The ISPL Basic File System and File Subsystem for Support of Computing Research
E. Harslem, J. F. Heafner · 1971
Abstract : The report describes the functional specification of the Basic File System and one of several file subsystems envisioned for the ISPL computing system. A generalization of the GRAIL logical input/output system, the software package is described in its ISPL context. The BFS, as a resident part of the ISPL Operating System, creates, modifies, deletes, and keeps directories of file subsystems, allocates their secondary storage space, and handles their I/O transmissions. BFS is unconcerned with file structure, which is separately determined by each FSS. Any console or program can address any file by giving its name, FSS, and a qualifier. Further communication is determined by the rules of that particular FSS. All BFS procedures report whether and why an operation failed. An ARPA research file, FSS1, is described in its temporary IBM 360 implementation, with indications of probable changes in the ISPL environment.