[mat-dev] Question about initializing a shared MAT installation

["Kevin Grigorenko" <kevin.grigorenko@xxxxxxxxxx>]

We have a shared
MAT installation accessed through Citrix Windows machines. For example,
let's say MAT is installed in T:\tools\MAT. This directory is not writeable
by standard users. MAT is launched with a batch script like the following
which specifies a workspace directory which is writable for that user:

"T:\tools\MAT\eclipsec.exe"
-data "%APPDATA%\Memory Analyzer" -consoleLog -vmargs -Xms1g
-Xmx32g

I maintain this
tool installation through a git repository and what I've noticed is that
when I update the tool, as I'm testing the new version, I notice that files
are updated in the installation folder (this is after I've unzipped the
MAT installation zip and committed it). For example:

Changes not staged
for commit:
  (use "git
add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git
restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
   
    modified:   latest/configuration/org.eclipse.update/platform.xml

Untracked files:
  (use "git
add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
   
    latest/configuration/org.eclipse.osgi/151/
   
    latest/configuration/org.eclipse.osgi/164/0/.cp/META-INF/icons/array_fill.gif
[...]

I noticed that
these changes are lazily updated depending on which MAT functions are exercised.

The issue is that
when users are running the tool in the shared environment, the configuration
directory cannot be modified by the user.

I don't know what
the potential issues there could be if there are some files MAT wants to
write into this configuration directory and it fails. I haven't observed
anything yet but I don't know if it might cause some issues.

Are there any
recommendations around this? For example, should I exercise a set of specific
functions to generate all of these files before checking them into the
shared environment, or is there a way to specify an alternative OSGi configuration
directory location that would be per-user and would that be recommended?

Thanks,

--
Kevin Grigorenko
IBM App Platform SWAT