Using the /tmp and /scratch partitions

The partition scheme on CETS-managed Linux workstations includes two partitions for storing temporary files. These partitions are provided for situations when storing files in your home directory is not appropriate, either due to quota constraints or because the files are not needed long-term.

/tmp is intended for very temporary files, usually used by a single process and removed when the process exits. /tmp is automatically cleaned out so that there is always enough space for routine operation. /scratch is available for longer-term local storage on your desktop. /scratch is like /tmp, but not automatically cleaned. Here are the disclaimers:

• /scratch is intended for local copies of files that you have stored elsewhere, or that you can re-create.
• /scratch is not backed up. We treat it just like /tmp, except that it isn't automatically cleaned. If we replace your hardware or re-image your disk, we will not preserve the contents of /scratch. Essentially, when we're running around trying to fix problems as quickly as we can, we don't want to have to worry about /scratch.

For more information on home directory disk space and quota, see How much quota (disk space) do I have?.