The cleanwork Utility

Overview of the cleanwork Utility

SAS might create temporary UFS directories that contain the WORK library or certain types of utility files. SAS normally deletes these directories at the conclusion of the SAS session or job. However, if SAS is canceled or if SAS terminates abnormally, these directories will not be removed. For more information about the creation of temporary directories, see SAS Software Files.

SAS provides the cleanwork utility program that can automatically locate these directories, verify that the SAS session that is associated with each directory is no longer running, and remove the directory and all of its contents. For information about the processes to install and configure cleanwork, see Installing the cleanwork Utility and Configuring the cleanwork Utility.

Note: Installing and configuring cleanwork typically require special system administrator privileges. [cautionend]

The WORK and UTILLOC options can specify a UFS path as the location in which SAS creates temporary UFS directories. It is recommended that the specified UFS path correspond to a directory, such as /tmp, that has its sticky bit turned on. When the sticky bit is on for a directory, directories that are contained within that directory can be removed only by the owner of the directory, the owner of the directory that is being deleted, or by a superuser. This setting allows multiple SAS users to place temporary directories in the same location without the risk of accidentally deleting each other's files. However, identifying which temporary directories in that location correspond to SAS sessions that have ended can be difficult. The cleanwork utility, which typically runs under a superuser account, automates and simplifies this process.

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