Technical Bulletin #12

For Users of ClearCase for UNIX, Releases 2.0.2 and 2.0.3

Sept. 30, 1995

Derived Objects Can Be Created Without Configuration Records

Under certain circumstances, ClearCase creates a derived object (DO) , but loses the accompanying configuration record (CR) in the view. Rational Engineering has found this problem to be relatively rare and is still researching the cause. If you have experienced this problem, please report it to Rational Customer Support. The problem has been observed most often in C++ development environments using clearmake. The problem of the CRs lost in the view leads to difficulties when DOs are promoted to the VOB, for example, when cleartool performs a checkin, or, similarly, when clearmake performs a winkin. While the problem is reported in a message to the transcript, no error-status is reported. Therefore scripts or makefiles do not fail properly and the DO is promoted to the VOB without a CR, leaving the VOB in an inconsistent state. The symptoms of this problem include:

The rmview command fails, claiming detection of an internal error.
The MultiSite syncreplica -import command aborts.
The catcr -recurse command that uses the CR-less derived object (directly or indirectly) silently fails to display the subtree of CRs
A mklabel -recurse -config command that uses the CR-less derived object (directly or indirectly) silently fails to label the subtree of CRs

A patch available from Rational Customer Support addresses the problem of incorrect promotion. Please note that the patch does not fix the problem that is causing the CRs to be lost in the view, but only addresses the problem of incorrect promotion.The patch includes:

New versions of cleartool, clearmake, xclearcase, and abe which return the proper error-status code when they detect the absence of the CR when attempting to promote the DO.
A utility program called cr_fix, which analyzes an existing VOB database, reports on CR-less derived objects, and optionally creates dummy config recs for such derived objects. cr_fix prevents ClearCase commands from failing, and provides some diagnostic information that may help you to determine the location of any broken DOs.

What to Do

Note: If you have already seen errors like the one listed above, call Rational Customer Support immediately, at the number listed below. While there have been very few instances of this problem, the effects are serious. Rational advises all users of Releases 2.0.2 and 2.0.3 to install this patch and run the provided cr_fix utility program.

Use the table below to determine which patch(es) are appropriate for your system architecture(s).

   Architecture       Patch Number
   SunOS 4                2.0.3-37
   SunOS 5                2.0.3-38
   IRIX 5                 2.0.3-39
   Digital UNIX/Alpha     2.0.3-40
   AIX 3                  2.0.3-41
   AIX 4                  2.0.3-42
   HP-UX 9                2.0.3-43
   HP800 HP-UX 9          2.0.3-44
   HP-UX 10               2.0.3-45
   UnixWare 2             2.0.3-46

This patch fixes Bug # 07150 and Bug # 07156.

Obtain the patch from Rational Customer Support.

If you have an "anonymous FTP" capability: Use the ftp program to connect to host ftp.rational.com. Follow the instructions for obtaining ClearCase patches.

If you do not have an "anonymous FTP" capability: Call Rational Customer Support (see phone number below). Request that one or more patches be sent to you by electronic mail or magnetic tape.

Install the appropriate patch(es) in the release area for ClearCase 2.0.2 or 2.0.3. Follow the instructions included in the patch's .doc file.
In order to correct for broken DOs, run cr_fix. You must be either root or the VOB owner to run cr_fix. This utility will be found in /usr/atria/etc/utils/cr_fix. The command format is as follows:
cr_fix -r vob-storage-directory
The cr_fix utility:
- prints out the object identifiers (oids) of the broken DOs
- creates a dummy configuration record that will eliminate the symptoms of the problem
The listing from cr_fix is a tree of object identifiers from the broken DO up to the parent DO used in the VOB (either checkedin or shared). Customers should call Rational customer service for assistance in identifying the broken DOs, which will then optionally be deleted and rebuilt. After you have corrected for the broken DOs, reinstall every ClearCase host in the network.

Any Questions?

Please contact Rational Support