Unix Backup and Recovery

View Backup and Recovery Procedures

The ClearCase view is the developer’s window into the data stored in the VOBs. It is a short-term storage area for data created in the development process. A view holds both checked-out versions of files stored in the VOBs and view-private files that have no VOB counterpart. Like VOBs, views are implemented as a view storage directory. View storage directories can be recognized by their vws suffix. A developer activates a view by running the cleartool setview command.

The public versus private debate is intensified here because there will most likely be more private views than private VOBs. In addition, there is some debate on whether views need to be backed up at all. The crux of this argument is that, views being so volatile, it is not necessary to back up the contents, as they can always be derived from existing resources. For private views, this is probably true. For public views that are used by multiple developers, it is usually wise to have a good backup, as some things may be hard to recreate, such as a build with a particular error that is being investigated.

View Backup Strategies

It is not a requirement that individual views be backed up in order to preserve the integrity of the ClearCase data. However, individual developer data may be contained in the views, and backing them up will preserve that data. Backing up views is, in most cases, simpler than backing up VOBs. Unlike a VOB, a view can have only a single storage pool, either ...