Section 4: Lesson 2.2 File Systems

File systems are essential components of computer storage that are responsible for organizing and managing data on storage devices. They provide a structured way to store, retrieve, and manipulate files and directories, ensuring efficient data access and integrity. Understanding file systems is crucial for effective data management and optimizing storage performance. Read pages 358–376 ("Chapter 11 File Systems and Directories" to the end of "Summary") in Computer Science Illuminated to learn more about file systems.

absolute path

the complete and specific location of a file or directory in a file system, starting from the root directory

binary file

a file that contains data in a format that is not human readable; typically used to store executable programs or complex data structures

direct file access

the ability to retrieve or manipulate data from a file directly without sequentially accessing preceding data

directory

a container used to organize files into a hierarchical structure on a computer system

directory tree

a graphical representation or hierarchical structure of directories and subdirectories in a file system

disk scheduling

the method an operating system uses to efficiently schedule access to disk resources, aiming to reduce seek time and optimize performance

file

a named collection of data stored on a computer system, which can be text, an image, an executable, or any other type of information

file extension

a suffix attached to the end of a filename indicating the format or type of the file

file system

the method and data structure an operating system uses to organize and store files on storage devices such as hard drives

file type

the classification or category of a file based on its content and format that determines how it can be used or opened

path

a string of characters that specifies the location of a file or directory in a file system

relative path

a path that specifies the location of a file or directory relative to the current working directory

root directory

the top-level directory in a file system hierarchy, which contains all other directories and files

seek time

the time it takes for a hard drive's read/write head to move to the track where the data are stored

sequential file access

accessing data in a file by sequentially reading or writing from the beginning to the end

text file

a file that contains plain text characters, typically encoded in ASCII or Unicode, and is readable by text editors and word processors

working directory

the current directory in a file system from which a user or program is operating