This section describes how to clone a library. Cloning a library copies all configuration map, application, and subapplication versions--including their classes and methods--to a new library. Also, it frees up disk space by deleting all purged components from a library.

The maximum library size for a Version 4.0 or earlier library is 1 gigabyte. For a Version 4.5 or later library, the size is only limited by the operating system on which the library resides. If your library is approaching the maximum size, you should either clone it or export your applications to a new library.

Your team will periodically need to shrink its libraries to a manageable size, and cloning is one of the options available. Cloning typically cuts the size of a library in half. Because the system records all changes made to stored components, libraries can increase in size considerably over a short period of time.

The other option is exporting. Cloning copies all versions of selected components to a new library. Exporting copies only those versions you select to a new library. To use the exporting option, you must create a new library and then export individual components to it. Exporting also enables you to set export mapping options in a Configuration Maps Browser, thus altering components when copying them to the new library.

Only library supervisors can clone a library.

To clone a library, do the following:

To automatically change your default library to the new library, select System > Clone Image And Library from the Tools menu in place of step 1 above.