Welcome to the HPSS Hierarchical Storage Interface (HSI) Hypertext Manual. This manual has been organized to help you locate the information that you need quickly, whether you are an experienced HSI user or just getting started.

Standards and Conventions for the HSI Manual

The following standard notations and conventions are used throughout this manual to describe commands, parameters, and keywords
  • Commands in this type of font are used in this publication to refer to items that you must enter exactly as shown.
  • Response messages are also shown in this type of font
  • Items that must be replaced with values that you specify are shown in UPPERCASE.
  • Optional input is contained within brackets "[ ]". In the following example, you will note that the first parameter is mandatory (no brackets), while the second is optional (enclosed in brackets):

      COMMAND parameter1 [parameter2] ...
  • Repeating groups use the notation "..." to mean that multiple optional parameters may be appended to a command line. See the previous example.
  • Delimiters are special characters that must be used to separate the various segments of the command line. The most common delimiters are spaces and commas.
  • Control keys are shown as < CTRL-n >. This is a special notation for depressing two keys at once; the CTRL key is held down while the "n" key is depressed at the same time.
  • Vertical bar symbols "|" are used to show `or' functions (for example, this | that).
  • Italics within the text are used to introduce new terms and to emphasize critical information.

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Major Topics in the HSI Manual

To get the most from this manual, you should have a general knowledge of the site's computer network configuration and a working knowledge of UNIX file systems and commands.

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Table of Contents for this Manual

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Site Overview

Chapter 2: Working With HPSS

2.1 The HPSS Interface Program (HSI)
2.2 HSI Command Line
2.3 HSI Startup File
2.4 What is a HSI Request?
2.5 HSI Request Format
2.6 HSI Response Format
2.7 HPSS Tree Structures
2.8 Paths and Working Directories
2.9 HPSS Security and File Sharing
2.10 Interactive Use of HSI
2.11 Single-Line Execution
2.12 Batch Use of HSI

Chapter 3: HSI Commands

3.1 Request Format
3.2 Request Format Rules
3.3 Commands
3.4 Parameters
3.5 Keywords
3.5.1 Keyword Format
3.6 Keysets
3.6.1 Active Keysets
3.6.2 Saved Keysets

Chapter 4: HSI Responses

4.1 Handling Error Responses
4.2 Response Handling for UNIX-Based Systems

Chapter 5: Tree Structures, Directories, and Paths

5.1 Tree Structures
5.2 Path Definition
5.3 UNIX-style Pathname Notation
5.4 Working Directories
5.5 Working Directory Rules
5.6 Pathname Resolution
5.7 Assigning Values to Working Directories
5.8 Defining Local Files to HSI
5.9 Using Wild Cards
5.9.1 *(Asterisk) Character
5.9.2 ? (Question Mark) Character
5.9.3 [ ] (Square Brackets) Characters
5.9.4 { } (Curly Brace) Characters
5.9.5 ^ (Caret) Character
5.9.6 Commands That Work With Wild Cards
5.9.7 Multi-Level Wild Cards
5.9.8 Wild Cards in Working Directories
5.9.9 Valid Wild Paths
5.9.10 Wild Card Output
5.9.11 Deleting Files
5.9.12 Performance

Chapter 6: Security and File Sharing

6.1 HPSS Groups
6.2 Creating Public Group Directories
6.3 Multilevel Security (Lack of)

Chapter 7: Working With Multiple HPSS Filesystems

Chapter 8: Commands, Keywords, and Parameters

Chapter 9: Tricks, Tips, and Helpful Hints

9.1 Using HSI to Backup Filesystems
9.2 Wild Card Tricks
9.3 File Integrity and Backup
9.4 Using Recursion for Project Management
9.5 Frequently Used Requests
9.6 Listing Very Large Directories
9.7 Operating System Considerations for One-Liners

Appendix A: Exit Codes

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