Updated:	11/4/97

1. Open the SGI desktop manager by selecting one of the folders on your
   desktop. Experiment with the various options on displaying your file
   data and directories. Is it better than 'cd' and 'ls'? Could you design
   a better interface for navigating through your directory?

2. Experiment with different options to the 'ls' comand and read the
   'ls' manual. Explain the output to the following:
	ls -a ~
	ls -isl /bin/uucp
	ls -isl /bin/who
	ls -cl /bin/ps
	ls -ul /bin/ps

3. Read about the imon facility:	'man imon'
   If you are game write a program to use imon and monitor file activity.

4. Read about the SGI ext filesystem inode structure:	'man inode'
   and the ext filesystem structure:	'man ext'

5. Experiment with the different options to the 'df' and 'du' commands and
   read the 'df' and 'du' manuals. Explain the output to the following:
	df -i /
	df -k /
	df -b /

6. Now try 'osview' and keep an eye on the Block Devices values.
   Read the 'osview' manual to learn how to activate hidden displays (those 
   marked with an *). Activate the PathName Cache, EfsAct, GetBlk, and
   Vnodes displays, and see if you can figure what they are measuring.

7. Finally sit back and relax with: 
	$ echo "bdev" | gr_osview -D -
   and comment on what is happening. Understand?

8. Force the issue with 'osview' and 'gr_osview' by running them as 
   indicated above. Select a workstation with no other user logged 
   on and at a quiet time of the day/night. The 'gr_osview' display should be 
   quiet and show minimal if any disk reads and writes. Now explain what is
   happening when you do:
	/bin/cp /bin/dbx /dev/null
	/bin/cp /bin/dbx /dev/null
   - What happens the second time you read dbx compared to the
     first time you did it? Why? Repeat the above with different files of
     respectable size.
     Now do:
	/bin/cp /bin/dbx /tmp
	/bin/cp /bin/dbx /tmp
	/bin/rm /tmp/dbx
   - What happens the second time you read dbx and write it to /tmp/dbx? Is
     this the same as reading?