GATE CS 2019 Set 1 — Question 52
Go beyond PYQs with Success TrackerAI-powered personalised practice and doubt support. Unlimited practice on eligible plans; AI usage limits apply.NAT+2 / -0MediumInode & Unix FSFile SystemsOperating System
Operating System → File Systems → Inode & Unix FS
Last updated
Question
The index node (inode) of a Unix-like file system has 12 direct, one single-indirect and one double-indirect pointers. The disk block size is 4 kB, and the disk block address is 32-bits long. The maximum possible file size is (rounded off to 1 decimal place) _______ GB.
Correct answer
3.7 to 3.8
Solution
Given:
Since (approx 1 million) is much larger than (1024) and 12, the maximum file size is dominated by the double-indirect blocks.Total size in bytes = bytes
bytes = bytes. bytes = 4 GiB.Converting to GB (Gigabytes, base 10) or GiB (Gibibytes, base 2):
- Direct pointers: 12
- Single-indirect pointers: 1
- Double-indirect pointers: 1
- Block size = 4 kB = bytes
- Block address size = 32 bits = 4 bytes
1.Direct: 12 blocks.
2.Single-indirect: Points to 1 block containing pointers blocks.
3.Double-indirect: Points to 1 block containing pointers, each pointing to a single-indirect block blocks.
Total blocks = .Since (approx 1 million) is much larger than (1024) and 12, the maximum file size is dominated by the double-indirect blocks.Total size in bytes = bytes
bytes = bytes. bytes = 4 GiB.Converting to GB (Gigabytes, base 10) or GiB (Gibibytes, base 2):
- In GiB: GiB.
- In GB (): GB.
Continue learning with Success Tracker
A step still unclear? Work through it with support
Use Success Tracker to ask about the reasoning, then try another GATE CS question to check your understanding.
AI-powered practice· Unlimited practice on eligible plans
- PYQs with solutions
- Attempt available previous-year questions, then compare your reasoning with the worked solution. Coverage varies by stream.
- Practice that adapts
- Choose a topic, work on weaker areas and bookmark questions to revisit. Your attempts feed your progress tracking.
- AI doubt support
- Ask follow-up questions about a step or concept while practising, instead of stopping at the final answer.
Unlimited practice is available on eligible plans. Free practice and AI usage have limits; check the current plan allowances before choosing.
This page stays readable without an account. AI responses can be wrong; check them against the solution and source material.
More questions on File Systems
2026 Set 2 Q23Which one of the following CPU scheduling algorithms cannot be preemptive?2026 Set 1 Q29With respect to deadlocks in an operating system, which of the following statements is/are FALSE?2026 Set 1 Q31In the context of relational database normalization, which of the following statements is/are true?2026 Set 1 Q35Consider a system consisting of instances of a resource , being shared by 5 processes.…2026 Set 2 Q51Consider three processes P1, P2, and P3 running identical code, as shown in the pseudocode below. A…