Consider a linear list based directory implementation in a file system. Each directory is a list of

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Question

Consider a linear list based directory implementation in a file system. Each directory is a list of nodes, where each node contains the file name along with file metadata. Consider a given directory foo. Which of the following operations will necessarily require a full scan of foo for successful completion?(A) Creation of a new file in foo(B) Deletion of an existing file from foo(C) Renaming of an existing file in foo(D) Opening of an existing file in foo

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: (A) and (C)Concept -- Linear List Directory Implementation: In a linear list directory, entries are stored sequentially with no indexing. Searching requires scanning from the beginning.(A) TRUE -- Creation requires a full scan: Before creating a new file, the system must verify that no file with the same name already exists in the directory. Since there is no index, the entire directory must be scanned to check for name uniqueness. Only after confirming no duplicate can the new entry be appended.(B) FALSE -- Deletion does not necessarily require a full scan: Deletion requires finding the file (which may stop early if found near the beginning), then removing it. The scan can stop as soon as the file is found, so a full scan is not necessarily required.(C) TRUE -- Renaming requires a full scan: Renaming a file requires: (1) finding the file to rename, and (2) ensuring the new name does not already exist in the directory. The second check requires scanning all remaining entries, potentially requiring a full scan.(D) FALSE -- Opening does not necessarily require a full scan: Opening a file requires only finding its directory entry. The scan can stop as soon as the matching file name is found, which may occur early in the list.

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