File (System, Transfer, Storage)

This section is based on the File data structure.

A file is:

• a logical grouping of related data (at the cluster size)
• identified through a path
• managed through a file system
• transferred through a transfer protocol
• may have children if it's a directory
• may have a content if it's not a directory that is created via data operation
• and have metadata (attribute)

A file is a resource served by a file system.

To be accurate, a file is just a container of byte that may also represents:

• a block
• a named pipe (FIFO) (linux)
• a alias / symbolic link
• a socket
• a door (Solaris)

but this kind of usage are less frequently used.

All file systems used the following component to manage file:

• Directories. A directory is a hierarchical collection of directories and files.
• Volumes. A volume is a collection of directories and files.