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CHAPTER 10: SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
Understanding file systems

Presently computer market offers a variety of opportunities to store huge amount of personal
or corporate information in digital form. Storage devices include internal and external hard
drives, USB flash drives, memory cards of photo/video cameras, complex RAID-systems etc.
Actual documents, presentations, pictures, music, video, databases, email messages are
stored in form of files which take some amount of storage space.

Definition
- A file system is the underlying structure a computer uses to organize data on a hard disk. If you
are installing a new hard disk, you need to partition and format it using a file system before you
can begin storing data or programs. In Windows, the three file system options you have to
choose from are NTFS, FAT32, and the older and rarely-used FAT (also known as FAT16).
-In computing, a file system (or file system) is used to control how data is stored and retrieved.
Without a file system, information placed in a storage area would be one large body of data with
no way to tell where one piece of information stops and the next begins. By separating the data
into individual pieces, and giving each piece a name, the information is easily separated and
identified.
-Taking its name from the way paper-based information systems are named, each group of data
is called a "file". The structure and logic rules used to manage the groups of information and
their names is called a "file system".
-There are many different kinds of file systems. Each one has different structure and logic,
properties of speed, flexibility, security, size and more.

-As a whole, file system is a structured data representation and a set of metadata that describe
the stored data. File system can not only serve for the purposes of the whole storage but also be a
part of an isolated storage segment – disk partition.
- Usually the file system operates blocks, not sectors. File system blocks are groups of sectors
that optimize storage addressing. Modern file systems generally use block sizes from 1 up to 128
sectors (512-65536 bytes). Files are usually stored from the start of a block and take entire
blocks.

-Immense write/delete operations to file system cause file system fragmentation. As a result
files aren't stored as whole fragments anymore and are divided into fragments. For example, a
storage is entirely taken by files with size about 4 blocks (e.g. pictures collection). User wants to
store a file that will take 8 blocks and therefore deletes the first and the last file. By doing this he
releases 8 blocks, however, the first segment is near to the storage start, and the second – to the
storage end. In this case 8-block file will be split into two parts (4 blocks for each part) and will
take free space 'holes'. The information about both fragments, which are parts of a single file,
will be stored to file system.

-In addition to user files the file system also stores its own parameters (such as block size), file
descriptors (that include file size, file location, its fragments etc.), file names and directory

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hierarchy. It may also store security information, extended attributes and other parameters.

-To comply with diverse requirements as to storage performance, stability and reliability there
exists a great variety of file systems each developed to serve certain user purposes.

Windows file systems

-Microsoft Windows OS use two major file systems: FAT, inherited from old DOS with its later
extension FAT32, and widely-used NTFS file systems. Recently released ReFS file system was
developed by Microsoft as a new generation file system for Windows 8 Servers.

FAT (File Allocation Table):

-FAT file system is one of the most simple types of file systems. It consists of file system
descriptor sector (boot sector or superblock), file system block allocation table (referenced as
File Allocation Table) and plain storage space to store files and folders.
- Files on FAT are stored in directories. Each directory is an array of 32-byte records, each
defines file or file extended attributes (e.g. long file name). File record references the first block
of file. Any next block can be found through block allocation table by using it as linked-list.

-Block allocation table contains an array of block descriptors. Zero value indicates that the block
is not used and non-zero – reference to the next block of the file or special value for file end.

-T-he number in FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 stands for the number if bits used to enumerate file
system block. This means that FAT12 may use up to 4096 different block references, FAT16 -
65536 and FAT32 - 4294967296. Actual maximum count of blocks is even less and depends on
implementation of file system driver.

-FAT12 was used for old floppy disks. FAT16 (or simply FAT) and FAT32 are widely used for
flash memory cards and USB flash sticks. It is supported by mobile phones, digital cameras
and other portable devices.

-FAT or FAT32 is a file system, used on Windows-compatible external storages or disk partitions
with size below 2GB (for FAT) or 32GB (for FAT32). Windows cannot create FAT32 file system
over 32GB (however Linux supports FAT32 up to 2TB).

