Changes between Version 18 and Version 19 of BoincFiles

Timestamp:

Jan 5, 2017, 9:45:23 PM (8 years ago)

Author:

davea

Comment:

--

BoincFiles

@@ -12 +12 @@
 The BOINC client transfers files to and from project-operated '''data servers''' using HTTP.
 
-A file of a given name is '''immutable'''.
+== File immutability ==
+
+The name of a file is called its "physical name".
+A file of a given physical name is '''immutable'''.
 This means that all replicas of that file are assumed (and required) to be identical.
 If a file is changed, even by a single byte, it becomes a new file, and must be given a different name.
 
+Note: systems for combining or compressing files, like tar and gzip, may add timestamps,
+so archiving the same set of files can produce differing results.
+With gzip, the --no-name option suppresses this.
+
 == File properties ==
 
-Files have various properties, including:
+You can assign various properties to files, including:
 
- * '''Physical name:''' unique identifier for the file.
+ * '''Logical name:''' the name by which an application refers to a file.
   Must be nonempty, at most 255 chars, and may not contain '..', '/', or '%'.
  * '''Sticky:''' don't delete file on client (see below).