Research and Advances
Computing Applications

Estimating file access time of floppy disks

Posted

Small computers often use floppy disks for storage. Since such disks are significantly slower than hard disks, the response time of a given application program is due predominantly to the time required to access data in files. Access time is dependent on three factors: hardware (disk drive and interface), the operating system in use, and the patterns of file access of application programs. A simple-to-use method of predicting access times with good accuracy is presented. The method makes use of simple calibration experiments that provide information related to the hardware and operating system characteristics of the system in use. This is combined with patterns of file access information for a given application program to predict access time for that program. Actual examples for several small computer systems are presented.

View this article in the ACM Digital Library.

Join the Discussion (0)

Become a Member or Sign In to Post a Comment

The Latest from CACM

Shape the Future of Computing

ACM encourages its members to take a direct hand in shaping the future of the association. There are more ways than ever to get involved.

Get Involved

Communications of the ACM (CACM) is now a fully Open Access publication.

By opening CACM to the world, we hope to increase engagement among the broader computer science community and encourage non-members to discover the rich resources ACM has to offer.

Learn More