m_shell commands

m_mkfs [options] control_url

partition0_url [partition1_url]

m_rmfs <path>
m_mkdir [-m mode][-mvfile][-maxsegment-size bytes] <path>
m_rmdir

m_rm [-f][-l][-r][-R][-v] url[url]

m_chmod mode url [url]

Create a multifile system. control_url is the

specifying the directory to be created.
Options:
-m mode: Set the protection for the
created multifile system, mode is one of
the symbols accepted by the UNIX
chmod command.
-mv file: Specify that all multifiles in a
multidirectory will have vfiles
(segmented files) as their partitions. By
default, the multifiles in a
multidirectory have standard files in
their partitions.
-max bytes or max-segment-size bytes:
Specify the maximum segment size for
vfile partitions. The default is the
system specific value.
Delete a multifile system.
Create a multidirectory.
Path is the directory under which the
directory will be created.
Remove empty multi-directories or
directories.
Remove multifiles or files.
Options:
-f: Force, as in the UNIX rm command.
-l: Interactive, as in the UNIX rm
command.
-r: Recursive as in the UNIX rm
command.
-R: Recursive, as in the UNIX rm
command (same as r).
-v: Verbose. Emit the URL for each file,
multifile, directory, or multidirectory
removed.
Change the protection of a file or directory
of any type. Setting the protection on
multifiles entails setting the identical
protection on the control file and on each

m_touch url[url]

m_cp [-report] a[ll-at-once]-v[erbose]

source-file-1 source-file-2dest-url

m_mv sourcepath1 sourcepath2dest-path

m_ls [-dRlarswctu][-partitions][-max-skew
skew][-no-commas] path path path

m_du [-s][-partitions][-max-skew skew][no-commas] url [url]

partition file.
If the file specified by path exists, update
its access time to the current time. If the
file does not exist, create it as an empty
file. Path may be of type file or mfile.
Make a copy of each source-file with the
name and path specified by dest-url. If
dest-url is a directory, the files are copied to
that directory under their original names.
Each source-file-url must be a file, not a
directory.
Options:
-a: Copy all source files at the same
time.
-report: Produce monitor reports as
specified in the environment variable
AB_REPORT.
-v: Emit a message to the standard
output as each file is copied.
Move files or directories specified by
source-pathn to the name and path
specified by dest-path.
List the specified files or directories.
Options:
-partitions: Following the line of the
path, print a line for all its partitions.
-max-skew skew: Following the line for
each path, print a line for all its
partitions with skew greater than skew.
This option is meaningful only when l
is supplied.
-no-commas: Print directory sizes
without commas. This option is
meaningful only when l is supplied.
-l: Long format. This format is similar
to the long format printed by the UNIX
ls command.
Print to stdout the disk usage for each item
specified by a url in units of 1024 byte
blocks; the items skew, computed on the
number of blocks occupied by each
partition; and the URL for each item.
Options:
-s: Folowing the line for each url, print
the total for the specified URLs

m_df [-partitions][-max-skew skew][-nocommas][-terse][-fullest] path [path]

m_expand [-n][-hosts][-paths][-mfs] url

m_dump metadata [data][action]

m_mkcatalog catalog catalog_url

m_rmcatalog catalog catalog_url
m_lscatalog catalog catalog_url [table
name | data data_url]*
m_catalog_add catalog catalog_url table
name key key data data_url metadata
metadata_url
m_catalog_delete catalog catalog_url [-

without the totals for all the

subdirectories of the URLs.
Rests of the options are the same as
above.
For each path, print to stdout the following
information about the containing multifile
system or (standard) file system.
Options:
-terse: Reduce the output to a single
number per line, the number of blocks
available in the specified file system.
-fullest: Print information about the
partitions of the multifile system that
have the fewest disk blocks available.
Rest are the same as above.
Print to stdout various information about
the multifile, multidirectory, file, or
directory.
Options:
-n: Print the number of partitions (1 if
the file is not a multifile).
-hosts: Print the hostnames of the
partitions.
-paths: (The default) Prints the
pathnames of the partitions.
-mfs: Print the pathname of the
multifile system.
Produces a human readable report that
shows how input data is interpreted by Ab
Initio metadata. Optionally, it can print the
metadata or a description of the metadata.
It can also evaluate specified expressions
within each record.
Create a catalog.
Remove a catalog.
List the catalog in text form. It table names
are specified, list the entries for those
tables. If data URLs are specified, list the
entries for those data URLs. If neither table
names nor data URLs are specified, list all
entries.
Add an entry to the catalog. The table
name, key, data, URL and metadata URL
must all be supplied.
Remove entries from the catalog as

table name | -data data_url]*

m_catalog_export catalog catalog_url
m_catalog_import catalog catalog_url

specified by table names or data URLs.

Produce a text representation of the
specified catalog on standard output.
Populate the specified catalog using the
text representation of a catalog provided on
standard input. If the catalog exists, it must
be empty.