What the Validate Method Does

The RGM calls Validate with additional arguments to those that are passed to other methods, including the properties and values that are being updated. Therefore, this method in the sample data service must implement a different parse_args() function to handle the additional arguments.

The Validate method in the sample data service verifies a single property, the Confdir extension property. This property points to the DNS configuration directory, which is critical to the successful operation of DNS.

Because the configuration directory cannot be changed while DNS is running, the Confdir property is declared in the RTR file as TUNABLE = AT_CREATION. Therefore, the Validate method is never called to verify the Confdir property as the result of an update, but only when the data service resource is being created.

If Confdir is one of the properties that the RGM passes to Validate, the parse_args() function retrieves and saves its value. Validate verifies that the directory pointed to by the new value of Confdir is accessible and that the named.conf file exists in that directory and contains data.

If the parse_args() function cannot retrieve the value of Confdir from the command-line arguments that are passed by the RGM, Validate still attempts to validate the Confdir property. Validate uses scha_resource_get() to obtain the value of Confdir from the static configuration. Validate performs the same checks to verify that the configuration directory is accessible and contains a named.conf file that is not empty.

If Validate exits with failure, the update or creation of all properties, not just Confdir, fails.