About case-sensitivity

Windows® logon user names

Windows® logon user names are not case-sensitive but are case-preserving. If you want to log on to Windows® using the same account but with variations of the capitalization (for example, mike and MIKE), you see confusing results from DevOps Code ClearCase® operations. DevOps Code ClearCase® operations record the user name as it was entered at the Windows® logon prompt, and these operations are case-sensitive. Thus, a checkout by mike does not show up when you log on as MIKE and ask for "my" checkouts (cleartool lsco-me ).

For DevOps Code ClearCase®

From a dynamic view or from a snapshot view on a Linux or UNIX workstation, it is possible to create two elements whose names differ only in the case of characters that make up their names. For example:

/design/func_specs/bas
/design/func_specs/Bas

On Linux or UNIX workstations, the native file system and all DevOps Code ClearCase® components (the multiversion file system (MVFS), cleartool, clearmake, and cleartool subcommands) are case-sensitive. In both a dynamic view and a snapshot view on a Linux or UNIX workstation, these two elements are distinct. In a dynamic view, the MVFS uses case-sensitive file lookup and performs no automatic case conversion of any kind.

On Windows® computers, the native file systems (for example, FAT and NTFS) perform file lookups that are not case-sensitive (ignoring the distinction between lowercase and uppercase characters) and generally preserve case on file creation and folder creation operations. A snapshot view on a Windows® computer uses the native Windows® file system, does not support case-sensitive file lookups, and does not distinguish the two elements in the previous example. If you were to load these two elements into a snapshot view on a Windows® computer, only one of them would have the correct data when copied into the view; duplicate files are reported as hijacked.

By default, on Windows® computers, the MVFS is set up to have dynamic views perform file lookups that are not case-sensitive and to convert to lowercase the names of new view-private files and directories and the DevOps Code ClearCase® elements and versions that it creates. However, you can configure MVFS settings to perform case-sensitive file lookup and preserve the case of the names of new view-private files and directories and DevOps Code ClearCase® elements and versions. All DevOps Code ClearCase® applications that refer to path names in VOBs, including cleartool and clearmake, are case-sensitive regardless of how you configure MVFS settings. If MVFS is configured to preserve case, path names to MVFS objects, including view-private files and directories in the MVFS namespace, must specify the correct case.

Avoid creating elements whose names differ only in case.