15.7 File Naming Issues in Mixed Environments

If your ClearCase LT community includes both UNIX and Windows computers, users should be aware of potential file access problems stemming from the different file naming conventions observed by each platform.

Case-Sensitivity

On UNIX, the native file system and commands are case-sensitive, and it is legal for two file names to differ only in the case of one or more of their characters.

On Windows, the native file system and commands are case-insensitive, though case is preserved when displayed. File names that differ only in the case of one or more characters are considered the same.

On both UNIX and Windows, most ClearCase LT commands are case-sensitive. ClearCase LT users on Windows must provide ClearCase LT commands that take a file name argument with the case-correct file name. As the following example shows, Windows commands can access a file regardless of the case in which you type its name. ClearCase LT commands require the case to be correct.

C:\myview>dir readme.txt
.
05/02/00 04:57p 2,511 readme.txt
.
.
C:\myview>dir README.txt
.
05/02/00 04:57p 2,511 readme.txt
.
.
C:\myview>cleartool lshistory README.TXT
cleartool: Error: Pathname not found: "README.TXT".

C:\myview>cleartool lshistory readme.txt
02-May.16:58 roc create version "readme.txt@@\main\4"
.
.

Character Sets

Various characters that are allowed in UNIX file names are not allowed in Windows NT file names. File names that include any of these characters are recognized by Windows NT and cannot be loaded into a Windows snapshot view.

Table 4 Characters That Are Not Allowed in file names on Windows

?

*

/

\

|

<

>

Table 4 lists these characters.