CSC 205 - OPERATING SYSTEM

GROUP A

FILE SYSTEM
(FILE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM)

CONTRIBUTORS
S/N NAME MATRIC NO.
1. NANJI EMMANUELLA LAKAN U21CS1031
2.

TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRODUCTION

HISTORY OF FILE SYSTEMS

DEFINITION

PURPOSES AND IMPORTANCE OF A FILE MAAGEMENT SYSTEM

BASIC FILING STEPS

TYPES AND CLASSIFICATION OF FILE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

FILE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARES

FEATURES OFFERED BY MOST FILE SYSTEMS

CODE DOCUMENTATION
INTRODUCTION
A file management system (FMS) can also be called a File manager / File System. It is a device
that can help store, organize, and name files in a system. This process will provide users with
easy access to documents by making them easy to find. A file management system is a benefit
to all. It simply makes it easier to use. Unlike physical file management, a file management
system can work from anywhere. It also provides deeper and better security for data and its
information.

A file management system is unique for organizing documents digitally. While digitally storing
files will make them much easier to locate. With a keyword search, you’d find the files you
require and also get to make changes to them or restrict others from accessing them.

File management systems cannot be likened to physical file management because, with file
management systems, you and your employees will have access to the data regardless of your
location and time. They don’t run higher risks of getting destroyed or missing. Instead, you can
encrypt your files and make them accessible to a few people. File management systems help
organizations arrange documents and data and make them easier to access at any time.

It functions as a file maintenance device for computer systems (windows). It helps to manage
files for organizations and is also suitable for personal use. Most organizations store their data
in a well-detailed hierarchical system by using constituted directories (secondary folders) and
sub-directories (sub-folders).

Files are usually managed with these directories/folders. Beneath the constituted directories,
you can have various sub-directories, and this will keep them well organized.

HISTORY OF FILE SYSTEMS

Throughout time, the word File System or System of File management has been in existence as
people have always sought out ways to store books, data, information and much more in a way
whereas they’ll be easy to find (Retrieve), arrange etc.

Before the advent of computers the term file system was used to describe a method of storing
and retrieving paper documents by 1961, the term was being applied to computerized filing
alongside the original meaning by 1964; it was in general use all over the world in different
sectors and more.

In computing, a file system or (also abbreviated as FS) is a method and data structure that the
operating system uses to control how data is stored and retrieved.

Without file systems, data placed in a storage medium would be one large body of data with no
way to tell where one piece of data stopped and the next begins, or where any piece of data
was located when it was time to retrieve it. By separating the data into pieces and giving each
piece a name, the data is easily isolated and identified. Taking its name from the way a paper-
based data management system is named, each group of data is called a "file". The structure
and logic rules used to manage the groups of data and their name is called a "file system."

The history of file management systems can also be traced back to the early days of computing
when computers were first used for scientific and military purposes. In those days, file
management was a simple matter of storing data on magnetic tapes or punched cards.

As computer technology advanced, so did the need for more sophisticated file management
systems. In the 1960s and 1970s, the first generation of file systems was developed. These
systems, such as the IBM 360's OS/360, were designed for batch processing and had limited
capabilities for file management.

In the 1980s, the second generation of file systems was developed. These systems, such as the
UNIX File System (UFS) and the Microsoft File Allocation Table (FAT), introduced hierarchical
directory structures and provided more advanced file management features, such as support for
long filenames and file permissions.

In the 1990s, the third generation of file systems emerged. These systems, such as the New
Technology File System (NTFS) used in Microsoft Windows and the Extended File System
(ext2) used in Linux, introduced features such as journaling, which improved data integrity and
recovery in case of system failures.

In the early 2000s, the fourth generation of file systems was developed. These systems, such
as the ZFS file system used in Solaris and the Btrfs file system used in Linux, introduced
advanced features such as snapshots, which allowed for easy backups and rollback of data.

Today, file management systems continue to evolve to meet the demands of modern
computing, with features such as cloud integration and support for solid-state drives becoming
increasingly important.

DEFINITION
File systems (also known as a file Management systems) is a software component of an
operating system that manages the creation, storage, organization, and Retrieval of files on a
computer or other digital storage device. The file management system provides a hierarchical
structure of directories and files that Allows users to easily locate, access, and modify their
stored data. It also manages the allocation of storage spaces for files; tracks file ownership and
permissions, And ensures data integrity and security.

