The temporary file folder is the location for all temporary files generated by all the applications running on the machine. On Unix/Linux operating system platforms this location can be checked by running the command 'echo $TEMP' and on Windows platforms by running the command 'echo %TEMP%'. The default location for the temporary file folder in most Unix/Linux environments is /tmp or /var/tmp.
For Strategy 8.1.x and 9.x, the temporary folder is typically utilized in two scenarios:
a. As a temporary location for expanding the setup files during installation. All the temporary files should be deleted automatically after installation. However in the case of a failed installation users may see some files persisted, and these may be cleared as required.
b. As the location for IPC(Inter-process communication) FIFO pipes created for communication between the Intelligence Server process (MSTRSvr) and the M8MulPrc_32 process that actually loads the ODBC driver and communicates with the database. Usually, once the Intelligence Server closes the M8MulPrc process, these files will be deleted. If there is some unusual termination of the Intelligence Server process, the temp files may remain persisted in the /tmp folder. Restarting the server will clear these up, since they are not "real" files.
If the temporary folder is being used up significantly while the Intelligence Server is running, it is most likely that this is because of a large number of database jobs running concurrently. Users experiencing this situation should evaluate the Intelligence Server governing settings and machine hardware capacity to determine whether system resources need to be increased.
In Strategy 9.0.0, a new method is introduced for IPC, which uses shared memory for the communications between Intelligence Server process (MSTRSvr) and the M8MulPrc process. By default Shared Memory is the method of IPC used, and there would be no usage of tmp folder for the communications. Users still have the option of continuing to use the FIFO pipe method of IPC if required.
Users should be aware that the temporary folder can used by applications other than the Strategy Intelligence Server installed on the machine. Users wishing to manually clean up this folder, should delete the files in this folder only when the Intelligence Server is not running to avoid an unstable user experience.
