Linux, the UNIX® system, and Windows® observe different conventions
for case-sensitivity in file name lookup: Linux® and the UNIX system are case sensitive; Windows is
not case sensitive. These operating system conventions, which are also typically
observed by applications and users, can cause problems when users working
in mixed environments share a common set of VOBs and views. There are two
aspects of case sensitivity in
Rational® ClearCase®:
- Regardless of how you configure Rational ClearCase,
all Rational ClearCase applications
that refer to pathnames in VOBs, including cleartool and clearmake,
are case sensitive.
- The multiversion file system (MVFS) on Linux and on the UNIX system is
always case sensitive. The MVFS on Windows can be configured to support
various case-sensitivity and case-preservation options.
In general, you can use Rational ClearCase on
all supported operating systems with little consideration for case-sensitivity
issues. If you encounter unexpected behavior in a mixed environment, read
this topic.
General recommendations
To
avoid common problems related to differences in case-sensitivity, follow these
general recommendations:
- In VOBs and views, avoid creating file or directory names that differ
only in capitalization of characters. An MVFS that is not case sensitive cannot
distinguish such names, and attempts to access such files produce indeterminate
results.
- Configure the MVFS on Windows to be not case sensitive. (This
is the default setting.)
- If you use an NFS client or SMB server product, disable any automatic
case-conversion features it may have (See Configuring cross-platform file-system access).
The topics that follow explains pertinent case-sensitivity issues
and discuss each recommendation.