The file management system is an essential component of modern computing, allowing users to
organize and Manage their data in a way that is efficient and accessible. There are many
different ways to organize files and directories. If you can simply imagine a physical file cabinet
with papers and folders, you would need to consider many things when coming up with a
system for retrieving your documents. Would you organize the folders in alphabetical, or reverse
alphabetical order? Would you prioritize commonly accessed files in the front or back of the file
cabinet? How would you deal with duplicates, whether on purpose (for redundancy) or
accidental (naming two files exactly the same way)? These are just a few analogous questions
that need answering when developing a file system.

Modern file systems have many detailed optimizations that work hand-in-hand with the
operating system to improve performance and provide various features (such as security or
large file support). Some of the most popular file systems today include FAT32 (for flash drives
and, previously, Windows), NTFS(New Technology File System) (for Windows), and ext4 (for
Linux).

At a high level, these entire file systems have similar on-disk structures, but differ in the details
and the features that they support. For example, the FAT32 (File Allocation Table) format was
initially designed in 1977, and was used in the early days of personal computing. It uses a
concept of a linked list for file and directory accesses, which while simple and efficient, can be
slow for larger disks. Today, it is a commonly used format for flash drives.

The NTFS (New Technology File System) developed by Microsoft in 1993 addressed many of
the humble beginnings of FAT32. It improves performance by storing various additional
metadata about files and supports various structures for encryption, compression, sparse files,
and system journaling. NTFS is still used today in Windows 10 and 11.

Similarly, macOS and iOS devices use a proprietary file system created by Apple, HFS+ (also
known as Mac OS Extended) used to be the standard before they introduced the Apple File
System (APFS) relatively recently in 2017 and is better optimized for faster storage mediums as
well as for supporting advanced capabilities like encryption and increased data integrity.

The fourth extended filesystem, or ext4, is the fourth iteration of the ext file system developed in
2008 and the default system for many Linux distributions including Debian and Ubuntu. It can
support large file sizes (up to 16 tebibytes), and uses the concept of extents to further enhance
inodes and metadata for files. It uses a delayed allocation system to reduce writes to disk, and
has many improvements for file system checksums for data integrity, and is also supported by
both Windows and Mac.

Each file system provides its own set of features and optimizations, and may have many
implementation differences. However, fundamentally, they all carry out the same functionality of
supporting files and interacting with data on disk. Certain file systems are optimized to work
better with different operating systems, which is why the file system and operating system are
very closely intertwined.

Purposes and Importance of a File Management Systems

The purpose of a file management system is to provide a structured and organized way of
storing, managing, and accessing files and data on a computer or other digital storage device.

The main goals of a file management system are:

1. Efficient storage: To allocate storage space efficiently for files and data, optimizing the use of
available storage resources.
2. Organized structure: To provide a logical and hierarchical structure for organizing files and
data, making it easier for users to locate and access their stored information.

File management is mostly about organizing files in a way that can be easily accessed. One of
the main importance of using file management is to create well-structured files. File
management systematically improves and make document well organized.

With file management systems, you can easily digitalize your documents without much difficulty.
And also get to find them faster with keyword search.

Also, you can create files, delete, retrieve, store or edit with file management tools.

3. Data sharing: To facilitate the sharing and collaboration of data between users, making it
easy to share files, folders, and other resources with others.

4. Performance: To optimize the performance of the file system, ensuring fast and efficient
access to stored data and minimizing system overhead.

5. Security: Data security: To ensure the security and integrity of data by controlling access to
files, protecting against unauthorized modifications or deletions, and providing backup and
recovery capabilities.

Many companies are concerned about the security of their important documents. However, with
a file system management system you can protect your electronic files.

You can easily restrict unauthorized access to your files or encrypt your documents. Doing this
will protect your documents from getting corrupted or being deleted.

3. Increased Productivity:

Not only will file management increase productivity in an organization, but it will also increase
resources and cut costs. File management systems make working easier and help with time
management. With file management, digital file management is easier and faster.

Among the importance file management benefits is the ability to increase our productivity.

Note: Overall, the purpose of a file management system is to provide a robust and reliable
infrastructure for managing data and information, making it easy for users to store, organize,
and access their files in a way that is efficient and secure.

5 Basic Filing Steps

It is essential to follow the filing steps. However, here are the 5 basic filing steps:

• Filing by subject or category

• Filling in Alphabetical Order

• Filing in Numerical Order

• Filling by Place/Geographical Order

• Filling by Dates/Chronological

Types/Classification of File Management Systems

1. Relational File Management:

This is a type of file management that arranges and manages documents/data on the existing
relationship between the data saves in each file. It is an easier method of organizing data.

Many organizations use relational file management to manage, retrieve, restore, and search for
files saved on a computer system.

