Re: Who clears /tmp regularly

Hi Patrik

It seems I am mistaken, thanks for clarifying things - the references I saw were about declaring variables in Javascript, apparently.

Your description of the use of /var fits what I found about files that change in size.

I found something interesting today, because I looked for documentation about IFS from IBM. I have to admit to using my less-than-expert Linux experience when approaching the IFS, and I didn't remember hearing much about, or even looking for the details from IBM.

So I dug in and find there is no mention of the /var directory in the PDF about the IFS - there's a chapter called *Provided directories*, so we who even read that manual would not have heard of the distinctive use that Linux/Unix admins might be familiar with.

Interestingly, I did see references to /var in some links to IBM z.

Another thought - IFS has been presented as a combination of Windows and Unix file systems, mixed in standards like POSIX - here's something from the PDF -

The integrated file system is a part of the IBM i operating system that supports stream input/output
and storage management similar to personal computer and UNIX operating systems, while providing an
integrating structure over all information stored on your system.

Anyhow, using the IFS well and safely does present challenges - it behooves us to learn all we can to be sure we manage it well.

Cheers
Vern

On 2/28/2024 4:04 AM, Patrik Schindler wrote:

Hello Vern,

Am 27.02.2024 um 23:32 schrieb VERNON HAMBERG Owner via MIDRANGE-L<midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

Interesting, I know I have had no idea why to use /var - and now that I looked it up, one description is it holds files that change in size. A further search says we shouldn't use it at all, it's outdated.

Um. May I ask for some reference about /var being "outdated"? From experience, it's not.

/var IMHO is comparable to the QUSRSYS library on IBM i. It holds "variable" data, such as spool (mail, print) and log files, and is most often used by application packages. Another way to look at it is "a home directory for system wide applications".

The biggest difference between /var and /tmp is that /tmp is considered volatile between reboots, while things in /var are meant to stay unless deleted manually. In fact, some directory structures in /var on Linux are required and may break applications if deleted for "cleanup purposes".

As others stated, cleaning /tmp in restricted state or even automatically in QSTRUP is usually safe, unless you have applications requiring intermediate data to continue processing. But then, /tmp would have been the wrong spot to put that data there in the first place. :-)

:wq! PoC