GATE CS 2026 Set 2 — Question 53
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Question
To keep track of free blocks in a file system, one of the two approaches is generally used – using bitmaps (bit vectors) or using linked lists. Consider that the linked list approach is used to keep track of free blocks in a file system. Assume that the disk size is 16 GB, block size is 2 KB, and block numbers used are 32-bit long. A single pointer of size 4 bytes is used in each block of the list to point to the next block of the list. The number of blocks required to hold the free disk block numbers is ____________. (answer in integer)Note: and
Correct answer
16417 to 16417
Solution
Given:
- Disk Size = 16 GB = bytes = bytes
- Block Size = 2 KB = bytes = bytes
- Block Number Size = 32 bits = 4 bytes
- Pointer Size = 4 bytes
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