MakeAceDB - setting up a new ace database from scratch


Setting up an ace database is not particularly arduous, but there is no
reason not to automate it, which is what MakeAceDB does. MakeAceDB is
part of AceDB standard release and as such comes as part of the download
package available from this site. It is located in the wtools
subdirectory, along with all other files referred to in this document.

MakeAceDB is a perl script which creates the necessary directories,
copies the required files into place and initialises the database. If
you specify the path to an ace file, then MakeAceDB will load that into
the new database. The run-time parameters may be given either on the
command line, which does tend to make for rather a long command, or in a
file, in which case you identify the command file with the -f flag.
Examples of how to run MakeAceDB are given in the files MADC an MADF.
There is also an example of a command file, MakeAceDB.com.

You will need to provide the location of a set of .wrm files, but
individual ones can be overridden with local copies if you wish. If
running with command line parameters, just list the .wrm files after the
--tace option. If running with a command file, specify them with
wrm=filename. If your userid doesn't exist in the passwd.wrm file, it
will be added. If you don't specify a passwd.wrm file, a new one will be
created with just your userid in it. You can supply as many .ace files
as you like, and these will be loaded into the new database.

MakeAceDB is written with the intention that you be able to specify
different userid and groupid, in which case the userid will be used in
the passwd.wrm file, for example.

NB Be aware that the code to override userid and groupid has not been
tested as I'm not a superuser. If you find bugs, please email
acedb@sanger.ac.uk.

Some time I'll change it so it gives a running commentary detailing what
it's doing, but I don't have the time right now.

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