Re: Problem with '/' in archieve name

Chris Lewis (clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca)
Tue, 1 Feb 1994 01:05:09 -0500

Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
Next message: Thomas Koenig: "Re: Problem with '/' in archieve name"

On Jan 31, 11:02, George Burgyan wrote:
} Subject: Re: Problem with '/' in archieve name
}
}
} >I maintain a multi-part FAQ using the standard archive names of:
} >faq/part1
} >faq/part2

} >Several people have complained that this nomenclature makes it impossible for
} >them to retrieve these files by FTP from the archieve at MIT. See message
} >below:

} The slashes in the archive-name *are* directory separators. In your
} example, "faq/part1" and "faq/part2", both part1 and part2 are in the
} directory "faq" on the archive server.

I should point out that there are *some* circumstances where "/" is
*not* a directory separator in UNIX. When a file system is NFS mounted,
it is possible for the client (if the client isn't UNIX) to create files
with "/" in the directory entry. These files work fine from the NFS
client, but you can't even stat() or unlink() them on the UNIX side
- all you can do is see them when reading the directory (ala "ls" with
no options). The packages that allow this are exceedingly broken, but
they do exist.

It is possible, therefore, to create a file called "faq/part1", and
a file called "part1" under directory "faq" simultaneously. The
first should be nuked. From UNIX, you probably have to clear the inode
and run fsck. Then the UNIX NFS server should be adjusted to translate
the "/" to something else - they can usually do this.

I have no idea if this is the root problem you're encountering, but if
these files could have been transfered to this system via NFS from a non-UNIX
machine, it's a possibility.

As far as a naming conventions - to make the "part1" unique, this is
a rather extreme solution when just making your FTP retrieval software
a trifle smarter is the best solution. Indeed, you can maintain the
same directory structure on your machine for retrievals.

-- 
Look on the bright side - at least the PC's reached gender parity!
Chris Lewis; clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca; Phone: Canada 613 832-0541
Ferret list: ferret-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca
Latest psroff: FTP://ftp.uunet.ca/distrib/chris_lewis/psroff3.0pl17/*

Next message: Thomas Koenig: "Re: Problem with '/' in archieve name"

[ Usenet Hypertext FAQ Archive | Search Mail Archive | Authors | Usenet ]
[ 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 ]