Every operating system needs a file system to save and retrieve data. Most file systems have various strengths and weaknesses associated with flexibility, reliability, performance, scalability, security, and fault tolerance. Various types of file systems exist, each with its inherent strengths and limitations.
Both Windows and Linux have hierarchical file systems. While such hierarchical file systems have certain unique strengths over other types of file systems, they have their weaknesses too. As a computing professional, you need to understand such strengths and weaknesses. Such understanding will help you ensure the reliability of the system, that the critical data remains secure, and that it is easily accessible by those that need to see it. You also need to be able to compare hierarchical file systems with other types of file systems used by different operating systems.
For this Discussion, read Chapter 7 of Linux Pro, the “Disk and File System Management” resource, and Chapter 9, “Network File System (NFS),” of the Red Hat Linux 4: Red Hat Linux Reference Guide. These three resources can be located in this week’s Learning Resources.
Post by Day 3 an explanation of one strength and one weakness of a tree-structured directory. Describe another type of file system different from the hierarchical file system. Explain which file system you would prefer and why.
Respond by Day 6 to at least two of your colleagues’ postings by expanding on the described strength or weakness of the tree-structured directory or by describing additional strengthens or weaknesses.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.
