NetWare 4.1/9000 Concepts

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NetWare Glossary
M
Multiple name space support
The method that allows workstations running different operating systems to
use their native naming conventions. The file system can present any given
file using the client operating system’s naming conventions.
The filename conversions require the following steps:
• Character mappings
• Collision detection
• Binding
Character Mappings
Characters that are legal in filenames of one client operating system may not
be legal in another. The allowable length of filenames may vary among
client file systems. Therefore filenames must be translated or “mapped” to
appear properly on each client.
Mapping may
• Match a character with the same character when it is supported by the other file
system’s naming conventions
• Replace a character not supported by the other file system’s naming conventions
with a character that is supported
• Omit characters not supported by the other file system or that exceed the length
of allowable names in the other file system
Character mapping results in a proposed filename that meets the naming
conventions of the other file system.
Collision Detection
The collision detection routines check the proposed name with all filenames
in the directory for that name space. If a match is found, a numbered suffix is
added to the filename just before the extension.
A directory might contain the HP-UX file fredfilenew. If it were mapped to a
DOS filename the proposed name would be FREDFILE. If collision
detection found that there was already a DOS file called FREDFILE, the file
would instead become FREDFIL0.