DevOps Code ClearCase and native file-system permissions

DevOps Code ClearCase® requires specific file-system permissions on storage directories for VOBs and dynamic views. These permissions are established when the directories are created and must not be changed.

Data for VOBs and views is maintained by DevOps Code ClearCase in ordinary directories, the VOB storage directory and the view storage directory, in the native file system on each VOB and view host. All access to these directories is managed by DevOps Code ClearCase; users never read from or write to these directories directly. File system protections are managed so that a user who has no rights to access a VOB object also has no rights to access any file in which the object's data is stored.

If you have inadvertently changed permissions on a VOB or view storage directory, VOB or view access might be severely restricted, but you might be able to repair the damage. See Repairing storage directory ACLS on NTFS.

A snapshot view directory is a file-system directory that contains copies of element versions and other file-system objects that are not under DevOps Code ClearCase control. The owner of a snapshot view can manage file-system permissions on these files. For example, the view owner can add or remove group write permission for files in a snapshot view directory that are not under DevOps Code ClearCase control.

As with a dynamic view, a snapshot view also has a view storage directory, which might or might not be located within the snapshot view directory. The view storage directory for a snapshot view is created and maintained by DevOps Code ClearCase, just as it is for a dynamic view. Never change file-system permissions on the view storage directory for a snapshot view.