The user creates the common folder during system setup. You can use the created folder as the common folder by defining the folder as "name of common folder" in the HCSC server runtime definition file.

Note that you can create multiple common folders for one HCSC server.

The common folder can be accessed from all the business processes. However, the limitations are as follows:

• One common folder definition name must exist for one common folder.
• You can access the common folder only when you use the common folder definition name.
• You cannot access the subfolders in the common folder. Therefore, to access a subfolder, you must specify a common folder definition name for that folder.
• The reading and writing of files existing in the common folder is executed with the permission of the HCSC server Administrator.

You can define multiple common folder definition names for the HCSC server.

For each common folder definition name, you must specify the full path indicating that common folder definition name. Code the common folder definition name in the common-folder-<common folder definition name> property of the HCSC server runtime definition.

For details on the HCSC server runtime definition file, see "HCSC server runtime definition file" in "Service Platform Reference Guide".

To access the files in the common folder, obtain a file lock for both reading and writing.

(a) Lock types

In the access of files in the common folder, a shared lock is obtained for reading, and a dedicated lock is obtained for writing. The following table describes the possibility of locking a file when the current lock is a shared lock or dedicated lock. Note that another process indicates a process which is accessed by using the exclusive management APIs other than the locked process.

Table 8-26 Shared lock and dedicated lock

Current lock	Re-lock from another process/ thread
	Shared lock	Dedicated lock
shared lock	Y	N
dedicated lock	N	N

Legend:

Y: Can be locked.

N: Cannot be locked.

(b) Parameters for obtaining locks

This subsection describes the following parameters that are used for obtaining the file lock:

Lock retry count

If the file lock has already been obtained by another process or thread, the file lock cannot be obtained. At this time, re-lock is tried only for the given lock retry count.

Lock retry interval

This is the time interval (seconds) from lock failure until the next lock acquisition attempt.

The user deletes the common folder. Delete the files in the common folder with the following methods:

• Delete operation of the file operations adapter
• Command for folder operations

For details on the method of using the delete operation of the file operations adapter, see "8.7.1 Operations supported by the file operations adapter".

For details on the method of using the commands for folder operations, see "5.4.22 Deleting files in the common folder" in "Service Platform System Setup and Operation Guide".