KnowledgeBase 00062: Extended Filename Syntaxes

Last updated: 17 Feb 2017 Applies to: All versions

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This article was originally published as a Tip of the Week.

Normally, QM commands that reference files use a file name that corresponds to an F or Q-type VOC entry which, in turn, references the actual operating system file to be accessed. There are three special extended syntaxes for filenames that allow access to files without needing a VOC entry.

Accessing Files In Another Account

Use of a filename constructed as

   account:file

allows an application to access a file in a different account. The account element of this syntax must correspond to an entry in the QM accounts register (the QM.ACCOUNTS file) and the file element must correspond to the name of an F or Q-type VOC item in that account.

Accessing Files On Another Server

Extending the above syntax to become

   server:account:file

allows an application to access a file on a different QM server. The server element of this syntax must correspond to the name of a QMNet server as defined using the SET.SERVER or SET.PRIVATE.SERVER commands. The account and file elements are as described for the first extended syntax above.

QMNet provides global locking capabilities across multiple servers, ensuring that full concurrency control is available to applications.

Accessing Files By Pathname

A filename constructed as

   PATH:pathname

can be used to reference a file by pathname.

The FILERULE Configuration Parameter

Use of the syntaxes described above is controlled by the FILERULE configuration parameter because they potentially weaken system security. For example, some applications provide an ad-hoc query interface where use of an extended syntax might allow a user to see data that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Users should consider any impact on the security of their system before enabling these extended syntaxes.

Related Articles

00078: Public and Private Servers

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