Transferring a Package to a Distribution Medium

The pkgtrans command moves packages and performs package format translations. You can use the pkgtrans command to perform the following translations for an installable package:

• File system format to datastream format

• Datastream format to file system format

• One file system format to another file system format

How to Transfer a Package to a Distribution Medium

1. Build your package, creating a directory format package, if you have not already done so.

   For more information, see How to Build a Package.

2. Install your package to verify that it installs correctly.

   See How to Install a Package on a Standalone System or Server, if needed.

3. Verify your package's integrity.

   See How to Verify the Integrity of a Package, How to Obtain Information With the pkginfo Command, and How to Obtain Information With the pkgparam Command, if needed.

4. Remove the installed package from the system.

   See How to Remove a Package, if needed.

5. Transfer the package (in package format) to a distribution medium.

   To perform a basic translation, execute the following command:

   $ pkgtrans device1 device2 [pkg-abbrev...]

   
   

   device1 Is the name of the device where the package currently resides. device2 Is the name of the device onto which the translated package will be written. [pkg-abbrev] Is one or more package abbreviations.

   If no package names are given, all packages residing in device1 are translated and written to device2.

   ---

   Note - If more than one instance of a package resides on device1, you must use an instance identifier for the package. For a description of a package identifier, see Defining a Package Instance. When an instance of the package being translated already exists on device2, the pkgtrans command does not perform the translation. You can use the -o option to tell the pkgtrans command to overwrite any existing instances on the destination device and the -n option to tell it to create a new instance if one already exists. Note that this check does not apply when device2 supports a datastream format.

   ---

Where to Go Next

At this point you have completed the steps necessary to design, build, verify, and transfer your package. If you are interested in looking at some case studies, see Chapter 5, Case Studies of Package Creation. If you are interested in advanced package design ideas, see Chapter 6, Advanced Techniques for Creating Packages.