1.4 ClearCase Users

ClearCase LT does not maintain a database of its users. Any user who is logged in to a ClearCase LT host and can acquire a license is able to use the software. Because ClearCase LT relies on a host's operating system to establish a user's identity (user ID, principal group ID, and optional supplementary group IDs), you must make certain that user identities are consistent on every ClearCase LT host. This consistency is usually achieved by using networkwide databases maintained by the operating system such as the NIS passwd and group maps on UNIX or, on Windows, Windows NT or Active Directory domains.

NOTE: In environments where users access a common set of VOBs and views from UNIX and Windows hosts, we strongly recommend that each user's user name, password, and group memberships be the same whether the user is logged in to UNIX or Windows.

Most cleartool commands check the user's identity before granting access to particular objects-element, version, and so on. See Chapter 3, Understanding ClearCase Access Controls, for detailed information on this topic.