A Unix-style i-node has 10 direct pointers and one single, one double and one…

2004

A Unix-style i-node has 10 direct pointers and one single, one double and one triple indirect pointer. Disk block size is 1 Kbyte, disk block address is 32 bits, and 48-bit integers are used. What is the maximum possible file size?

  1. A.

    224 bytes

  2. B.

    232 bytes

  3. C.

    234 bytes

  4. D.

    248 bytes

Attempted by 9 students.

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Correct answer: C

To find the maximum file size, calculate pointers per block: 1 KB / 4 bytes = 256 ($2^8$). The triple indirect pointer references $256^3 = 2^{24}$ blocks. Total capacity is $2^{24} imes 1 ext{ KB} = 2^{34}$ bytes. This value dominates the total size calculation compared to direct and single/double indirect pointers.

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