The hudson console (see below) shows evidence that my perforce client viewspec is modified each time the job runs. My hudson job configuratino includes the following settings:

Use Custom Workspace (checked)
Let Hudson Manage Workspace View (not checked)

Normally Hudson does not change the viewspec. However today we have network problems and could not connect to the perforce server. This caused hudson jobs to fail obviously. When the perforce server came back online hudson started a build and it failed. When I looked at the perforce client spec I noticed the entire client viewspec was erased.

Typical console output:

Started by an SCM change
Using master perforce client: autouser_wax-centaur-12
[p4centaur] $ /corp/tools/centaur/bin/p4 workspace -o autouser_wax-centaur-12
Saving modified client autouser_wax-centaur-12
[p4centaur] $ /corp/tools/centaur/bin/p4 s client -i <- DID NOT EXPECT THIS TO HAPPEN
Last sync'd change: 399778
[p4centaur] $ /corp/tools/centaur/bin/p4 counter change
[p4centaur] $ /corp/tools/centaur/bin/p4 -s changes //autouser_wax-centaur-12/...@399779,@399780
[p4centaur] $ /corp/tools/centaur/bin/p4 describe -s 399780
Sync'ing workspace to changelist 399780.
[p4centaur] $ /corp/tools/centaur/bin/p4 sync //autouser_wax-centaur-12/...@399780
Sync complete, took 4771 ms
[p4centaur] $ /bin/sh -xe /tmp/hudson2494931625930037700.sh
+ /home/autouser/hudson_cn5410.bash