The data block of a very large file in the Unix file system are alloca...
Data block of a very large file in the UNIX file system are allocated using an extersion of induced allocation.
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The data block of a very large file in the Unix file system are alloca...
Extension of Indexed Allocation in Unix File System
In Unix file system, the allocation of data blocks for a large file is done using an extension of indexed allocation. Let us understand the concept of indexed allocation first and then move on to the extension of indexed allocation.
Indexed Allocation
Indexed allocation is a file allocation technique where a separate index block is maintained for each file. This index block contains the addresses of all the data blocks allocated to the file. The file header contains the address of the index block.
Advantages of Indexed Allocation:
- No external fragmentation
- Random access of blocks
- Efficient use of space
Disadvantages of Indexed Allocation:
- Limited file size due to limited number of index blocks
- Wastage of space due to small last block
Extension of Indexed Allocation
In the extension of indexed allocation, the address of the index block is stored in a pointer block. This pointer block contains the addresses of several index blocks, each of which contains the addresses of data blocks allocated to the file.
Advantages of Extension of Indexed Allocation:
- Large file size
- Efficient utilization of space
- Random access of blocks
Disadvantages of Extension of Indexed Allocation:
- Wastage of space due to small last block
- Overhead of maintaining pointer blocks
Conclusion
Hence, in the Unix file system, the data blocks of a very large file are allocated using an extension of indexed allocation. This technique allows for efficient utilization of space and random access of blocks, while also allowing for large file sizes.