What is the main purpose of disk scheduling in an

Solution

Disk scheduling is a crucial function in an operating system that aims to optimize the performance of disk I/O operations. The main purpose of disk scheduling is to prioritize and order disk I/O requests in a way that minimizes the seek time (the time it takes for the disk's read/write head to move to the correct track) and improves overall system performance. Different disk scheduling algorithms are used to achieve this, such as: • First-Come, First-Served (FCFS): Processes requests in the order they arrive, which can lead to inefficiencies if requests are scattered across the disk. • Shortest Seek Time First (SSTF): Chooses the request closest to the current head position to reduce seek time. • SCAN (Elevator Algorithm): Moves the disk arm in one direction, servicing requests until it reaches the end, then reverses direction. • C-SCAN (Circular SCAN): Moves the disk arm in one direction and, when it reaches the end, jumps to the beginning of the disk and continues servicing requests.