A.41 Visibility Rebuild Command

You might need to rebuild the visibility list in order to address problems where the computed value does not equal the stored value for the visibility lists. For example, if the dmptrust volumename command reports unknown trustees or many mismatched user GUIDs, you might need to run a visibility rebuild for the NSS volume.

You can use checkvis.nlm to check visibility for issues.

WARNING:The visibility rebuild process can be destructive. Users who could see directories before might not be able to afterwards. Run this operation only as required. Do not use visibility list rebuilds as a regular maintenance tool.

A.41.1 Description

When you perform a visibility rebuild, the system first deletes all current entries in the visibility list. Then, in a second pass, the system attempts to rebuild the visibility list for assigned trustees. The numbers you see at the conclusion of the rebuild give the following information:

Parameter

Description

Objects examined

Indicates the total number of file system objects looked at (a total of files and directories, plus special file system beasts).

Objects cleaned

Indicates the number of directories where visibility information was removed during the first pass.

Overflow objects removed

Indicates the number of visibility overflow objects removed during the first pass.

Trustees re-added

Indicates the number of trustees found on the volume and re-added to visibility lists. Although this number is non-zero, it doesn't mean problems were fixed or resolved. Instead, the number indicates the number of trustees found and included in the visibility list (whether they were there before the rebuild started or not).

After you run a visibility rebuild, make sure you run the visibility check again. If there are still errors, you must examine your trustees for problem before running a visibility rebuild again.

A.41.2 Syntax

nss /VisibilityRebuild=volumename

Rebuild the authorization visibility lists for an NSS volume.

A.41.3 Additional Information

For information about checking, repair, and troubleshooting the visibility list, see NetWare 6 Trustee Rights: How They Work and What to Do When All Goes Wrong in Novell AppNotes (2003, February 1).