Microsoft® Windows® Internals: Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000, 4th Edition

Key Features of the Cache Manager

The cache manager has several key features:

• Supports all file system types (both local and network), thus removing the need for each file system to implement its own cache management code

• Uses the memory manager to control what parts of what files are in physical memory (trading off demands for physical memory between user processes and the operating system)

• Caches data on a virtual block basis (offsets within a file)—in contrast to many caching systems, which cache on a logical block basis (offsets within a disk volume)—allowing for intelligent read-ahead and high-speed access to the cache without involving file system drivers. (This method of caching, called fast I/O, is described later in this chapter.)

• Supports ...