admin(1)admin(1)NAMEadmin - Creates and initializes or changes (administers) Source Code
Control System (SCCS) files
SYNOPSIS
The admin command creates and initializes new Source Code Control Sys‐
tem (SCCS) files or changes specified parameters in existing SCCS
files.
Creating and Initializing SCCS Files
admin [-a user] [-i[file]] | [-n] [-f header_flag[value]] [-m MRlist]
[-r number[.number]] [-t[file]] [-y[comment]] sccs_file | -
Changing Existing SCCS Files
admin [-a user] [-e user] [-d header_flag] [-f header_flag[value]] [-h]
[-t[file]] [-z] sccs_file | -
STANDARDS
Interfaces documented on this reference page conform to industry stan‐
dards as follows:
admin: XCU5.0
Refer to the standards(5) reference page for more information about
industry standards and associated tags.
OPTIONS
Adds the specified user to the list of users who can make sets of
changes (deltas) to the SCCS file. The user argument can be either a
user name, a group name, or a group ID. Specifying a group name or num‐
ber is the same as specifying the names of all users in that group.
You can specify more than one -a option on a single admin command line.
If an SCCS file contains an empty user list, anyone can add deltas.
If you precede user by an ! (exclamation point), the users
specified are denied permission to make deltas.
[Tru64 UNIX] If a file has a user list, the creator of the file
must be included in the list in order for the creator to make
deltas to the file. Removes the specified header flag from the
SCCS file. You can specify this option only with existing SCCS
files. You can also specify more than one -d option in a single
admin command. Removes the specified user from the list of
users allowed to make deltas to the SCCS file. Specifying a
group ID is equivalent to specifying all user names common to
that group. You can specify several -e options on a single
admin command line. You can specify this option only with exist‐
ing SCCS files. See also the -a option. Places the specified
header flag and value in the SCCS file. You can specify more
than one header flag in a single admin command. Checks the
structure of the SCCS file and compares a newly computed check‐
sum with the checksum that is stored in the first line of the
SCCS file. When the checksum value is not correct, the file was
improperly modified or damaged. This option helps you detect
damage caused by the improper use of non-SCCS commands to modify
SCCS files, as well as accidental damage. The -h option pre‐
vents writing to the file, so it cancels the effect of any other
options supplied. If an error message is returned indicating
the file is damaged, use the -z option to recompute the check‐
sum. Then test to see if the file has been corrected by using
the -h option again. Gets the text for a new SCCS file from
file. This text is the first delta of the file. If you specify
the -i option but you omit the file argument, admin reads the
text from standard input until it reaches End-of-File(Ctrl-D).
If you do not specify the -i option, but you do specify the -n
option, admin creates an empty SCCS file. The admin command can
create only one file containing text at a time. If you are cre‐
ating two or more SCCS files with one call to admin, you must
use the -n option, and the SCCS files created are empty. Speci‐
fies a list of Modification Request (MR) numbers to be inserted
into the SCCS file as the reason for creating the initial delta.
The v flag must be set. The MR numbers are validated if the v
flag has a value (the name of an MR number validation program).
The admin command reports an error if the v flag is not set or
if the MR validation fails. Creates a new, empty SCCS file.
[Tru64 UNIX] Do not specify this option when you use the -i
option. See the description of the -i option for details.
Inserts the initial delta into number.number, the release and
version, respectively. You can specify -r only if you also
specify the -i or -n option. If you do not specify this option,
the initial delta becomes release 1, version 1. Use this option
only when creating an SCCS file. If the version number is omit‐
ted, the version is set to 1 by default. Takes descriptive text
for the SCCS file from file. If you use -t when creating a new
SCCS file, you must supply a file name. In the case of an
existing SCCS file without a file name, -t causes removal of the
descriptive text (if any) currently in the SCCS file. In the
case of an existing SCCS file with a file name, -t causes text
in the named file to replace the descriptive text (if any) cur‐
rently in the SCCS file. Inserts comment text into the initial
delta in a manner identical to that of the delta command. Use
the -y option only when you create an SCCS file. If you do not
specify a comment, admin inserts a line of the following form:
date and time created YY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS by login
[Tru64 UNIX] If YY is 69 to 99, the year is interpreted as
being in the twentieth century, i.e. 19YY. Otherwise, the year
is interpreted as being in the twenty-first century, i.e. 20YY.
