2.2 ClearCase Data and Non-ClearCase Hosts

A host on which ClearCase has not been installed can still access VOB data. There are several ways to provide this access, some more restrictive than others:

• Use a snapshot view on a ClearCase host. You can use this method when the non-ClearCase host can use a remote file access facility, such as NFS or Microsoft Windows networking, to access files in the snapshot view directory.

This method offers good performance because it uses native software for remote file access. However, you are restricted to those element versions that the snapshot view selects.

To use this method:

1. On a ClearCase host, create a view and load into it the files you want to access from a non-ClearCase host.

2. On this host, make the files accessible to other hosts on your network. For a UNIX host, export the file system on which the view directory resides. For a Windows host, share the drive or directory on which the view directory resides.

3. On a non-ClearCase host, use remote file access to read and write files in the view directory.

4. To modify VOB data, check out and check in versions in the view on the ClearCase host.

• Use the ClearCase Web interface. You can use this method when the non-ClearCase host has a browser that the ClearCase Web interface supports and when a ClearCase host is configured as a Web server for the ClearCase interface. You can use the Web interface to modify VOB data without running ClearCase tools on the non-ClearCase host. For information about setting up the Web interface, see Chapter 17, Configuring a Web Server for the ClearCase Web Interface.