ABSTRACT
The concept of files, and the generic file system, a major part of the operating system that handles all types of files, including their naming, structuring, operations, different types of accesses made on various kinds of files, and numerous types of file services as provided, are elucidated. The basic design issues, design principles, and essential functions to meet certain primary requirements of a generic file management system are described. Different types of file organizations along with their individual related specific accesses are explained. Numerous types of structures used in the creation of the file directory are described. The definition of records and then blocking of records in the creation of a file are discussed. Various issues and approaches of file allocation and subsequent different methods employed to store files in secondary devices along with the different techniques used to manage free spaces in secondary storage are described. Physical representation of file organization as well as various methods in implementing file system reliability are illustrated. The virtual file system (VFS), pipes, and the log-structured file system are introduced. The file management systems in real-life implementations in UNIX, Linux, and Windows are separately described in brief as case studies.
