

Security Features in NTFS

Mechanisms that provide granular control of file access permissions.

Cluster Map in NTFS

Data structure that shows which clusters are in use and which are free.

Application-File System Interaction

The process by which applications interact with the file system for file management.

Open File Table

A system-wide table that keeps track of all open files and their descriptors.

Read Operation in File System

Process where data is retrieved from the disk and provided to the application buffer.

Seek Operation

The process of moving the read/write head of a disk to the correct position.

Physical and Logical Reads

Distinction between data access on a logical level and actual disk block retrieval.

Disk Hardware Support

Hardware features that enhance the efficiency of file system operations.

Backup Copy of FAT

A duplicate of the File Allocation Table to protect against data loss.

Granular Security in NTFS

Ability to set permissions on a per-file or per-directory basis.

Spatial Locality

Tendency of files to be stored in close proximity on the disk to improve read performance.

File Allocation Table Copy Limitation

The potential issue of FAT being a single point of failure due to one copy.

Direct Blocks and Indirect Blocks

Types of block pointers used in i-nodes for accessing file data.

MFT Record Structure

The layout of data in a Master File Table record, including file attributes.

Disk Addressing in UNIX

Method for locating data blocks using i-node indexing.

Volume Serial Number

Unique identifier for a disk volume, tracked by the NTFS.

File Size Calculation

Method of determining the on-disk size of files based on cluster allocation.

KByte Measurement

A measure for file size, where 1K corresponds to 1024 bytes.

Operating System Interaction

How operating systems communicate with file systems for file management.

Partitioning of Disks

The process of segmenting a disk into multiple partitions for different file systems.

Bad Block Management

Maintaining a list of unusable disk blocks to prevent data loss.

File System Formats

Initial setup procedures that prepare disks for particular file system structures.

User Quota in NTFS

Limitations on file storage allocated to individual users.

Link Count in UNIX

Number of hard links pointing to a file in a UNIX system.

File System Layout Overview

General view on how various components of a file system are organized.

Free Space Management Techniques

Methods used to track and manage free space on a disk.

Cluster Size and Performance

Impact of cluster size choice on overall disk performance and space efficiency.

Data Integrity Features

Tools and mechanisms used to ensure consistent and reliable data storage.