File System Implementation

• File-System Structure
• File-System Implementation
• Directory Implementation
• Allocation Methods
• Free-Space Management
• Recovery
In-Memory File System Structures
In-Memory File System Structures

(a) Create / open a file

(b) Reading an open file

 File System Interface
• File Concept
• 􀂄 Access Methods
• 􀂄 Directory Structure
• 􀂄 File-System Mounting
• 􀂄 File Sharing
• 􀂄 Protection
 File Concept
• Contiguous logical address space
• Types:
– 􀁺Data
– 􀀗 numeric
– 􀀗 character
– 􀀗 binary
– 􀁺 Program
 File Structure
• None - sequence of words, bytes
• Simple record structure
• 􀁺 Lines
• 􀁺 Fixed length
• 􀁺 Variable length
• Complex Structures
• 􀁺 Formatted document
• 􀁺 Relocatable load file
• Can simulate last two with first method by inserting
appropriate control characters
• Who decides:
• Operating system
• Program
 File Attributes
• Name – only information kept in human-readable form
• Identifier – unique tag (number) identifies file within file
system
• Type – needed for systems that support different types
• Location – pointer to file location on device
• Size – current file size
• Protection – controls who can do reading, writing,
executing
• Time, date, and user identification – data for
protection, security, and usage monitoring
• Information about files are kept in the directory
structure, which is maintained on the disk
 File Operations
• File is an abstract data type
• 􀂄 Create
• 􀂄 Write
• 􀂄 Read
• 􀂄 Reposition within file
• 􀂄 Delete
• 􀂄 Truncate
• 􀂄 Open(Fi) – search the directory structure on disk for
entry Fi, and move the content of entry to memory
• 􀂄 Close (Fi) – move the content of entry Fi in memory to
directory structure on disk
 Open Files
• Several pieces of data are needed to manage open files:
– File pointer: pointer to last read/write location, per
process that has the file open
– File-open count: counter of number of times a file is
open – to allow removal of data from open-file table
when last processes closes it
– Disk location of the file: cache of data access
information
– Access rights: per-process access mode information
File Types – Name, Extension
 Access Methods
• 􀂄 Sequential Access
• read next
• write next
• reset
• no read after last write
– (rewrite)
• 􀂄 Direct Access
• read n
• write n
• position to n
– read next
– write next
• rewrite n
• n = relative block number
Sequential-access File
Simulation of Sequential Access on
a Direct-access File
Example of Index and Relative
Files
 Directory Structure
• A collection of nodes containing
information about all files
A Typical File-system Organization
Operations Performed on Directory

• 􀂄 Search for a file

• 􀂄 Create a file
• 􀂄 Delete a file
• 􀂄 List a directory
• 􀂄 Rename a file
• 􀂄 Traverse the file system
 Organize the Directory (Logically)
to Obtain
• Efficiency – locating a file quickly

• Naming – convenient to users

􀁺
• Two users can have same name for different files

• The same file can have several different names

• Grouping – logical grouping of files by properties,

(e.g., all Java programs, all games, …)
 Single-Level Directory
􀂄 A single directory for all users

Naming problem
Grouping problem
 Two-Level Directory
• Separate directory for each user

• Path name
• Can have the same file name for different user
• Efficient searching
• No grouping capability
Tree-Structured Directories
 Tree-Structured Directories (Cont)
• Efficient searching

• Grouping Capability

• Current directory (working directory)

• cd /spell/mail/prog
• type list
 Tree-Structured Directories (Cont)
• Absolute or relative path name
• Creating a new file is done in current directory
• Delete a file
» rm <file-name>
• Creating a new subdirectory is done in current directory
» mkdir <dir-name>
• Example: if in current directory /mail
» mkdir count
• Deleting “bin” ⇒ deleting the entire subtree
rooted by “bin”
 Acyclic-Graph Directories
• Have shared subdirectories and files
 Acyclic-Graph Directories (Cont.)
• Two different names (aliasing)
• If dict deletes list ⇒ dangling pointer
Solutions:
– Backpointers, so we can delete all pointers
– Variable size records a problem
– Back pointers using a daisy chain organization
– Entry-hold-count solution
• New directory entry type
– Link – another name (pointer) to an existing file
– Resolve the link – follow pointer to locate the
file
General Graph Directory
General Graph Directory (Cont.)
• How do we guarantee no cycles?

• Allow only links to file not subdirectories

• Garbage collection

• Every time a new link is added use a cycle detection

• algorithm to determine whether it is OK

 Protection
• File owner/creator should be able to control:
– what can be done
– by whom

• Types of access
– Read
– Write
– Execute
– Append
– Delete
– List
 Access Lists and Groups
• Mode of access: read, write, execute
• Three classes of users
RWX
a) owner access 7  111
RWX
b) group access 6  110
RWX
c) public access 1  001
• Ask manager to create a group (unique name), say G, and add some users to the
group.
• For a particular file (say game) or subdirectory, define an appropriate access.

owner group public

chmod 761 game

Attach a group to a file
chgrp G game
 Methods of File Allocation (1)
• Contiguous allocation
– Single set of blocks is allocated to a file at the time of
creation
– A single entry in the file allocation table
• Starting block and length of the file
• External fragmentation will occur
Contiguous allocation
Contiguous allocation after
compaction
 Methods of File Allocation (2)
• Chained/Linked allocation
– Allocation on basis of individual block
– Each block contains a pointer to the next block in the
chain
– A single entry in the file allocation table
• Starting block and length of file
• No external fragmentation
• Best for sequential files
• No accommodation for the principle of locality
Chained /Linked Allocation
 Methods of File Allocation (3)
• Indexed allocation
– File allocation table contains a separate one-level
index for each file

– The index has one entry for each portion allocated to

the file

– The file allocation table contains block number for the

index
Indexed allocation
 File Allocation
• contiguous: a contiguous set of blocks is allocated to a
file at the time of file creation
• good for sequential files
• file size must be known at the time of file creation
• external fragmentation

chained allocation: each block contains a pointer to the
next one in the chain

consolidation to improve locality

indexed allocation: good both for sequential and direct
access (UNIX)
 Free Space Management
• bitmap: one bit for each block on the disk
– good to find a contiguous group of free blocks
– small enough to be kept in memory

• chained free portions: {pointer to the next one, length}

• index: treats free space as a file

 File-System Structure
• File system resides on secondary storage (disks)
• File system organized into layers:
• File control block (FCB)
storage structure consisting of
information about a file
 File Structure
• None - sequence of words, bytes
• 􀂄 Simple record structure
• 􀁺 Lines
• 􀁺 Fixed length
• 􀁺 Variable length
• 􀂄 Complex Structures
• 􀁺 Formatted document
• 􀁺 Relocatable load file
• 􀂄 Can simulate last two with first method by inserting appropriate
• control characters
• 􀂄 Who decides:
• 􀁺 Operating system
• 􀁺 Program
 Open Files

• 􀂄 Several pieces of data are needed to manage open

files:
• 􀁺 File pointer: pointer to last read/write location, per
process that
• has the file open
• 􀁺 File-open count: counter of number of times a file is
open – to
• allow removal of data from open-file table when last
processes
• closes it
• 􀁺 Disk location of the file: cache of data access
information
• 􀁺 Access rights: per-process access mode information
 Access Methods

• 􀂄 Sequential Access
• read next
• write next
• reset
• no read after last write
• (rewrite)
• 􀂄 Direct Access
• read n
• write n
• position to n
• read next
• write next
• rewrite n
• n = relative block number
Sequential-access File
Simulation of Sequential Access
on a Direct-access File
Example of Index and Relative
Files
A Typical File-system
Organization