When TotalView begins executing, it can grab initialization from many places. The two most commonly used are initialization files that you create and preference files that TotalView creates.
An initialization file is a place where you can store CLI functions, set variables, and execute actions. TotalView will execute this file whenever it starts executing. This file, which you must name tvdrc, resides in a .totalview subdirectory contained in your home directory.
TotalView can actually read more than one initialization file. You can place these files in your installation directory, the .totalview subdirectory, or the directory in which you invoke TotalView. If the file is present in one or all of these places, TotalView reads and executes its contents. Only the initialization file within your .totalview directory has the name tvdrc. The other initialization files have the name .tvdrc. Notice the dot preceding the file name.
Note: Before Version 6.0, you would place your personal .tvdrc file in your home directory. If you do not move this file into the .totalview directory, TotalView will still find it. However, if you also have a tvdrc file in the .totalview directory, TotalView will ignore the .tvdrc in your home directory.
TotalView writes your preferences file into your .totalview subdirectory. It's name is preferences6.tvd. Do not modify this file as TotalView will overwrite it whenever it saves your preferences.
If you add the -s filename option to either the totalview or totalviewcli shell command, TotalView executes the CLI commands contained in filename. This start-up file will execute after .tvdrc files execute. The -s option lets you, for example, initialize the debugging state of your program, run the program you're debugging until it reaches some point where you're ready to begin debugging, and even lets you create a shell command that starts the CLI.
The following figure shows the order in which TotalView executes initialization and startup files.
Startup and Initialization Sequence 
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The .Xdefaults file, which is actually read by the server when you start X Windows, is only used by the GUI. The CLI ignores it. Prior to TotalView release 6.0, the .Xdefaults file was extensively used. Beginning at TotalView 6.0, its use is negligible.
Note: If you have an X resources file, TotalView will read it the first time Release 6.0 starts executing. It will then write any TotalView resources it finds to your preferences6.tvd file. If you change a value after this file is written, TotalView will ignore your change. The only exceptions are Visualizer X resources. For information on these resources, go to www.etnus.com/Support/docs/xresources/XResources.html. You can force TotalView to reread your X resources by deleting your preferences file.
As part of the initialization process, TotalView exports three environment variables into your environment: LM_LICENSE_FILE, TVROOT, and either SHLIB_PATH or LD_LIBRARY_PATH.
If you have saved a action point file into the same subdirectory as your program, TotalView automatically reads the information in this file when it loads your program.
Note: The format of a Release 6.0 action point file differs from that used in earlier releases. While TotalView 6.0 can read action point files created by earlier versions, earlier versions cannot read a Release 6.0 action point file.
You can also invoke scripts by naming them in the TV::process_load_callbacks list. For information, see "Initializing TotalView After Loading an Image" in the "Type Transformations" chapter of the TotalView Reference Guide.
If you are debugging multiprocess programs that run on more than one computer, TotalView caches library information in the .totalview subdirectory. If you wish to move this cache to another location, set the TV::library_cache_directory to this location. The files within this cache directory can be shared among users.
