FScan disk scheduling algorithm Last Updated : 15 Jul, 2025 Comments Improve Suggest changes 3 Likes Like Report Fixed period SCAN (FSCAN) disk scheduling algorithm mainly focuses on handling high variance in shortest seek time first (SSTF). SCAN algorithm is also proposed to handle above mentioned situation but using SCAN algorithm causes long delay while handling requests which are at extremes of disk. FSCAN algorithm determines how read and write head of disk will move in order to handle issue of handling issue of high variance of SSTF. How it works? FSCAN makes use of two queues, one of queues stores old r/w requests and other queue stores new r/w requests. When old requests are handled then only new requests are processed. Variations of FSCAN algorithm can also consist of N queues which in turn will make response time faster. How it handles issue of "high variance in SSTF" ? FSCAN addresses above mentioned issue by "freezing" queue once scan starts, requests that arrive after scan starts are processed in the next scan. Performance analysis : Citing theoretical analysis, it can be seen that SCAN results in lower average response time than FSCAN and higher average response time than shortest seek time first (SSTF). FSCAN algorithm has nice performance due to high throughput and low average response times. FSCAN removes problem of indefinite postponement. Example : How requests are processed FSCAN (or Fair SCAN) is a disk scheduling algorithm that is designed to provide fairness to all processes requesting I/O operations on a disk. It is an improved version of the SCAN algorithm, which suffers from the problem of starvation of requests from certain processes. Here are some important points to keep in mind about the FSCAN disk scheduling algorithm:FSCAN maintains two queues: the active queue and the expired queue. The active queue contains requests that are currently being serviced, while the expired queue contains requests that were received while the disk head was sweeping the disk in the current direction and have not been serviced yet.The algorithm services requests from the active queue until it becomes empty, and then switches to the expired queue, which containsrequests that were received while the disk head was moving in the opposite direction. Once the expired queue is empty, the algorithm switches back to the active queue.FSCAN ensures fairness by preventing a single process from dominating the disk access. It does this by imposing a limit on the maximum number of requests that a process can have in the active queue at any given time.FSCAN also reduces the average waiting time for requests by minimizing the maximum waiting time, which is achieved by switching between the active and expired queues at appropriate times.Some books that cover the topic of disk scheduling algorithms and operating systems in general include:Operating System Concepts by Abraham Silberschatz, Peter B. Galvin, and Greg GagneModern Operating Systems by Andrew S. Tanenbaum and Herbert BosOperating Systems: Three Easy Pieces by Remzi H. Arpaci-Dusseau and Andrea C. Arpaci-DusseauUnderstanding the Linux Kernel by Daniel P. Bovet and Marco CesatiThese books provide a comprehensive introduction to operating systems and cover a wide range of topics, including disk schedulingalgorithms, process scheduling, memory management, file systems, and more. Create Quiz Comment C Cyberfreak Follow 3 Improve C Cyberfreak Follow 3 Improve Article Tags : Operating Systems File & Disk Management Explore OS BasicsIntroduction to Operating System5 min readTypes of Operating Systems7 min readKernel in Operating System3 min readSystem Call2 min readWhat happens when we turn on computer?3 min readProcess ManagementIntroduction of Process Management4 min readCPU Scheduling in Operating Systems7 min readIntroduction to Process Synchronization4 min readSolutions to Process Synchronization Problems4 min readClassical IPC Problems2 min readIntroduction of Deadlock in Operating System3 min readHandling Deadlocks2 min readMultithreading in OS - Different Models4 min readMemory ManagementIntroduction to memory and memory units2 min readMemory Management in Operating System5 min readBuddy System - Memory Allocation Technique4 min readOverlays in Memory Management4 min readVirtual Memory in Operating System7 min readPage Replacement Algorithms in Operating Systems5 min readOperating system based Virtualization5 min readI/O ManagementFile Systems in Operating System4 min readImplementing Directory Management using Shell Script3 min readSecondary Memory7 min readDisk Scheduling Algorithms9 min readDifference between Spooling and Buffering5 min readImportant LinksLast Minute Notes â Operating Systems15+ min readOperating System Interview Questions15+ min read Like