Mastering Linux Kernel Development

File creation and deletion operations

Creation of a file is an operation that requires instantiation of a new inode with appropriate attributes. User programs invoke the file creation routine with chosen attributes such as filename, directory under which file is to be created, access permissions for various users, and file modes. This routine also initializes other specific fields of inode such as creation timestamp and file ownership information. This operation writes a new file record into the directory block, describing the filename and inode number.

When a user application initiates a delete operation on a valid file, the filesystem removes the corresponding file record from the directory and checks the file's reference count to determine ...