Defining a Package Instance

The same package can have different versions, be compatible with different architectures, or both. Each variation of a package is known as a package instance. A package instance is determined by combining the definitions of the PKG, ARCH, and VERSION parameters in the pkginfo file.

The pkgadd command assigns a package identifier to each package instance at installation time. The package identifier is the package abbreviation with a numerical suffix, for example SUNWadm.2. This identifier distinguishes a package instance from any other package, including instances of the same package.

Defining a Package Abbreviation (PKG)

A package abbreviation is a short name for a package that is defined via the PKG parameter in the pkginfo file, and must:

• Be alphanumeric, but the first cannot be numeric.

• Be nine or fewer characters.

• Not be one of the reserved abbreviations install, new, and all.

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  Note –

  The first four characters should be unique to your company, such as your company's stock symbol. For example, packages built by Sun Microsystems^TM all have “SUNW” as the first four characters of their package abbreviation.

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  An example package abbreviation entry in a pkginfo file might be:

  PKG=SUNWcadap

Specifying a Package Architecture (ARCH)

The ARCH parameter in the pkginfo file identifies which architectures are associated with the package. The architecture name has a maximum length of 16 alphanumeric characters. If a package is associated with more than one architecture, specify them in a comma-separated list.

For example, a package architecture specification in a pkginfo file might be:

ARCH=sparc

Specifying a Package Instruction Set Architecture (SUNW_ISA)

The SUNW_ISA parameter in the pkginfo file identifies which instruction set architecture is associated with a Sun Microsystems package. The values are:

• sparcv9, for a package containing 64–bit objects

• sparc, for a package containing 32–bit objects

For example, the SUNW_ISA value in a pkginfo file for a package containing 64–bit objects would be:

SUNW_ISA=sparcv9

If SUNW_ISA is not set, the default instruction set architecture of the package is set to the value of the ARCH parameter.

Specifying a Package Version (VERSION)

The VERSION parameter in the pkginfo file identifies the version of the package. The version has a maximum length of 256 ASCII characters, and cannot begin with a left parenthesis.

An example version specification in a pkginfo file might be:

VERSION=release 1.0