NTFS (New Technology File System):

-NTFS was introduced in Windows NT and at present is major file system for Windows. This is a
default file system for disk partitions and the only file system that is supported for disk partitions
over 32GB. The file system is quite extensible and supports many file properties, including
access control, encryption etc. Each file on NTFS is stored as file descriptor in Master File Table
and file content.
- Master file table contains all information about the file: size, allocation, name etc. The first
and the last sectors of the file system contain file system settings (boot record or superblock).
This file system uses 48 and 64 bit values to reference files, thus supporting quite large disk

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storages.

ReFS (Resilient File System):

-ReFS is the latest development of Microsoft presently available for Windows 8 Servers. ReFS
has high tolerance to failures achieved due to new features included into the system. And,
namely, Copy-on-Write (CoW): no metadata is modified without being copied; no data is
written over the existing ones and rather into a new disk space. With any file modifications a
new copy of metadata is created into any free storage space, and then the system creates a link
from older metadata to the newer ones. As a result a system stores significant quantity of older
backups in different places which provides for easy file recovery unless this storage space is
overwritten.

Comparing NTFS and FAT file systems

NTFS

-NTFS has many benefits over the earlier FAT32 file system, including:
 The capability to recover from some disk-related errors automatically, which FAT32
cannot.
 Improved support for larger hard disks.
 Better security because you can use permissions and encryption to restrict access to
specific files to approved users.

Filenames

-A filename (or file name) is used to identify a storage location in the file system. Most file
systems have restrictions on the length of filenames. In some file systems, filenames are not case
sensitive (i.e., filenames such as FOO and foo refer to the same file); in others, filenames are case
sensitive (i.e., the names FOO, Foo and foo refer to three separate files).
-Most modern file systems allow filenames to contain a wide range of characters from the
Unicode character set. However, they may have restrictions on the use of certain special
characters, disallowing them within filenames; those characters might be used to indicate a
device, device type, directory prefix, file path separator, or file type.

Directories

-File systems typically have directories (also called folders) which allow the user to group files
into separate collections.
-Directory structures may be flat (i.e. linear), or allow hierarchies where directories may contain
subdirectories.

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Metadata

-A file system stores all the metadata associated with the file—including the file name, the length
of the contents of a file, and the location of the file in the folder hierarchy separate from the
contents of the file.
-Most file systems store the names of all the files in one directory in one place.
- Some file systems provide for user defined attributes such as the author of the document, the
character encoding of a document or the size of an image.

Types of file systems

File system types can be classified into disk/tape file systems, network file systems and special-
purpose file systems.

Disk file systems

-A disk file system takes advantages of the ability of disk storage media to randomly address data
in a short amount of time. Additional considerations include the speed of accessing data
following that initially requested and the anticipation that the following data may also be
requested. This permits multiple users (or processes) access to various data on the disk without
regard to the sequential location of the data. Examples include FAT (FAT12, FAT16, FAT32)

Flash file systems

-A flash file system considers the special abilities, performance and restrictions of flash memory
devices. Frequently a disk file system can use a flash memory device as the underlying storage
media but it is much better to use a file system specifically designed for a flash device.

Tape file systems

-A tape file system is a file system and tape format designed to store files on tape in a self-
describing form. Magnetic tapes are sequential storage media with significantly longer random
data access times than disks, posing challenges to the creation and efficient management of a
general-purpose file system.
-In a disk file system there is typically a master file directory, and a map of used and free data
regions. Any file additions, changes, or removals require updating the directory and the used/free
maps. Random access to data regions is measured in milliseconds so this system works well for
disks.

Network file systems

-A network file system is a file system that acts as a client for a remote file access protocol,
providing access to files on a server. Examples of network file systems include clients for the
NFS, AFS, SMB protocols, and file-system-like clients for FTP and WebDAV.

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Shared disk file systems

-A shared disk file system is one in which a number of machines (usually servers) all have access
to the same external disk subsystem (usually a SAN). The file system arbitrates access to that
subsystem, preventing write collisions.

Special file systems

-A special file system presents non-file elements of an operating system as files so they can be
acted on using file system APIs. This is most commonly done in Unix-like operating systems,
but devices are given file names in some non-Unix-like operating systems as well.

