Considerations for Using Mixed-Case Support

A decision on whether your server should continue to support mixed-case file names--which is the default in the SunLink Server program--should be considered carefully. Mixed-case support allows clients to have access to file names on Solaris systems that contain uppercase characters, but turning off this feature could improve server performance.

It is inadvisable to switch frequently between mixed-case support on the same server. While mixed-case support is enabled, clients can create files with mixed-case names. These files will become unavailable to them as soon as mixed-case support is disabled. If mixed-case support is changed from enabled to not enabled, every existing file name should be made lowercase.

Do not create file names that are case-insensitively identical in the same directory. Although the Solaris system is case-sensitive, SunLink Server mixed-case support causes the server to preserve case but behave in a case-insensitive way, just like Windows NT. Microsoft product users are not aware of the possibility of having case-insensitive similar file names in a directory, because Windows NT does not allow such files. As a result, users may become confused if they access incorrect files or are denied access to files they need.