IPS Graphical User Interfaces

IPS includes two Graphical User Interface (GUI) tools.

• Package Manager provides most package and publisher operations and some boot environment (BE) operations. If you are new to the Oracle Solaris OS and IPS technologies, you can use Package Manager to quickly identify and install packages.

• Update Manager updates all packages in the image that have updates available.

Using Package Manager

Package Manager provides a subset of the tasks that can be performed from the command line:

• List, search, install, update, and remove packages

• Add and configure package sources

• Activate, rename, and remove BEs

Start Package Manager in one of the following ways:

Toolbar

Click the Package Manager icon in the toolbar. The Package Manager icon is a box with a circling arrow.

Desktop icon

Double-click the Package Manager icon on the desktop.

Menu bar

Select System→Administration→Package Manager.

Command line

$ packagemanager &

For complete Package Manager documentation, select Help→Contents from the Package Manager menu bar.

Package Manager Command Line Options

The following options are supported for the packagemanager(1) command.

$ packagemanager -R /aux0/example_root

Using Web Install

See the Package Manager Help for detailed information about the Web Install process.

Package Manager supports installing packages using a simple one-click Web Install process. The Web Install process uses a .p5i file. A .p5i file contains information to add publishers and add packages that can be installed from these publishers. The information in the .p5i file is read and used by the Web Install process.

How to Create a Web Install File

If you want other users to be able to install packages that you have installed on your system, you can export the installation instructions for those package files using the Web Install process. The Web Install process creates a .p5i file that consists of installation instructions for those packages and publishers to be installed.

1. Select the publisher.

   From the Package Manager Publisher drop-down menu, select the publisher from which you want to include the packages in the .p5i file.

2. Select the package.

   In the Package Manager package list pane, select the package whose installation instructions you want to distribute.

3. Export your selections.

   Select File→Export Selections to display the Export Selections Confirmation window.

4. Confirm the selections.

   Click the OK button to confirm the selections. The Export Selections window is displayed.

5. (Optional) Change the file name.

   A default name for the .p5i file is provided. You can change this file name.

   Do not change the .p5i extension.

6. (Optional) Change the file location.

   A default location for the .p5i file is provided. You can change the location.

7. Save the Web Install file.

   Click the Save button to save the file name and location.

How to Use Web Install to Add Publishers and Install Packages

The Web Install process enables you to install packages through a .p5i file. This file might be on your desktop or on a web site.

1. Start Package Manager in Web Install mode.
   • Select a .p5i file on your desktop.
   • Start Package Manager from the command line and specify a .p5i file.

     $ packagemanager ./wifile.p5i

   • Go to a URL location that contains a link to a .p5i file.

     • If the .p5i file is located on a web server that has registered this MIME type, just click the link to the .p5i file.

     • If the .p5i file is located on a web server that has not registered this MIME type, save the .p5i file to your desktop and then select it.

   The Install/Update window is displayed. The label at the top of the window is: “Package Manager Web Installer/The following will be added to your system.” The publishers and packages to be installed are listed.

2. Click the Proceed button to continue with the installation.
   • If necessary, add publishers.
   • If necessary,
3. If necessary, add publishers.

   If the specified package publisher is not already configured on your system, the Add Publisher window is displayed. The name and URI of the publisher are already entered.

   If the publishers to be added are secure publishers, an SSL key and certificate are required. Browse to locate the SSL Key and SSL Certificate on your system.

   If the publisher is added successfully, the Adding Publisher Complete dialog displays.

4. Click the OK button to continue with the installation.
5. Enable any disabled publishers.

   If a .p5i file contains packages from a disabled publisher, Web Install opens an Enable Publisher dialog. Use this dialog to enable the publisher so that you can install the packages.

   The Install/Update window now looks the same as when you select the Package Manager Install/Update option.

   The application closes when all packages are installed.

Using Update Manager

Update Manager updates all installed packages to the newest version allowed by the constraints imposed on the system by installed package dependencies and publisher configuration. This function is the same as the following functions:

• In the Package Manager GUI, selecting the Updates button or the Package→Updates menu option.

• Using the packagemanager command.

  $ packagemanager --update-all

• Using the pkg command.

  $ pkg update

Start Update Manager in one of the following ways:

Status bar

When updates are available, you should see a notification in the status bar. Click where indicated in the notification. The Update Manager icon is a stack of three boxes.

Menu bar

Select System→Administration→Update Manager.

Command line

$ pm-updatemanager

Automated

The Update Manager package, package/pkg/update-manager, delivers the cron job /usr/lib/update-manager/update-refresh.sh.

30 0,9,12,18,21 * * * /usr/lib/update-manager/update-refresh.sh

When the SMF service svc:/application/pkg/update is online, this cron job checks periodically for updated packages available from configured publishers (the first two steps of the following process). If updated packages are available, you receive a notification in your desktop toolbar. Select the notification icon to open the Update Manager GUI.

The Updates window displays, and the update process starts.

1. The system refreshes all catalogs.

2. The system evaluates all installed packages to determine which packages have updates available.

   • If no packages have updates available, the message “No Updates Available” is displayed and processing stops.

   • If package updates are available, the packages to be updated are listed for your review. This is your last chance to click the Cancel button to abort the update.

   Click the Proceed button to continue with the update.

3. The system downloads and installs all package updates.

   The following packages are updated first if they have updates available. Then any other packages are updated.

   package/pkg
   package/pkg/package-manager
   package/pkg/update-manager

   By default, each package is updated from the publisher from which it was originally installed. If the original publisher is non-sticky, then a newer version of the package that is compatible with this image could be installed from another publisher. Use the Package Manager Manage Publishers window or the pkg set-publisher command to set a publisher as sticky or non-sticky.

   If an error occurs at any time during the update process, the Details panel expands and the details of the error are displayed. An error status indicator is shown next to the failed stage.

4. A new BE might be created, depending on which packages are updated and depending on your image policy.

   If the system created a new BE for the update, you can edit the default BE name.

   You must restart to boot into the new BE. The new BE will be your default boot choice. Your current BE will be available as an alternate boot choice.

   • Click the Restart Now button to restart your system immediately.

   • Click the Restart Later button to restart your system at a later time.

Update Manager Command Line Options

The following options are supported for the pm-updatemanager(1) command.

$ pm-updatemanager -R /aux0/example_root