Procedure for software installation

-Software installation involves installing the operating systems, application programs and utility
programs.

Common operations performed during software installations include:

 Making sure that necessary system requirements are met
 Checking for existing versions of the software
 Creating or updating program files and folders
 Adding configuration data such as configuration files, Windows registry entries or
environment variables
 Making the software accessible to the user, for instance by creating links, shortcuts or
bookmarks
 Configuring components that run automatically, such as daemons or Windows services
 Performing product activation
 Updating the software versions
-These operations may require some charges or be free of charge.

How to Install Software on the Computer

Materials Needed:
- Computer
- CD or DVD drive
- Installation disc
- Internet connection
- Web browser
Step 1
-The first most important step in software installation is to verify that the target system meets the
general hardware requirements of the application. Beginning the installation in a computer
machine which does not possess the minimum requirements can lead to either an unsuccessful
installation or failure of the program to run after installing it.

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Step 2
-Since programs in general are written to be Operating System dependent, make sure that the
version of the application you are installing corresponds to the Operating System platform
running on your machine.
Step 3
-Aside from the general hardware requirements, some computer programs also have software
requirements prior to installation. Double check if you need to update or upgrade your Operating
System or if there is a need to download other tools or utilities.
Step 4
-Once all the initial requirements have been met, make sure that there are no unnecessary
programs running before beginning the installation procedure. In some instances, applications
may require that the antivirus programs be disabled. Make sure that you are installing a
legitimate application before disabling your protection software.
Step 5
-Software installation can be done either from the Internet (skip to step 8) or from an installation
disc provided by the software manufacturer. To install from the disc, simply open the CD or
DVD drive and insert the installer.
Step 6
-A setup wizard window should be launched. In case there is none, open the Explorer and
navigate to the optical drive. Double click on either the Autorun or Setup file.
Step 7
-Once the wizard is running, simply follow the prompts until the installation process is
completed. For novice users, accept the default values to minimize potential problems during the
procedure. Jump to step 10.
Step 8
-For installation from the Web, launch your browser application and download the setup file to
your hard drive.
Step 9
-After completion of the downloading process, run the setup program to execute the setup wizard
that will handle the automatic installation of the software. Do step 7.
Step 10
-After the installation procedure has been completed and the setup wizard has terminated, reboot
your machine before launching the newly installed software.
How to Install Software on the Computer

Materials Needed:
- Computer
- CD or DVD drive
- Installation disc
- Internet connection
- Web browser
Step 1
-The first most important step in software installation is to verify that the target system meets the
general hardware requirements of the application. Beginning the installation in a computer
machine which does not possess the minimum requirements can lead to either an unsuccessful
installation or failure of the program to run after installing it.

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Step 2
-Since programs in general are written to be Operating System dependent, make sure that the
version of the application you are installing corresponds to the Operating System platform
running on your machine.
Step 3
-Aside from the general hardware requirements, some computer programs also have software
requirements prior to installation. Double check if you need to update or upgrade your Operating
System or if there is a need to download other tools or utilities.
Step 4
-Once all the initial requirements have been met, make sure that there are no unnecessary
programs running before beginning the installation procedure. In some instances, applications
may require that the antivirus programs be disabled. Make sure that you are installing a
legitimate application before disabling your protection software.
Step 5
-Software installation can be done either from the Internet (skip to step 8) or from an installation
disc provided by the software manufacturer. To install from the disc, simply open the CD or
DVD drive and insert the installer.
Step 6
-A setup wizard window should be launched. In case there is none, open the Explorer and
navigate to the optical drive. Double click on either the Auto run or Setup file.
Step 7
-Once the wizard is running, simply follow the prompts until the installation process is
completed. For novice users, accept the default values to minimize potential problems during the
procedure. Jump to step 10.
Step 8
-For installation from the Web, launch your browser application and download the setup file to
your hard drive.
Step 9
-After completion of the downloading process, run the setup program to execute the setup wizard
that will handle the automatic installation of the software. Do step 7.
Step 10
-After the installation procedure has been completed and the setup wizard has terminated, reboot
your machine before launching the newly installed software.

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