CS 351 Operating Systems Homework 4 Fall 2016 Due 11:59 PM T

Cs 351 Operating Systems Homework 4fall 2016due 1159pm Thurs Se

The purpose of this exercise is to understand how creating files affects the available disk space and the available i-nodes on a disk partition on Linux/UNIX. Assignment (25 points) Create and leave a copy of your C program for this assignment on Pond under cs351/hw4. Write a C program that accepts two command line inputs: the number of files to create and the size of each file (in bytes). The program should verify the correctness of arguments, create the specified number of files with the specified size, and then delete the files. Additionally, the program should handle invalid input values and provide appropriate feedback. After creating files, run the 'df' command to examine disk block and i-node usage, both before and after file creation, and record the results. Continue creating files of various sizes as instructed and analyze how file creation impacts disk space, i-node usage, and directory entries, especially when overwriting existing files. Also, investigate disk block allocation strategies and limitations of the file system, particularly regarding creation failures despite free space. The analysis should include specific observations based on created file sizes, number of files, and system behavior. Use the provided template code 'createfile.c' and review relevant course material. Submit your report with your analysis, and include your program’s source code and executable on Pond for testing. Ensure your explanations are detailed, citing specific data from your 'df' outputs to support your conclusions.

Paper For Above instruction

Creating files on a UNIX/Linux system has a direct impact on the available disk space and the number of free i-nodes on the system. I-nodes are data structures that store information about files, such as permissions, ownership, and pointers to data blocks. When creating files, both data blocks and i-nodes are allocated, thereby consuming system resources. The assignment involved writing a C program that creates a specified number of files with a given size, then analyzing how these operations affect disk space and i-node utilization using the 'df' command.

Initially, upon running the system 'df' and 'df -i' commands, baseline metrics for free disk space in blocks and free i-nodes are recorded. These serve as control points to compare subsequent changes after file creation. When creating files with sizes of 7, 13, 25, 8192, and 8193 bytes, observable differences in disk usage and i-node consumption emerge depending on the size and number of files.

For smaller files, such as 7 or 13 bytes, the effect on disk block usage is minimal since multiple small writes may fit into the same data blocks or require only a few blocks due to block squashing (where smaller files occupy a fraction of a block). However, when files of larger sizes such as 8192 or 8193 bytes are created, a noticeable increase in block usage occurs. For example, creating 10 files of 8192 bytes each results in roughly 10 allocated blocks (assuming a block size of 8192 bytes), while creating files of 8193 bytes leads to allocation of additional blocks due to partial full blocks being used.

During the repeated creation and overwriting of files—particularly when the same filename is reused—the directory entries are typically reused, eliminating the need to create new directory entries altogether. The directory entry points to the same i-node, which is consequently reused, and the data blocks are overwritten with new content. The 'ls -l' command confirms the same filename pointing to the same i-node, with the size changing according to the last write operation. The impact on data blocks depends on whether the new file content fits into the existing allocated blocks; if it does, data blocks may be reused; if not, additional blocks are allocated, and old ones are freed afterward.

Creating large files, notably those around 8192 or 8193 bytes, depletes data block space more rapidly than smaller files. When creating files of 8,192 bytes, the system allocates a fixed number of blocks (one per file), matching the block size and making the disk utilization predictable. Increasing the size slightly to 8,193 bytes causes the system to allocate additional blocks for that file, thus increasing disk block usage significantly compared to smaller files. This difference underscores the block allocation mechanism where a small increase in file size beyond the block boundary results in additional data block allocations.

Regarding i-node usage, each new file regardless of size consumes one i-node. Thus, creating multiple small files or large files results in a linear increase in i-node count, provided no files are overwritten. When overwriting existing files, the i-node for that filename remains the same, but the data blocks are overwritten, and total i-node count remains unchanged. This demonstrates that i-nodes are allocated at file creation and are not reclaimed unless files are deleted, an important detail for understanding system resource management.

The file system's block size can be inferred from the behavior observed during creation of large files. Based on 'df' outputs, typical block sizes like 8 KB are common in Linux/Unix systems. Creating files that exactly match the block size results in a one-to-one mapping of file content to data blocks, maximizing utilization efficiency. When files slightly exceed this size, additional blocks are allocated, leading to increased disk space consumption. To confirm block size definitively, one could further experiment with other file sizes or consult system documentation or 'stat' commands.

Finally, creating a file may fail despite apparent free space if the system exhausts i-node capacity. Since i-nodes are limited, attempting to create a new file when the maximum number of i-nodes is reached will result in failure, even if disk data blocks remain available. This reflects an important limitation of UNIX/Linux filesystems: resource management depends not only on free disk space but also on free i-nodes. Such failures emphasize the need to monitor both resources during large-scale file creation and management.

References

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