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P4 Server Administration Documentation | 2025.2

# Create a P4 Server root directory

This topic assumes that you have download the p4 and p4d binaries and have made p4 and p4d executable.

The Perforce service stores all user-submitted files and system-generated metadata in files and subdirectories beneath its own root directory. This directory is called the server root.

To specify a server root, either set the environment variable `P4ROOT` to point to the server root, or use the -r `server_root` flag when invoking `p4d`.

`p4d` is the only process that uses the `P4ROOT` variable. P4 client applications never use the `P4ROOT` directory or environment variable.

Because all P4 Server files are stored by default beneath the server root, the contents of the server root can grow over time. See Disk space allocation for information about disk space requirements.

## Do not run p4d as root

The Perforce service requires no privileged access. Do NOT run `p4d` as `root` or any other privileged user. See Run the P4 Server (p4d) as an unprivileged user.

The server root can be located anywhere, but the account that runs `p4d` must have `read`, `write`, and `execute` permissions on the server root and all directories beneath it. For security purposes, set the `umask(1)` file-creation-mode mask of the account that runs `p4d` to a value that denies other users access to the server root directory.

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