Checking File and Directory Permissions

How Xi-Batch Uses File Permissions

Xi-Batch maintains its operational state in spool files that require specific ownership and permissions to function correctly. The scheduler process reads and writes to these files continuously during normal operation.

Key files and their purpose:

• btsched_jfile - Job queue database
• btsched_vfile - Variable storage
• btsched_reps - Scheduler activity log

Expected Configuration

Note: This assumes standard install paths - they may be different for your installation.

Files should be:

• Owned by the batch user (or your designated service account)
• Set to 600 or 660 permissions (read/write for owner, optionally for group)
• Non-zero size (except immediately after initialization)
• Readable by the user running Xi-Batch commands

Verification Commands

bash

# Check spool directory
ls -la /var/spool/xi/batch/

# Check key files specifically
ls -l /var/spool/xi/batch/btsched_jfile
ls -l /var/spool/xi/batch/btsched_vfile
ls -l /var/spool/xi/batch/btsched_reps

# Check file sizes
du -h /var/spool/xi/batch/btsched_*

# Verify your user context
whoami
groups

Setting Correct Permissions

If files need adjustment:

bash

chown batch:batch /var/spool/xi/batch/btsched_*
chmod 600 /var/spool/xi/batch/btsched_jfile
chmod 600 /var/spool/xi/batch/btsched_vfile

When Permissions Are Incorrect

You may notice:

• Job submissions returning permission denied
• Scheduler failing to start with access errors
• Commands like btjlist or btjdel unable to read queue state
• Zero-size spool files indicating write failures

These indicate the files need ownership or permission adjustment as shown above.