Re: Is there a Unix /tmp directory. How dissimilar are they.

[Kilgallen@SpamCop.net (Larry Kilgallen)]

In article <j8bsc21fou7fc2t83ftq6a1e18ekms2n3q@4ax.com>, Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> writes:
> On 31 Jul 2006 04:26:40 -0700, "Chris L" <clusardi2k@aol.com> declaimed
> the following in comp.lang.ada:
> 
>> Hello,
>> 
>>     What are the differences between Unix's /tmp directory and the
>> closest thing on a Vax? How much memory is involved? What can I use the
>> corresponding Vax mechanism for? How often is the Vax /tmp directory
>> used? Who uses it in general? Does the contents of this repository get
>> deleted after a certain time limit has been reached? Are there any
>> caveats that I should know about?

I did not receive the original question, but presuming all of it is
included above:

	If you are looking for a scratch directory on VMS from
	an interactive or batch process, use SYS$SCRATCH:.  In
	the default case it equates to SYS$LOGIN:, but in some
	situations the system manager (or the user) might have
	made different arrangements.

	Note that this is the arrangement for the VMS operating
	system, having nothing particular to do with VAX.  It is
	also true when VMS runs on Alpha or Itanium.  It is not
	the case when a VAX is running any of the various *IX
	operating systems.  I don't know about when the VAX is
	running the VAXeln operating system.

	The contents of SYS$SCRATCH: is not automatically deleted
	by the operating system, some system manager who has set
	it to be separate from SYS$LOGIN: might make such an
	arrangement.

	On the VMS system where I am typing this, there is a
	separate Scratch area set up by the system manager for
	each user, and _I_ have defined my SYS$SCRATCH: to
	point there.  It must be a separate area, or else
	two users who both wanted to create FOO.DAT would
	interact with each other.