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From: ssds!tims@uunet.uu.net (Tim Sesow (SSDS Rocky Mntn))
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Slashes in file names
Message-ID: <25881@adm.brl.mil>
Date: 7 Feb 91 14:58:03 GMT
Sender: news@adm.brl.mil
Lines: 29


  Having both had the bad experience of trying to restore a SunOS file
system with Gatorbox/Macintosh slash file names in it and working
on NFS software, I think the real problem lies in the designation
of a UNIX system as an NFS file server, when it cannot handle
the files that NFS is "allowed" to create.

I am fairly sure that the NFS spec does not contain any limitations
on the file names, therefore a slash is allowed.  Given that,
it seems that any system that is sold as a file server should
have the utilities (other than just "dd") to handle the
system administration of these files.

I would like to hear suggestions for changes to the NFS spec.
to solve this problem, since I can't think up any that work in
the long run.

Just to forestall some discussion:
1. Telling the Gatorbox to not allow slashes doesn't work.  I
see too many files with names like "Expense Report 12/14/90".
2. Translating the slash just moves the problem to another 
character.
3. Adding a directory delimiter to the NFS spec doesn't fit with
the way NFS works for directories.

Tim Sesow
SSDS, Inc.
Littleton, CO
(303) 798-5520