Contents of the Durable %SYS Directory

Contents of the Durable %SYS Directory

The durable %SYS directory, as created when a container is first started, contains a subset of the InterSystems IRIS install tree, including but not limited to:

• The configuration parameter file (CPF), which is named iris.cpf. Additional versions of the file (older versions and _LastGood_.cpf) are created as with any InterSystems IRIS instance. (Automating Configuration of InterSystems IRIS with Configuration MergeOpens in a new tab, Configuration Parameter File Reference)

• The /csp directory, containing the Web Gateway configuration and log files. (Web Gateway GuideOpens in a new tab)

  Note:

  Web Gateway containers have a similar durable storage feature, and when this is in use (see Options for Running Web Gateway Containers) the directory is located on its own persistent storage.

• The file /dist/install/misc/buildver, which contains the instance’s version, for example 2023.2.0.299.0.

• The file /httpd/httpd.conf, the configuration file for the instance web server. (See Supported Web ServersOpens in a new tab)

• The /mgr directory, containing the following:

  • The IRISSYS system database, comprising the IRIS.DAT and iris.lck files and the stream directory, and the iristemp, irisaudit, iris and user directories containing the IRISTEMP, IRISAUDIT, IRIS and USER system databases. (System-Supplied Databases and Custom Items in IRISSYS)

  • The write image journaling file, IRIS.WIJ (which may be relocated to achieve file system separation). (Write Image Journaling and Recovery)

  • The /journal directory containing journal files (which may be relocated to achieve file system separation). (See Journaling; see also Separating File Systems for Containerized InterSystems IRIS)

  • The /temp directory for temporary files.

  • Log files including messages.log, journal.log, and SystemMonitor.log. Additional logs may be present initially and some are created as needed, for example backup and mirror journal logs. (Monitoring InterSystems IRIS Logs.)

    Note:

    Durable %SYS activity is logged in the messages.log file; if you have any problems in using this feature, examine this log for information that may help. For information about how to read this log from outside the container, see The iris-main Program. For information about accessing the Management Portal of a containerized InterSystems IRIS instance, see Web Access Using the Web Gateway Container.

  • The InterSystems IRIS license key file, iris.key, either at container start if it is included in the InterSystems IRIS image or when a license is activated while the container is running. (Activating a License Key)

  • Several InterSystems IRIS system files.

• All databases defined on the instance, beyond the standard InterSystems IRIS databases listed in the first bullet above, that are not read-only. This is to ensure that databases added to the instance in a user-created image based on an InterSystems-supplied image, as described in Creating InterSystems IRIS Images, are included in the durable data. If a database directory is underneath the install directory in the container, for example if it is under /usr/irissys/mgr, it is copied to the corresponding location in the durable %SYS directory. If one or more database directories are not underneath the install directory, a new folder db is created in the install directory and they are copied there.