@menu
* Project 4 Background::
+* Project 4 Suggested Order of Implementation::
* Project 4 Requirements::
* Project 4 FAQ::
@end menu
can use the Unix @command{tar} program to examine them. The tar file
for test @var{t} is named @file{@var{t}.tar}.
+@node Project 4 Suggested Order of Implementation
+@section Suggested Order of Implementation
+
+We suggest implementing the parts of this project in the following
+order to make your job easier:
+
+@enumerate
+@item
+Buffer cache (@pxref{Buffer Cache}). Implement the buffer cache and
+integrate it into the existing file system. At this point all the
+tests from project 2 (and project 3, if you're building on it) should
+still pass.
+
+@item
+Extensible files (@pxref{Indexed and Extensible Files}). After this
+step, your project should pass the file growth tests.
+
+@item
+Subdirectories (@pxref{Subdirectories}). Afterward, your project
+should pass the directory tests.
+
+@item
+Remaining miscellaneous items.
+@end enumerate
+
+You should think about synchronization throughout.
+
@node Project 4 Requirements
@section Requirements
older entry if necessary. You are limited to a cache no greater than 64
sectors in size.
-Be sure to choose an intelligent cache replacement algorithm.
-Experiment to see what combination of accessed, dirty, and other
-information results in the best performance, as measured by the number
-of disk accesses. For example, metadata is generally more valuable to
-cache than data.
+You must implement a cache replacement algorithm that is at least as
+good as the ``clock'' algorithm. Your algorithm must also account for
+the generally greater value of metadata compared to data. Experiment
+to see what combination of accessed, dirty, and other information
+results in the best performance, as measured by the number of disk
+accesses.
You can keep a cached copy of the free map permanently in memory if you
like. It doesn't have to count against the cache size.
Operations on different directories should take place concurrently.
Operations on the same directory may wait for one another.
+Keep in mind that only data shared by multiple threads needs to be
+synchronized. In the base file system, @struct{file} and @struct{dir}
+are accessed only by a single thread.
+
@node Project 4 FAQ
@section FAQ