Recomputes the SCCS file checksum and stores it in the first
line of the SCCS file. (See the -h option description.)
Using admin with this option on a damaged file can prevent
future detection of the damage. Use this option only if the
SCCS file is changed using non-SCCS commands because of a previ‐
ous serious error.
OPERANDS
The name of an SCCS file to be created or modified.
If the named file exists, admin modifies its parameters as spec‐
ified by the flags. If it does not exist and you supply the -i
option or the -n option, admin creates the new file and provides
default values for unspecified options.
If you specify a directory name for file, admin performs the
requested actions on all SCCS files in that directory (all files
with the s. prefix).
If you specify a - (hyphen) as a file name, admin reads standard
input and interprets each line as the name of an SCCS file. An
End-of-File character ends input.
DESCRIPTION
The parameters that can be modified by admin control how the get com‐
mand builds the files that you can edit. The parameters also provide
information about who can access the file, who can make changes, and
when changes were made.
[Tru64 UNIX] The admin command is most often used to create new SCCS
files without setting parameters.
[Tru64 UNIX] If you are not familiar with the delta numbering system,
see the get(1), sccs(1) reference pages, and the Programming Support
Tools book.
Creating an SCCS File
All SCCS file names must have the form s.file. New SCCS files are cre‐
ated with read-only permission. You must have write permission in the
directory to create a file. (See the chmod(1) reference page for an
explanation of file permissions). The admin command writes to a tempo‐
rary x-file, which it calls x.file. The x-file has the same permis‐
sions as the original SCCS file if it already exists, and it is read-
only if admin creates a new file. After successful completion of
admin, the x-file is moved to the name of the SCCS file. This action
ensures that changes are made to the SCCS file only if admin does not
detect any errors while it is running.
You should create directories containing SCCS files with permission
code 755 (read, write, and execute permissions for owner, read and exe‐
cute permissions for group members and others). You should create SCCS
files themselves as read-only files (444). With these permissions,
only the owner can use non-SCCS commands to modify SCCS files. If a
group can access and modify the SCCS files, make sure the directories
include group write permission.
The admin command also uses a temporary lock file (called z.file) to
prevent simultaneous updates to the SCCS file by different users. See
the get(1) reference page for additional information on the z.file
file.
Header Flags
The following table contains the header flags that can be set with the
-f option and unset with the -d option. The header flags control the
format of the g-file created with the get command. (See the get(1)
reference page for details on the g-file.) Lets you use the -b option
of a get command to create branch deltas. Makes number the highest
release number that a get -e command can use. The value of number must
be less than or equal to 9999. Its default value is 9999. Makes SID
(SCCS ID) the default delta supplied to a get command. Makes number
the lowest release number that a get -e command can retrieve. The num‐
ber argument must be greater than 0 and less than 9999. Its default
value is 1. Treats the message “There are no SCCS identification key‐
words in the file. (cm7)” (issued by the get or delta command) as an
error instead of a warning.
You may use keyword to specify that a particular keyword, or set
of keywords, separated by blanks and tab characters, must be
found in the file. Permits concurrent get commands for editing
the same SID of an SCCS file. This flag allows multiple concur‐
rent updates to the same version of the SCCS file. This flag is
sometimes called the “joint edit” flag. Locks the releases
specified by number... against editing, so that a get -e com‐
mand against one of these releases fails. If you specify number
as a, this is equivalent to specifying all releases in the file.
[Tru64 UNIX] You can lock all releases against editing by spec‐
ifying -fla and unlock specific releases with the -d option.
