Re: ._ files on remote linux nas

Andrew2 <andrea.moro.webma@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I'm looking to understand how I can avoid that Leopard write ,_xxx
fork file on remote Nas.

Basically the old faithful "defaults write com.apple.desktopservices
DSDontWriteNetworkStores true" works, but only for ".DS_Store" files.
The "._filename" files still get written. This not sounds bad if you
work just with Leopard or other Mac system, but using also PC ... I'm
frustrated, expeacially when I've to updload latest modifed files and
I've to ctrl+manually select odd files.

Those ._ files contain Mac-specific metadata (e.g. Finder information,
including file type and creator), and the resource fork. This might
include a custom icon.

What are the files you are copying to the NAS, and what application
created them? (I'm trying to identify whether the Mac-specific data
important if the Mac subsequently accesses the files.)

Are you creating files on the Mac and then copying them to the NAS, or
are you reading/writing the NAS directly from within the application?

A potential solution is to create the files locally on the Mac, then
arrange to copy the files onto the NAS using a tool which deliberately
copies only the data fork, ignoring the resource fork and extended
attributes.

I don't know an easy way to do this (e.g. in Finder) but Leopard's
command line 'cp' tool can copy a file without the resource fork or
extended attributes by adding the -X option.

One idea which occurs to me would be to set up an AppleScript as a
folder action on a folder on the Mac. It would react to files being
added to the folder by copying them to the NAS, using 'cp -X' to do the
copy, so it only copies the data fork. This may be sufficient to avoid
creation of the ._ file.

Any idea? I read something about AplleDouble and AppleSingle, but I'm
relatively new to the Mac wordl ... and I don't know exactly what
search and where.

AppleSingle won't help. It packages up the data fork, resource fork and
extended attributes in a single file which will then be unusable on any
other platform (unless you have something which can decode AppleSingle).
Its purpose is to allow a Mac file to travel through a foreign file
system without losing any data, not to allow another system to access
the file.

AppleDouble is effectively what you have at the moment. AppleDouble
operates by producing two files. One contains the data fork (which is
the useful file content for other platforms) and the other contains the
Mac-specific resource fork and metadata (the ._ file).

--
David Empson
dempson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: What are these ._something files???
    ... Mac-specific file system metadata (such as the file type and creator ... and can be stored in the directory or a second fork of the ... and most Unix tools will only access the data fork. ... than Mac File Sharing, the file system has nowhere to keep this ...
    (comp.sys.mac.system)
  • Re: Mac data forks
    ... > Is information stored in the data fork that hold which application has the ... The data fork contains the document itself ... You can open the resource fork with "resedit" on a Mac ...
    (microsoft.public.win2000.macintosh)
  • Re: what are .sdk archives?
    ... You could then re-archive the disk or files into a different ... Have I mentioned how much I wish the Mac would not add forks to ... It is perfectly OK to have a file on the Mac with a data fork ... the trouble arose when i started looking at .sdk, .shk and .bxy archives that are not disk images, ...
    (comp.sys.apple2)
  • Re: Getting files from a pc => mac => IIGS and/or a IIe
    ... The Mac doesn't always automatically add a resource fork to any file it touches. ... When Mac OS is adding a resource fork in this situation is when the file is being copied from an HFS/HFS+ volume to a ProDOS volume. ... Mac OS adds the resource fork to retain all the Mac filesystem info like Filetype and Creator. ...
    (comp.sys.apple2)
  • Re: Problems with installation of the OS
    ... Now when I switch the Mac on I'm ... no idea how to install the system. ... be that the DMG image was not bootable. ... I will add that the Mac files have two forks, a data fork and a resource ...
    (comp.sys.mac.system)