Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!CLARKU.BITNET!DHASKIN From: DHASKIN@CLARKU.BITNET (Denis W. Haskin, Manager, Technical Services) Newsgroups: comp.os.vms Subject: RE: RMS last accessed Message-ID: <8705021222.AA07324@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> Date: Wed, 29-Apr-87 13:43:00 EDT Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8705021222.AA07324 Posted: Wed Apr 29 13:43:00 1987 Date-Received: Sun, 3-May-87 06:02:58 EDT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Distribution: world Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 40 From: "John H. Yates" > Is there any way to retrieve the last accessed date for files? I know > last revised is available, but haven't found if RMS keeps the last time > a file was simply read. No, for reasons you mention below, among others. What about security and protection codes? Being able to update the last-accessed date would require modify access to the file (or is it the parent directory), and how does one handle that when the user looking at the file only has read priv and no modify priv? > I at one time considered archiving user files that had not been > accessed in n days, but gave up when the hook did not seem to exist. > I know it would slow down i/o and for this reason may not be available, > and yes, I know users could easily beat the archive system, by copying > their files to nl: , etc. , but what they don't know will help me free > up disk space. We thought about it too and gave up. When you start investigating, you will probably find that any system is highly unlikely to be worth the amount of time you are going to have to put into it. We purge files a few times per year and it's holding us (though admittedly only just -- remember that disk use will invariably expand to fill available disk space). Appeal to your user community's sense of camaraderie and the concept of *shared* resources and the like (how about posting a list of the worst offenders? Nothing like a little peer pressure!). I would add that commercial archiving products seem to be maturing to the point where we may start considering one (and what about the rumors that DEC has one that they use in-house all the time?). % Denis W. Haskin Manager, Technical Services % % ----------------------------------------------------------------------- % % DHASKIN@CLARKU.BITNET Office of Information Systems (617)793-7193 % % Clark University 950 Main Street Worcester MA 01610 % % % % "Anyone who _moves_ before Most Holy comes back out will spend the rest % % of eternity sipping lava through an iron straw." - Cerebus %