7.7 Accessing Views and VOBs Across Platform Types

ClearCase supports environments in which some ClearCase hosts use a Microsoft Windows operating system and others use a UNIX operating system.

This section discusses the following topics:

• Creating views across platform types

• Accessing views and VOBs across platform types

• Developing software across platform types

Creating Views Across Platform Types

Your administrator can set up storage locations on Windows and UNIX server hosts. Any snapshot view that you create can use one of these storage locations, regardless of the platform type of the server host. For more information about storage locations, see the mkstgloc reference page in the Command Reference.

For a dynamic view, the view storage directory must be located on a host of the same platform type as the host from which you create the view. If you create a dynamic view from a UNIX host, you must locate the view storage directory on a ClearCase host on UNIX; if you create a dynamic view from a Windows host, you must locate the view storage directory on a ClearCase host that runs Windows software and is set up to store view storage directories. We recommend that you locate dynamic view storage directories on the host from which you most often use the view.

Snapshot View Characteristics and the Operating System

For snapshot views, the operating system from which you create the view determines view characteristics; the operating system that hosts the files and processes related to a snapshot view do not affect the view's behavior.

For example, it is possible to create a snapshot view from a Windows host and locate the view directory tree and the view storage directory on a ClearCase host on UNIX (assuming that you use third-party software to access UNIX file systems from Windows computers). Even though all files related to the view are on a UNIX workstation, because you created the view from a Windows host, the view behaves as if its files are located on a Windows computer: it does not create symbolic links if the load rules encounter a VOB symbolic link, and you can issue ClearCase commands for the view only from Windows hosts. (ClearCase hosts on UNIX do not recognize the directory tree as a snapshot view.)

Accessing Views Across Platform Types

This section describes support for accessing a view residing on a platform that differs from the platform from which it is being accessed.

Accessing UNIX Snapshot Views from Windows Hosts

ClearCase supports a set of third-party products for accessing UNIX file systems from Windows computers. If your organization uses one of these products, you can access UNIX snapshot views from Windows Explorer (or a command prompt) just as you would access any other directory tree on a UNIX workstation.

You can access snapshot views across platforms, but you cannot issue ClearCase commands across platforms. For example, you cannot check out files in UNIX snapshot views from Windows hosts nor can you create shortcuts to UNIX snapshot views from ClearCase Explorer.

If, from a Windows host, you hijack a file in a UNIX snapshot view, ClearCase detects the hijack when you update the view from a ClearCase host on UNIX.

Accessing Windows Snapshot Views from UNIX Hosts

ClearCase does not support accessing Windows file systems from UNIX workstations.

Accessing UNIX Dynamic Views from Windows Hosts

ClearCase supports a set of third-party products for accessing UNIX file systems from Windows computers. If your organization uses one of these products, you can complete the following tasks to access UNIX dynamic views from Windows computers:

1. On the UNIX system, create the UNIX view with the proper text mode. For more information, see Developing Software Across Different Platforms.

2. On the Windows system, use Region Synchronizer to import the UNIX view's view-tag into your Windows network region.

3. In ClearCase Explorer, refresh view shortcuts. ClearCase Explorer detects the view-tag, starts the view, and creates a view shortcut for you.

Accessing Windows Dynamic Views from UNIX Hosts

ClearCase does not support products for accessing Windows file systems from UNIX workstations. You cannot access Windows views from UNIX hosts.

Accessing VOBs Across Different Platforms

Your administrator sets up VOBs on hosts running Windows or UNIX software and creates VOB-tags in each ClearCase network region that needs to access the VOBs. (For information about registering UNIX VOB-tags on a Windows computer, see the Administrator's Guide for Rational ClearCase.) Then, from any ClearCase host running Windows or UNIX software, you can create snapshot views to load elements from VOBs that have tags in your network region.

From dynamic views and snapshot views on a ClearCase host on a Windows computer that supports dynamic views, you can access VOBs on Windows computers and UNIX workstations. To access VOBs on UNIX workstations from dynamic views on Windows computers, you must use third-party software that provides access to UNIX file systems from Windows computers.

From dynamic views on a ClearCase host on a UNIX workstation, you cannot access VOBs on Windows computers. Table 3 summarizes your options for accessing VOBs across platform types.

Developing Software Across Different Platforms

You need an interop text-mode view to access text files using a UNIX view on a Windows host. Before a VOB can be accessed from an interop text-mode view, the system administrator must enable the VOB for interop text-mode support.

If developers check in source files from views created on hosts running either Windows and UNIX, consider creating your views in insert_cr or strip_cr text mode. The text modes change how a view manages line terminator sequences. For more information about choosing a text mode for a view, see the Administrator's Guide for Rational ClearCase.