NAME

dopackage, dopackage-install − install Solbourne software package

SYNOPSIS

/usr/etc/dopackage [ -l ] [ -n ] [ -N ] [ -v ] [ -S ]
[ -d ] [ -m ] [ -R ] [ -f [ host :] tapefile ]
[ -c client ] [ -i info-file-directory ]
[ -F {defaults,space,command,save,all}]
[ -r /root/path ] [ -p /part/file ] /usr/etc/dopackage-install [ -t tapenum ]
[ -f [ host :] tapefile ]
[ -c client ] [ -i info-file-directory ]
[ -F {defaults,space,command,save,all}]
[ -R /root/path ]

DESCRIPTION

The dopackage command is used to install software packages and patches distributed by Solbourne.  Unless the -f option is specified, the environment variable TAPE is used as the tape device; if TAPE is not set, /dev/nrst0 is used.  If a tape contains more than one package, dopackage prompts for which packages to install.  Log and error files are kept in the directory /var/packages, or in the info-file-directory specified with the -i option. 

To install a software package or patch supplied by Solbourne, simply insert the distribution tape into a tape drive and run /usr/etc/dopackage. 

dopackage-install is the back-end installation script used by dopackage. dopackage handles all user interaction while dopackage-install handles the actual installation.  dopackage-install is called by dopackage and will not function independently.  All options for dopackage-install are passed to it by dopackage. 

DOPACKAGE OPTIONS

The following options are accepted by dopackage:

-l
Use local copies of TOC and PDF’s rather than going out to tape for them.

-n
No install.  Suppresses the running of the installation back-end. (dopackage-install)  This is intended for use by the ramdisk-based installation software. 

-N
No interaction.  Run the installation back-end only. (dopackage-install) This is intended for use by the ramdisk-based installation software. 

-v
Enable verbose reporting.

-S
Do not save old versions of files.  If set, dopackage will not save files that are replaced when installing the package.  This is useful for installing packages on systems with limited disk space, and is also faster.  The only way to recover the previous version of the package is by restoring the appropriate files from a dump tape or installing the old version using dopackage. 

-d
Disable the SAVE variable.  The user will not be queried about saving files that will be changed by the installation, and dopackage-install will be told that no saving is to be done for any packages.  -d implies -S. 

-m
Mandatory files will be installed.  This enables the display of a message to that effect.  This is intended for use by the ramdisk-based installation software.

-R
This option indicates we are running on the ramdisk.  This is intended for use by the ramdisk-based installation software.

-f [ host: ] tapefile
Install  software from tapefile.  The form host:tapefile specifies a tape device on the remote host host.  If you are logged in as root, the /.rhosts file on the remote system must contain the local system hostname. 

-c client
Use when running dopackage on a server, installing software for client. 

-i info-file-directory
Specify a directory in which to write log files, overriding the default /var/packages.

-F {defaults,space,command,save,all}
If -F defaults is set dopackage does not prompt for  directory and variable settings but uses the default values specified in the software description file on the tape.  For all other values -F forces continuation on errors of that type.  -F space forces continuation even if there is insufficient disk  space to install the package.  -F command forces continuation if precommands fail.  -F save forces continuation if errors occurred saving old files.  -F all is equivalent to -F defaults -F space -F command -F save. 

-r /root/path
Pretend the root directory is /root/path.  This is intended for use by the ramdisk-based installation software. 

-p /part/path
/part/path is a file containing filesystem size information, which is to be used as basic filesystem information.  This is intended for use by the ramdisk-based installation software. 

DOPACKAGE-INSTALL OPTIONS

The following options are accepted by dopackage-install and are passed by dopackage:

-t tapenum
Specifies which tape of a multi-tape distribution is currently in drive.

The following options are synonymous to their matching dopackage options:

-f [ host: ] tapefile

-c client -i info-file-directory -F {defaults,space,command,save,all} -r /root/path

USAGE

A distribution tape contains one software description file for each package on the tape.  This file describes directories and variables needed to install the package as well as commands that are executed before the software is installed, referred to as precommands.  Commands that are executed after the software is installed, called postcommands, are also contained in this file.  All prompts from dopackage contain a default response enclosed in [] brackets, a carriage return at any prompt selects the default response.

dopackage first determines which packages to install.  For each package to be installed the directories and variables are set, precommands are executed, old versions of files are saved in their current directory to file.last, new files are extracted from the tape, and postcommands are run.  If file.last exists it is not overwritten.

dopackage prompts for the directory and variable values, unless prompting is overridden by the -F defaults option, in which case the default values defined in the software description file are used.  The release notes with each tape describe the default values for all directories and variables used by that package and show example installations. 

Precommands usually do sanity checking, for example if the package is a kernel patch the precommands check that the correct version of the kernel is installed.  Postcommands take care of package-specific tasks, such as building a new kernel for kernel patches. 

Once dopackage has modified the system (by saving old versions of files, executing precommands or installing new files) it will back out the package if interrupted.  All saved files are restored and new files are deleted, precommands and postcommands cannot be recovered so they are logged in package.Errors.

FILES

/var/packages/
directory containing information, log and error files for each package installed. Log and error files are named package.Log and package.Error

DIAGNOSTICS

must have write permissions for current-working-directory
Some temporary files are stored in the current working directory, so you need write permissions for it.

tapefile illegal, tape must be explicit (/dev/...)
Tape devices must be specified as [host:]/dev/tape. 

unable to read table of contents from tapefile
Either the tape in tapefile is not the correct format for the device, such as attempting to read a QIC-24 tape with st0 instead of st8 or it is not a Solbourne Software Package Tape. 

invalid table of contents on tapefile

file: not a Table of Contents
The file extracted from  tapefile is not a Solbourne Software Package Tape. 

Solbourne Computer, Inc.  —  10 October 1990