Big File Generator

A collection of Python CLI tools for creating and reading large binary files. Useful for testing disk I/O performance, storage systems, and file transfer mechanisms.

Tools

make_big_file.py - File Generator

Creates large binary files filled with zeros for testing purposes.

Features:

• Configurable file size with human-readable units (GB, TB, MB, etc.)
• Adjustable chunk size for write optimization
• Disk space validation before writing
• Real-time progress reporting with speed metrics
• Prevents accidental file overwrites
• Graceful interrupt handling with cleanup
• Quiet mode for scripting

Usage:

python make_big_file.py <output> <size> [options]

Arguments:

• output - Output file path
• size - File size (e.g., 15GB, 1.5TB, 500MB)

Options:

• --chunk-size <size> - Chunk size for writing (default: 64MB)
• --quiet, -q - Suppress progress output
• --version - Show version information
• --help, -h - Show help message

Examples:

# Create a 15GB file
python make_big_file.py output.bin 15GB

# Create a 1.5TB file with 128MB chunks
python make_big_file.py bigfile.dat 1.5TB --chunk-size 128MB

# Create a 500MB file quietly
python make_big_file.py test.bin 500MB --quiet

read_big_file.py - File Reader & Benchmark

Reads large files and measures I/O performance, optionally computing checksums.

Features:

• Configurable chunk size for read optimization
• Real-time progress reporting with speed metrics
• SHA256 hash computation option
• File validation before reading
• Quiet mode for scripting
• Graceful interrupt handling

Usage:

python read_big_file.py <input> [options]

Arguments:

• input - Input file path to read

Options:

• --chunk-size <size> - Chunk size for reading (default: 64MB)
• --hash - Compute SHA256 hash of the file
• --quiet, -q - Suppress progress output
• --version - Show version information
• --help, -h - Show help message

Examples:

# Read a large file
python read_big_file.py largefile.bin

# Read with 128MB chunks and compute hash
python read_big_file.py test.dat --chunk-size 128MB --hash

# Read quietly and compute hash
python read_big_file.py data.bin --hash --quiet

Installation

No external dependencies required. Works with Python 3.6+.

# Clone or download the scripts
git clone <repository-url>
cd bigfilegen

# Make scripts executable (optional, Unix/Linux/Mac)
chmod +x make_big_file.py read_big_file.py

Requirements

• Python 3.6 or higher
• Sufficient disk space for file creation
• Read/write permissions in target directories

Performance Tips

Chunk Size Optimization

• SSDs: Use larger chunks (64-128MB) for better performance
• HDDs: Use moderate chunks (32-64MB) to balance speed and memory
• Network drives: Experiment with different sizes based on network speed

File System Considerations

• NTFS (Windows): Supports files up to 16 EiB
• exFAT: Good for large files on external drives
• ext4 (Linux): Supports files up to 16 TiB
• APFS/HFS+ (macOS): Supports very large files

Use Cases

• Performance Testing: Benchmark disk I/O speeds
• Storage Validation: Verify storage capacity and integrity
• Transfer Testing: Test file transfer mechanisms and speeds
• Application Testing: Test applications with large file handling
• Disk Burn-in: Stress test new storage devices

Output Examples

Creating a file:

Creating file: test.bin
Target size: 15.00 GiB
Chunk size: 64.00 MiB

Progress: 5% (768.00 MiB written)
Written: 1.50 GiB, Speed: 1.23 GiB/s
Progress: 10% (1.50 GiB written)
...
✓ Successfully created test.bin (15.00 GiB)
Time taken: 12.34 seconds
Average speed: 1.22 GiB/s

Reading a file:

Reading file: test.bin
File size: 15.00 GiB
Chunk size: 64.00 MiB

Progress: 5% (768.00 MiB read)
Read: 1.50 GiB, Speed: 1.45 GiB/s
Progress: 10% (1.50 GiB read)
...
✓ Successfully read 15.00 GiB
Time taken: 10.12 seconds
Average speed: 1.48 GiB/s
SHA256: a3d5c... (if --hash was used)

Error Handling

Both tools include comprehensive error handling:

• File existence checks
• Disk space validation
• Permission verification
• Interrupt handling (Ctrl+C)
• Automatic cleanup on errors

Exit Codes

• 0 - Success
• 1 - General error (file not found, permission denied, etc.)
• 130 - Interrupted by user (Ctrl+C)

License

MIT License - Feel free to use and modify as needed.

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

Author

Created for testing and benchmarking large file operations.