Project 6 FAQ

Q: I think that I have debug working. Can you give me some sample output so that I can check my answer?

A: Sure, here is what my solution produces for image.20:

 csci5103> debug
superblock:
    20 blocks
    3 inode blocks
    384 inodes
inode 2:
    size: 27160 bytes
    direct blocks: 4 5 6 7 8
    indirect block: 9
    indirect data blocks: 13 14
inode 3:
    size: 9546 bytes
    direct blocks: 10 11 12

Q: The project description says that format should set aside 10 percent of the blocks for inodes, but the example filesystems have 10 percent plus one block. Which is correct?
A: Both are correct! In a real filesystem, the number of inode blocks is chosen when the disk is formatted, so an operating system must be prepared to deal with whatever number of inode blocks are specified in the superblock. However, your format routine should always compute ten percent.
Q: What should happen if the user tries to format a disk that is already mounted?
A: In this case, the format call should do nothing and return failure.
Q: Is it necessary for format to zero out every block on the disk?
A: No. Format should do the minimum work necessary to create a blank filesystem. A blank filesystem should have a valid superblock and no valid inodes. It doesn't matter what's in the data blocks, since no inodes refer to them.
Now, if you were really worried about someone stealing your disk and then writing their own code to examine the data in blocks that were not in use, then a really aggressive filesystem would actually fill unused blocks with zeroes during a format or a delete. But, you don't have to do this.
Q: Can you delete an inode that is not being used i.e. not valid?
A: A delete on an invalid inode should do nothing and return failure.

Project 3 Frequently Asked Questions