CST 334 - Operating Systems - Week 7

 

This week, we learned about file systems, which are critical for managing persistent data storage in operating systems. Most of this week’s readings focused on the concept of persistence, which ensures that data remains available and consistent even after power failures or system crashes. We learned about various types of file systems, their structures, and how they manage data. An important part to remember was the role of inodes in storing metadata and how directories function to map human readable file names to these inodes. This structure not only organizes data efficiently but also facilitates easy retrieval and management. Additionally, we discussed advanced file operations such as handling file offsets with `lseek()` and ensuring data integrity with `fsync()`, which are vital for maintaining consistency and reliability in a file system.

We also covered the implementation aspects of file systems, using the Very Simple File System (vsfs) as a model. This included understanding on-disk structures like superblocks, inodes, data blocks, and bitmaps, which all together manage storage space and file data. An important part of this week's learning was the emphasis on caching and performance optimization techniques such as write buffering and caching frequently accessed data, which help in reducing the latency and improving the overall efficiency of data access. Also, we learned about the importance of maintaining data integrity, especially during write operations, where ensuring atomicity and handling failures gracefully are important. This week's readings provided a good overview of how file systems operate, the challenges involved in managing persistent storage, and the strategies used to overcome these challenges. This knowledge is essential for understanding how operating systems provide a stable and reliable environment for data management. Finally, we completed the final group project, where we had to do research about a topic related to the class, write a summary and make a video presentation about the subject.