Substitutes module for all occurrences of the %M% keyword in an
SCCS text file retrieved by a get command. The default module is
the name of the SCCS file without the s. prefix. Causes delta
to create a null delta in any releases that are skipped when a
delta is made in a new release. For example, if you make delta
5.1 after delta 2.7, releases 3 and 4 will be null. The result‐
ing null deltas can serve as points from which to build branch
deltas. Without this flag, skipped releases do not appear in
the SCCS file. Substitutes text for all occurrences of the %Q%
keyword in an SCCS text file retrieved by a get command. Sub‐
stitutes type for all occurrences of the %Y% keyword in a g-file
retrieved by get. Makes delta prompt for Modification Request
(MR) numbers as the reason for creating a delta. The program
argument specifies the name of an MR number validity checking
program. (See the delta(1) reference page.) If v is set in the
SCCS file, the admin-m option must also be used, even if its
value is null.
EXIT STATUS
The following exit values are returned: Successful completion. An
error occurred.
EXAMPLES
To create an empty SCCS file named s.test.c, enter: admin-n s.test.c
To convert an existing text file into an SCCS file, enter: admin-itest.c s.test.c
The admin command responds with the message: There are no SCCS
identification keywords in the file. (cm7)
This message does not indicate an error. To rename the original
text file, enter: mv oldname.c newname.c Identification key‐
words are variables that can be placed in an SCCS file. The
values of these variables provide information, such as date,
time, SID, or file name. See the get(1) reference page for an
explanation of identification keywords.
Whether creating new files or converting an existing file, you
can name the SCCS file anything you like, as long as it begins
with the s. prefix. In this example, the original file and the
SCCS file have the same name, but that is not required.
When you do not specify a release number, as in both of the pre‐
ceding examples, admin gives the SCCS file an SID of 1.1. SCCS
does not use the number 0 to identify deltas. Therefore, a file
cannot have an SID of 1.0 or 2.1.1.0. All new releases start
with level 1. To start the s.test.c file with a release number
of 3, use the -r option with the admin command, and enter: admin-itest.c -r3 s.test.c To restrict permission to change SCCS
files to a specific set of user IDs, list the user ID or group
ID numbers in the user list of the SCCS file with the -a option.
These IDs then appear in the SCCS file header. Without the -a
option to restrict access, all user IDs can change the SCCS
files. To restrict permissions to the user ID julie, enter:
admin-ajulie s.test.c Although SCCS provides some error protec‐
tion, you might need to recover a file that was accidentally
damaged. This damage can result from a system malfunction,
operator error, or changing an SCCS file without using SCCS com‐
mands.
SCCS commands use the checksum to determine whether a file was
changed since it was last used. The only SCCS command that pro‐
cesses a damaged file is the admin command when used with the -h
or -z option. The -h option tells admin to compare the checksum
stored in the SCCS file header against the computed checksum.
The -z option tells admin to recompute the checksum and store it
in the file header.
Check the SCCS files for possible damage on a regular basis. For
example, enter: admin-h s.file1 s.file2 ... admin-h direc‐
tory1 directory2 ...
If admin finds a file where the computed checksum is not equal
to the checksum listed in the SCCS file header, it displays the
message of the form: [s.file]: The file is damaged. (co6) If a
file is damaged, try to edit the file again, or read a backup
copy. After fixing the file, run the admin command with the -z
option and the repaired file name by entering: admin-z s.file
This operation replaces the old checksum in the SCCS file header
with a new checksum based on the repaired file contents. Other
SCCS commands can now process the file.
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
The following environment variables affect the execution of admin: Pro‐
vides a default value for the internationalization variables that are
unset or null. If LANG is unset or null, the corresponding value from
the default locale is used. If any of the internationalization vari‐
ables contain an invalid setting, the utility behaves as if none of the
variables had been defined. If set to a non-empty string value, over‐
rides the values of all the other internationalization variables.
Determines the locale for the interpretation of sequences of bytes of
text data as characters (for example, single-byte as opposed to multi‐
byte characters in arguments and input files). Determines the locale
for the format and contents of diagnostic messages written to standard
error. Determines the location of message catalogues for the process‐
ing of LC_MESSAGES.
SEE ALSO
Commands: cdc(1), comb(1), delta(1), ed(1), get(1), prs(1), rmdel(1),
sact(1), sccs(1), sccsdiff(1), sccshelp(1), unget(1), val(1), what(1)
Files: sccsfile(4)
Standards: standards(5)
Programming Support Tools
admin(1)