17.1 Introduction to Views and View Administration

Any ClearCase development environment requires one or more views. A view provides a workspace where users access versions of file and directory elements that are under ClearCase control, as well as ordinary file-system objects.

A typical view is created and used by an individual or a small group working on a common task. Other views-for example, UCM integration views-may be created by a project leader or administrator and shared by many users. Administrative responsibilities associated with views include:

• View creation and access control

• Backing up and recovering views

• Moving, removing, and managing the storage used by views

CAUTION: Moving a view requires several steps. You must follow these steps carefully or you risk losing or corrupting view data. See Moving a View.

There are two kinds of views:

• Dynamic views use the MVFS (multiversion file system) to provide transparent access to versions of elements in the VOB as well as view-private objects. Dynamic views also support ClearCase build-auditing and build-avoidance tools and can contain derived objects (DOs). Developers work in dynamic views when they want immediate access to the latest versions of elements on a given branch, or when they need to take advantage of audited builds and build-avoidance. Dynamic views provide more functionality, require more frequent use of the network, and need more administrative support than snapshot views.

• Snapshot views use the host's native file system to hold copies of versions of specified elements as well as view-private objects. Snapshot views do not support build-auditing and build-avoidance tools. Developers work in snapshot views when they want a simplified environment for editing, compiling, and debugging (even when disconnected from the network), do not need immediate access to the latest versions of elements, and do not need audited builds and build-avoidance. Snapshot views provide less functionality, require less frequent use of the network, and need less administrative support than dynamic views.