File naming conventions depend on both the network clients' operating systems and the file-sharing protocols. For example, file names are case-sensitive for clients running UNIX and are case-insensitive, but case-preserving, for clients running Windows operating systems.
On the filer, the maximum length of a file name is 255 characters for NFS clients and CIFS clients that support the PC's long file name format. Some CIFS clients, such as MS-DOS and Windows 3.x clients, support only file names in the 8.3 format (8 characters for the file name and 3 characters for the file name extension). In any directory that has access from a CIFS client, the filer creates and maintains two names: the original long name and an additional short name in 8.3 format.
The filer generates an 8.3 file name as follows:
Note: The number or letter appended to the short name ensures that the file name is unique. It is not for showing the order of file creation.
For example, if an NFS client creates a file named specifications.html, the short name created by the filer is specif~0.htm. If this short name already exists, the filer uses a different number at the end of the file name. For example, if the UNIX client creates another file named specifications_new.html, the short version of specifications_new.html is specif~1.htm.
The short names appear on clients that support only the 8.3 format. The short names are not visible to NFS clients. On Windows 95 and Windows NT clients, you can choose to display the short name or the long name by using File Properties.
Note: Under some circumstances, an application running on a client that uses names in 8.3 format can "lose" the file's original long-format name. This can occur as a consequence of the way an application saves a file that it has edited. Some applications rename the original file, then save the edited file as if it were newly created. The filer thus receives instructions to delete the original file and create a new one. When the client supports only 8.3 names, this new name no longer has an equivalent in long format.
The characters that you can use in file names depend on the client operating systems. Because restrictions on legal characters vary from one operating system to another, refer to the documentation for your client's operating system for more information about prohibited characters.
When you name a file to be shared by users on different operating systems, it helps to use only characters that are common to both. For example, if you use UNIX to create a file and use a colon (:) as its file name, an MS-DOS user sees the name displayed as ~0 because the colon is an illegal character in an MS-DOS file name.
Uppercase and lowercase characters are significant to NFS clients but not to CIFS clients. For example, if a file named specifications already exists, an NFS user can still save another file under the name Specifications, but a CIFS user is instructed by the application to choose another file name. This section describes how both NFS and CIFS users can use file names that differ only by case.
When a client creates a file name, the filer preserves the case. For example, if a CIFS client creates Spec.txt, the file name is displayed by both CIFS and NFS clients as Spec.txt. If an NFS user later creates a file named spec.txt, NFS and CIFS clients see the file names as follows:
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Part No. 210-02334
File: multi4.htm
Last updated: 02/24/99 12:16:17