Describing Resources and Attributes

Purpose

The describe command displays information about Exascale resources and their attributes.

Syntax

describe { --all | resource-spec } [ --detail ]

Command Options

The options for the describe command are:

--all: Directs the command to display information for all Exascale resources. This option displays a large amount of information, but it is a good starting point if you are unfamiliar with Exascale resources and their attributes.
resource-spec: Directs the command to display information about specific Exascale resources and their attributes as follows:
- The resource-spec value is not case-sensitive.
  
  Consequently, the following commands are functionally equivalent:
```
@> describe vaults
```
```
@> describe VAULTS
```
```
@> describe vAUltS
```
- You can specify resource names in singular or plural form.
  
  Consequently, the following commands are functionally equivalent:
```
@> describe vault
```
```
@> describe vaults
```
- If you specify a complete resource name (in singular or plural form), the output contains all attributes of the specified resource.
- If you specify a resource name with a wildcard (*), the output contains all resources that match the pattern.
  
  For example, the following command describes all resources starting with the letter 'v' (vaults, volumes, and so on):
```
@> describe v*
```
- If you specify an attribute name (using the notation: <resource>.<attribute>), the output describes the specified attribute.
  
  For example, the following command describes the attribute that contains the vault name.
```
@> describe vaults.name
```
- If you specify an attribute name with a wildcard (*), the output contains all attributes that match the pattern.
  
  For example, the following command describes all attributes starting with 'n' in all resources starting with 'v':
```
@> describe v*.n*
```
- If resource-spec begins with 'mk', the output contains only the attributes that are initializable during resource creation (initializable != No).
  
  For example, the following command describes all attributes that are initializable during file creation:
```
@> describe mkfiles
```
  You can further refine the output using the following options:
  - --mandatory: Describes only the mandatory attributes that must be initialized during resource creation (initializable = Mandatory).
    
    For example:
```
@> describe mkfiles --mandatory
```
  - --optional: Describes only the optional attributes that may be initialized during resource creation (initializable = Optional).
    
    For example:
```
@> describe mkfiles --optional
```
- If resource-spec begins with 'ch', the output contains only the attributes that are modifiable for an existing resource (modifiable = true).
  
  For example, the following command describes the attributes that may be modified for existing files:
```
@> describe chfiles
```
--detail: Optionally formats the command output so that values are displayed on separate lines, instead of using the default tabular output.

Usage Notes

For each resource, the output includes the resource name and a list of associated attributes. For each attribute, the following information is provided:

name: The attribute name.
type: The data type for the attribute value (for example: String, Integer, Date, Boolean, and so on).
description: A brief description of the attribute, including valid values and default settings when applicable.
initializable: Specifies whether the attribute value can or must be set during resource creation. Possible values are:
- No: The attribute value cannot be set during resource creation. The value is set automatically by the system or inherits a default value.
- Mandatory: The attribute value must be specified during resource creation.
- Optional: The attribute value may be specified during resource creation. If not specified, the attribute is typically assigned a default value.
modifiable: Indicates whether the attribute value can be modified after the resource is created (either true or false).

6.2.2 Describing Resources and Attributes