to prevent file cleaning, touch cache, its link, md5 and id, resolves #1282

BrainPortal/app/models/data_provider.rb

@@ -1353,7 +1353,43 @@ def self.cleanup_leftover_cache_files(do_it=false, options={})
     end
   end
 
+  # Updates the time stamp for important auxiliary directories and files
+  # as workaround for HPC file deletion policies.
+  #
+  # Some Bourreaux systems are configured with disk allocations where files older than N days are erased automatically.
+  # To prevent such system from deleting the top-level directories for the DP_Cache, and some cbrain-specific files,
+  # the boot process should touch them to reset their timestamps.
+  #
+  # For a portal or bourreau:
+  #
+  # - the +DataProvider+ cache dir
+  # - the +DP_Cache_Key.md5+ and
+  # - +DP_Cache_Rev.id+ located in that cache dir
+  #
+  # For a bourreau:
+  #
+  # - the +gridshare+ dir
+  # - the +DP_Cache+ symbolic link located in it.
+  def self.system_touch
+    myself       = RemoteResource.current_resource
+    cache_dir    = myself.dp_cache_dir
+    dp_cache_id  = File.join cache_dir, DataProvider::DP_CACHE_ID_FILE
+    dp_cache_md5 = File.join cache_dir, DataProvider::DP_CACHE_MD5_FILE
+
+    FileUtils.touch [cache_dir, dp_cache_id, dp_cache_md5], verbose: true, nocreate: true
 
+    # touch only cache for Portal, for Bourreau touch gridshare
+    return true unless myself.is_a? Bourreau
+
+    gridshare_dir = myself.cms_shared_dir
+    sym_path      = File.join gridshare_dir, DataProvider::DP_CACHE_SYML
+
+    FileUtils.touch gridshare_dir, verbose: true, nocreate: true
+
+    # update timestamp for a softlink rather than the folder it points to
+    # note, --no-dereference works on major os but not all of them
+    system("touch", "--no-dereference", sym_path)  # --no-create is implied, at least for Rocky and Ubuntu
+  end
 
   #################################################################
   # Access restriction checking methods, using flags in meta-data.
@@ -1615,4 +1651,3 @@ def self.local_rsync_protects_args?
   end
 
 end
-

BrainPortal/lib/cbrain_system_checks.rb

@@ -334,6 +334,24 @@ def self.a050_check_data_provider_cache_wipe #:nodoc:
     end
   end
 
+  # prevents archiving/delete of cbrain system files and top directories, related to
+  # cache and gridshare
+  def self.a060_ensure_system_files_will_not_be_deleted #:nodoc:
+
+    #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+    puts "C> Updating timestamp for important system files and directories"
+    #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    cache_root = DataProvider.cache_rootdir rescue nil
+    # Need to perform a `to_s` due to a strange behaviour of `blank?`
+    # on `Pathname` (if a content of a `Pathname` is empty it will return true)
+    if cache_root.to_s.blank?
+      puts "C> \t- SKIPPING! No cache root directory yet configured!"
+      return
+    end
+
+    DataProvider.system_touch
+  end
 
 
   def self.a080_ensure_set_starttime_revision #:nodoc: