- Instructor: Lagos City Polytechnic
- Lectures: 15
- Duration: 10 weeks
FILE ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT COM 214
Introduction
Computers can store information on several different types of physical media. Magnetic tape, magnetic disk and optical disk are the most common media. Each of these media has its own characteristics and physical organisation.
For convenience use of the computer system, the operating system provides a uniform logical view of information storage. The operating system abstracts from the physical properties of its storage devices to define a logical storage unit, the file. The operating system maps files onto physical media and accesses these files via the storage devices.
A file is a collection of related information defined by its creator. Commonly, files represent programs (both source and object forms) and data. File processing refers to an environment in which data are physically organised into files.
The operating system implements the abstract concept of a file by managing mass storage media and the devices which control them. Also, files are normally organised into directories to ease their use. Finally, when multiple users have access to files, it may be desirable to control by whom and in what ways files may be accessed. File management is software processes concerned with the overall management of files.
Course Objectives
To achieve the aims set out, the course has a set of objectives. Each unit has specific objectives which are included at the beginning of the unit. You may wish to refer to them during your study to check on your progress. You should always look at the unit objectives after completion of each unit. By doing so, you would know whether you have followed the instruction in the unit.
Below are the comprehensive objectives of the course as a whole. By meeting these objectives, you should have achieved the aims of the course as a whole. In addition to the aims earlier stated, this course sets to achieve some objectives. Thus, after going through the course, you should be able to:
differentiate between file management and file processing concepts
explain file naming, extensions and attributes
explain the relationship between computer or electronic files and operating system
describe file management architecture, operations, and functions explain various file organisation and access methods
know the relationship between files and directories explain techniques of record blocking
explain how operating systems manage used space in computer memory
describe the various techniques in improving system performance, reliability, and security
explain various data validation techniques
discuss and identify many file processing and management products
manage files and directories on a Microsoft Windows-based system
discuss various file sorting, searching, and merging algorithms and applications
have idea of how programming languages handle or process files for input and output.
Study Units
The study units in this course are as follows:
Module 1 File Fundamentals
Unit 1 Basic File Concepts
Unit 2 File Organisation and Access Methods
Unit 3 File Management
Unit 4 File Directories
Unit 5 File and Directory Operations
Module 2 File Storage Management
Unit 1 File Allocation
Unit 2 Record Blocking
Unit 3 Free Space Management
Unit 4 File System Performance and Reliability
Unit 5 File System Security and Integrity
Module 3 File Processing and Applications
Unit 1 Data Validation
Unit 2 File Managers
Unit 3 Managing Files in Windows
Unit 4 File Sorting, Searching, and Merging
Unit 5 File Handling in High Level Languages
The first module teaches some basic concepts about files and directories, like file naming, essence of file extensions, attributes, how files are organised on disks, how to access files. The various access rights granted to a user and standard operations that can be performed on electronic files and directories are also discussed.
Module Two discusses how files are allocated in computer memory. It teaches that file allocation method will determine the kind of access, and that a file may be scattered all over the storage disk but the operating systems know how to logically harmonize the pieces together. The methods used to manage unused spaces in storage are also discussed. The techniques used by file system designers in improving system performance, reliability, security and integrity are extensively discussed in this module.
The last module tries to look at file processing and management from a subtle angle. It discusses few of the ways end-users interact with computer file system, from data validation through using commercial software to manage files, operations like sorting, searching, and merging of files and finally to using high level computer programming codes to manipulate electronic files.
FILE ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT
-
FILE PROCESSING AND MANAGEMENT
-
Lecture 2.1File Fundamentals
-
Lecture 2.2FILE ORGANISATION AND ACCESS METHODS
-
Lecture 2.3FILE MANAGEMENT
-
Lecture 2.4FILE DIRECTORIES
-
Lecture 2.5FILE AND DIRECTORY OPERATIONS
-
Lecture 2.6FILE STORAGE MANAGEMENT
-
Lecture 2.7RECORD BLOCKING
-
Lecture 2.8FREE SPACE MANAGEMENT
-
Lecture 2.9FILE SYSTEM PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY
-
Lecture 2.10FILE SYSTEM SECURITY AND INTEGRITY
-
Lecture 2.11FILE PROCESSING AND APPLICATIONS
-
Lecture 2.12FILE MANAGERS
-
Lecture 2.13MANAGING FILES IN WINDOWS
-
Lecture 2.14FILE SORTING, SEARCHING, AND MERGING
-
Lecture 2.15FILE HANDLING IN HIGH LEVEL LANGUAGES
-