Get premium membership and access questions with answers, video lessons as well as revision papers.
Block count frequently differs from file size. File size is the offset of the highest byte written, and is what you commonly notice in files that you deal with everyday. Block count is a count of the number of
physical disk blocks that are used by the file. In the example of a sparsely populated file, such as a
BitTorrent download of a 700 MB Linux ISO – it uses up '700 MB' on your system at the beginning, long
before the actual 700 MB of the file's contents are actually written to your disk blocks. However, most
files are non sparse and disk block usage should be equal to file size. In reality, disk block usage is
actually a little higher, as there are additional blocks (metadata, etc) not considered in the file size.
Therefore disk block count can differ in any way from the file size, or even be equal with the right trade-off between sparsity and additional block usage.
Titany answered the question on April 26, 2022 at 11:33
- Compare bitmap-based allocation of blocks on disk with a free block list(Solved)
Compare bitmap-based allocation of blocks on disk with a free block list
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- What file allocation strategy is most appropriate for random access files?(Solved)
What file allocation strategy is most appropriate for random access files?
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- What file access pattern is particularly suited to chained file allocation on disk?(Solved)
What file access pattern is particularly suited to chained file allocation on disk?
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- Give an example where contiguous allocation of file blocks on disks can be used in practice(Solved)
Give an example where contiguous allocation of file blocks on disks can be used in practice
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- Give a scenario where choosing a large filesystem block size might be a benefit; give an
example where it might be a hindrance(Solved)
Give a scenario where choosing a large filesystem block size might be a benefit; give an
example where it might be a hindrance
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- Give an example of a scenario that might benefit from a file system supporting an append-only access write(Solved)
Give an example of a scenario that might benefit from a file system supporting an append-only access write
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- Filesystems can support sparse files, what does this mean? Give an example of an
application's file organisation that might benefit from a file system's sparse file...(Solved)
Filesystems can support sparse files, what does this mean? Give an example of an
application's file organisation that might benefit from a file system's sparse file support
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- Describe the general strategy behind deadlock prevention, and give an example of a practical deadlock prevention method(Solved)
Describe the general strategy behind deadlock prevention, and give an example of a practical deadlock prevention method
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- What must the banker's algorithm know a priori in order to prevent deadlock?(Solved)
What must the banker's algorithm know a priori in order to prevent deadlock?
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- Assuming the operating system detects the system is deadlocked, what can the operating
system do to recover from deadlock?(Solved)
Assuming the operating system detects the system is deadlocked, what can the operating
system do to recover from deadlock?
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- What are the four conditions required for deadlock to occur?(Solved)
What are the four conditions required for deadlock to occur?
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- What is deadlock? What is starvation? How do they differ from each other?(Solved)
What is deadlock? What is starvation? How do they differ from each other?
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- What are monitors and condition variables?(Solved)
What are monitors and condition variables?
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- Describe how to implement a lock using semaphores(Solved)
Describe how to implement a lock using semaphores
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- A semaphore is a blocking synchronisation primitive. Describe how they work with the
aid of pseudo-code. You can assume the existance of a thread_block() and a...(Solved)
A semaphore is a blocking synchronisation primitive. Describe how they work with the
aid of pseudo-code. You can assume the existance of a thread_block() and a thread_wakeup()
function
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- What is the producer consumer problem? Give an example of its occurrence in operating systems(Solved)
What is the producer consumer problem? Give an example of its occurrence in operating systems
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- What is a test-and-set instruction? How can it be used to implement mutual exclusion?
Consider using a fragment of psuedo-assembly language aid you explanation(Solved)
What is a test-and-set instruction? How can it be used to implement mutual exclusion?
Consider using a fragment of psuedo-assembly language aid you explanation
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- Interrupt disabling and enabling is a common approach to implementing mutual exclusion,
what are its advantages and disadvantages?(Solved)
Interrupt disabling and enabling is a common approach to implementing mutual exclusion,
what are its advantages and disadvantages?
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- Why is turn passing a poor solution to the critical sections problem?(Solved)
Why is turn passing a poor solution to the critical sections problem?
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)
- What are three requirements of any solution to the critical sections problem? Why are the
requirements needed?(Solved)
What are three requirements of any solution to the critical sections problem? Why are the
requirements needed?
Date posted: April 26, 2022. Answers (1)