rename path issue [ newbie question]

[nipun_2]

Hi,
I am trying to move directory and it's subdirectories and all their contents from

disk1:[acct1.data]dirTOMOVE to
disk1:[ACCT2.data]dirTOMOVE

so I did
$rename disk1:[acct1.data.dirTOMOVE...]*.*;* disk1:[ACCT2.data]*.*;*

However, this copies the subdirectories directly to the data folder

so I have disk1:[ACCT2.data.subdir] instead of disk1:[ACCT2.data.dirTOMOVE.subdir]

Please let me know what you think

Thanks in advance

Nipun

[John Gillings]

Nipun,

You've got the answer in your description... Try:

$ RENAME/LOG -
DISK1:[ACCT1.DATA]DIRTOMOVE.DIR -
DISK1:[ACCT2.DATA]DIRTOMOVE.DIR

This will move the directory file (and all its contents). Good policy to use /LOG, especially if you're unsure what's going to happen.
Note that if ACCT1 and ACCT2 are owned by different users, you may want to reset the file ownerships as well:

$ SET DIRECTORY/OWNER=acct2 DISK1:[ACCT2.DATA.DIRTOMOVE]
$ SET FILE/OWNER=acct2 DISK1:[ACCT2.DATA.DIRTOMOVE...]*.*;*

[Antoniov.]

Just for talking,
directory in vms are file with .DIR extension.
Rename can work just on the same disk.

Antonio Vigliotti

[Robert Gezelter]

Nipun,

WADR (with all due respect), I believe that John omitted an important case in his answer.

John discussed the very common case of renaming a directory from one name to another. His answer is completely correct, as is his well noted comment about file ownership. To his comment, I will add a comment about the File Protection Masks and Access Control Lists (ACLS), which also may require adjustment, depending on your security issues.

John's answer, did however, omit the possibility that the RENAME operation was a merge of the files contained in disk1:[acct1.data...] with the contents of the directory tree disk1:[ACCT2.data...].

In that case, your RENAME command should be:
$ RENAME/LOG disk1:[acct1.data...]*.*;* disk1:[ACCT2.data...]*.*;*

Two things to note about the above:
- first, the ellipsis (...) on both source and the destination are critical
- the /LOG output will not include files (or for that matter, directories) that are included in sub-directories that are moved in total when the sub-directory is renamed.

Note that the use of RENAME only works for the same device, if the devices are different, BACKUP is the preferred utility.

I hope that the above is helpful.

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com

[Peter Quodling]

Use Backup - its much smarter at doing this sort of stuff...

Q

[Robert Gezelter]

Peter,

Yes, BACKUP is a good option. However, Nipun did not specify the size (or for that matter, the allocations) of the files in the original directory tree.

If the files are large, of they are specially allocated (e.g., contiguous, placement control), or if there is not enough space for two copies of the files on the disk, RENAME is Nipun's best option.

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com

[Antoniov.]

Backup is good solution when you have to move from a disk to another one.

Antonio Vigliotti

[nipun_2]

Thanks for the reply.
yeah I the files are huge and on the same disk so renaming is the only option I have and I have to be careful.

when I do
$ RENAME/LOG -
DISK1:[ACCT1.DATA]DIRTOMOVE.DIR -
DISK1:[ACCT2.DATA]DIRTOMOVE.DIR

Does this mean I need to have DIRTOMOVE.DIR already created in ACCT2 before hand?

in order to effectively copy all the subdirectories in the right order.

[Antoniov.]

Absolutely no,
ACCT2 can't exist, so can't exit its subdirectory.

Antonio Vigliotti

[Hein van den Heuvel]

>>> when I do $ RENAME/LOG -
DISK1:[ACCT1.DATA]DIRTOMOVE.DIR -
DISK1:[ACCT2.DATA]DIRTOMOVE.DIR
>Does this mean I need to have DIRTOMOVE.DIR >already created in ACCT2 before hand?

Yes.

You will also need to unprotect the directories before delete or rename as by default they are protected against delete.
Now you are not deleting, only writing, but changing directory entries can 'appear' to look like deleting (both cases can result in 'file not found' :-).
What I tend to do is a simple, sleazy: SET PROT xxx.DIR.
This will apply the default file protection which will allow delete.
You should reset afterwards, but you can not delete non-empty directories anyway.

Hein.