2. Network File Management:

This is a type of file management that works as a client for a remote file access protocol. With
network file management, you will have access to files on a server. It is also best for organizing
files based on where they are on the computer system.

3. Hierarchical File Management:

Hierarchical File Management is ideal for managing and organizing files, although it can be
used on Macintosh computers. This type of file management arranges files by using constituted
directories and their sub-directories. Creating one major folder and having various sub-
directories will help organize files in a more searchable way.

Document File Management System

A document file management system is a cloud-based storage system. It is an automated

software solution suitable for digitizing, restoring, approving, tagging, completing, securing, and
organizing projects with the file system.

Document file management system works faster, and they can provide total coverage for your
documents. Most DMS software will help you save resources, time, costs, and labor, and also
assist in organizing your documents in a well-organized manner.

Document file management system offers various ways for file indexing. It is not only ideal for
identifying different file formats, but also makes it easier to find, share, and edit documents. It
can be used to automate documents and files.

There are so many benefits associated with using a document file management system, which
includes secure data such as advanced encryption standards, top-notch security of documents,
large backup storage for documents, secure data storage, and more.

File Management System Windows

Windows file management systems are services built into the operating system that facilitate the
management of computer files.
File management system software or Windows helps with organizing, finding documents,
arranging, browsing, and providing more information on the files. They also work on large
groups of files and help the operating system in several ways to keep them well organized.

Window systems are a default file management device that is always on the system. The file
management system is a file manager in windows. This default file manager has limited
capacity on files, which is why it is often supported with document management systems tools.
Other window file manager tools are double commander, SharePoint, excel, google desktop,
directories, and others. However, on mac systems, you will find a device like “finder.”

Nonetheless, advanced document management system tools can help organize your important
files in well-structured ways, which will make them faster and easier to access by you and your
employees. Because DMS has a larger capacity than the default file manager and also provides
more advanced options like maintaining and organizing files in directories.

File Management System Software

Looking for the best file management system can be time-consuming because most of these
software provides the best services such as flexible price, easy interface, security, and many
more. However, in this overview, we will be discussing some of the best file management
systems for you.

1. Microsoft SharePoint:

Microsoft SharePoint remains the top best file management system. It has unique features that
make it stands out as an application. It comes with collaboration tools that enable two or more
users to work corporately on a document at the same time.

Most organizations use Microsoft SharePoint to create custom metadata fields on all files saved
in the system. To enjoy all of its features, you may be required to go through some training.
However, it has an easy interface.

2. Rubex by eFileCabinet:

eFileCabinet is one of the best file management systems that are suitable for all users. It is
inexpensive and it offers some of the best features that will help you organize your documents
without any hassle.

eFileCabinet has an intuitive interface that makes it easy for new users. It is cloud-based
software that can be accessed remotely.

This is good because you can easily manage your documents from anywhere.

3. M-Files:

M-file offers some of the best features for file management. Not only will m-file protect your files,
but it also offers security for your documents. It is reliable and helps to digitize multiple physical
documents.
M-files have an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that keeps documents well organized. With
this platform, you can manage your documents effortlessly. It also comes with features like the
retriever process, version control, metadata description, and automated workflows.

Some examples of popular file management systems include:

1. Microsoft Windows File Explorer: This is the default file management system that comes
with Windows operating systems, allowing users to browse, manage, and organize their files
and folders.

2. Apple Finder: This is the default file management system that comes with macOS
operating systems, providing users with similar features to Windows File Explorer.

3. Linux File Systems: There are several file management systems used in Linux operating
systems, including the Ext4 file system, the Btrfs file system, and the XFS file system.

4. Google Drive: This is a cloud-based file management system that allows users to store,
access, and share their files and folders from anywhere with an internet connection.

5. Dropbox: This is another popular cloud-based file management system that allows users
to sync their files across multiple devices and share files with others.

6. Amazon S3: This is a highly scalable cloud-based file storage and management system
that is commonly used by businesses and organizations for data backup, archiving, and disaster
recovery purposes.

Other examples include: Apple iCloud, File management with Canto, Microsoft
OneDrive, Microsoft SharePoint, VIENNA Advantage Community

Summary
While there are many different file systems in use today, the main objective and high-level
concepts have changed little over time. To build a file system, you need some basic information
about each file (metadata) and a scalable storage structure to write and read from various files.

The underlying implementation of inodes(Index Nodes) and files together form a very
extensible system, which has been fine-tuned and tweaked to provide us with modern file
systems. While we may not think about file systems and their features in our day-to-day lives, it
is a true testament to their robustness and scalable design which have enabled us to enjoy and
access our digital data on computers, phones, consoles, and various other systems.