Question

Explain the following term in brief:

Disk - based file system

Answer 1

A disk-based file system is a method of organising and storing files on a disk. Its key characteristics are:

• Device Directory: The disk contains a directory that lists every file’s name, location, length, type, and ownership details.
• Block-based Storage: The Operating System treats the disk as a one-dimensional array of disk blocks (where each block is a sector).
• Addressing: To locate data, the system specifies a track (or cylinder) number, a surface number, and a sector number.
• In-place Updates: Since disk blocks can be rewritten, the system can read, update, and rewrite the directory or files directly without having to copy the rest of the disk.