VMware Smart Assurance provides the sm_edit utility to ensure that modified files are always saved to the appropriate local area, and that original copies of the files remain unchanged. Preview of how the sm_edit utility works previews the operation of the sm_edit utility.

Figure 1. Preview of how the sm_edit utility works

All VMware Smart Assurance product suites use the same basic installation directory structure that is shown in Figure 8 on page 27.

To invoke the sm_edit utility,

  1. Navigate to BASEDIR/smarts/bin directory.

  2. In the command line, specify the path and the name of the file, relative to the BASEDIR/smarts directory, that you want to edit. For example,

    sm_edit conf/discovery/discovery.conf

  3. Modify and save the discovery.conf file. The sm_edit utility saves the modified version of the file to the BASEDIR/smarts/local/conf/discovery directory.

    You can use the sm_edit utility to edit any text file, not just a configuration file, in the BASEDIR/smarts or BASEDIR/smarts/local directory. Because sm_edit assumes a starting point of BASEDIR/smarts, the text-file path that you specify begins with the directory name (conf, rules, script, and so on) under the BASEDIR/smarts directory.

    Note:

    Original versions of files may be changed, updated, or moved as part of an VMware Smart Assurance software upgrade. The new patch files from the upgrade are written to BASEDIR/smarts/local directory and the unchanged patch files are removed. All files that contain custom modifications are moved to BASEDIR/smarts/.local.bkp.<version>

    The VMware Smart Assurance System Administration Guide provides additional information about the sm_edit utility.