Hi Knut,
There are a number of places in the TDS where symbolic links may break 
things. I hadn't realized this one before. The problem has to do with 
how we make sure malicious (or accidental) URLs with "../" path segments 
don't get out of the TDS configuration file area (content/thredds). 
Basically, we call java.io.File.getCanonical{File|Path}() and make sure 
the result is under content/thredds. Unfortunately, besides dealing with 
"../" path segments, getCanonicalX() also resolves symbolic links.
Redoing the tracking and validation of the config content is on our list 
of things to do (and would probably include dealing with symbolic links 
or making it optional). Unfortunately, it is not currently at (or even 
very near) the top of the list.
Ethan
Knut Arild Lisæter wrote:
Hi John,
Our "main" catalogue is placed under content/thredds, in that file I 
have placed a number of links (catalogref) to catalogues which lie in 
content/thredds/catalogs - we did it this way to keep things "tidy" and 
it has worked well in version 3.14.
Some of the catalogues  under content/thredds/catalogs are symbolic 
links, and it is for those I get the error messages I mentioned when I 
switch to version 3.16. Just to test I tried to copy one of the linked 
files into content/thredds/catalogs and then  works with 3.16 - so 3.16 
seems to be picky about symbolic links
The solution is obvious, avoid links and copy everything into 
content/thredds/catalogs, but for various reason we would like to keep 
the current setup if possible. If you would like to have a closer look 
on our setup, go to:
http://topaz.nersc.no/thredds/catalog.html
Hope this made it  a bit clearer :-)
Best Regards,
Knut
John Caron wrote:
  
Hi Knut:
Currently you need to keep TDS config catalogs under content/thredds.
I assume these are "config catalogs", not just other catalogs you want to 
reference from a catref?
By "symbolic link" do you mean you tried to link another directory under 
content/thredds ?? If so,
im surprissed it wont follow a symbolic link correclty....
Knut Arild Lisæter wrote:
  
    
Hi,
I tried to update to thredds version 3.16 today, but it seems that  
symbolic links to catalogues are not allowed in this version? In logs/ 
catalogErrors.log I get many errors of this type
initCatalog(): Path <catalogs/mersea-ip-class2-arctic.xml> points  
outside of content path </home/apache-tomcat-5.5.25/content/thredds/>  
(skip).
Is there a quick and easy way to allow symbolic links pointing outside  
of the "content path" ?
Best Regards,
Knut Lisæter
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Ethan R. Davis                                Telephone: (303) 497-8155
Software Engineer                             Fax:       (303) 497-8690
UCAR Unidata Program Center                   E-mail:    edavis@xxxxxxxx
P.O. Box 3000
Boulder, CO  80307-3000                       http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/
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