What does BFQ mean in UNCLASSIFIED

Budget Fair Queueing (BFQ) is an algorithm used in the Linux kernel for managing requests that involve disk I/O. It allows multiple processes to share the same disk resources and ensures fair access to those resources based on budget-based scheduling.

BFQ works by setting quotas for each process that make a request for disk I/O, then allocating time slices for each to complete their task according to how much of their allocated quota they have used so far. This way, all processes get a chance to access the disk but are limited in how much can be done in a given period of time.

BFQ is mainly used on devices with rotating disks such as hard disks and CD-ROMs because it is more efficient when dealing with large numbers of requests from multiple sources.

One benefit of using BFQ is that it ensures fairer access to disk resources between multiple processes. Additionally, it makes more efficient use of system resources when compared with other algorithms by allowing all available requests time slices based on their budgets, leading to better performance overall.

While implementing BFQ requires knowledge of operating systems and scheduling models, it can be relatively straightforward if you are familiar with these concepts. Furthermore, since it has been built into Linux kernels since version 2.6, most users don't need to manually implement it as long as they are running a reasonably up-to-date version of Linux.