How Classes Are Processed During Package Installation

The following describes the system actions that occur when a class is installed. The actions are repeated once for each volume of a package, as that volume is being installed.

1. The pkgadd command creates a path name list.

   The pkgadd command creates a list of path names upon which the action script operates. Each line of this list contains source and destination path names, separated by a space. The source path name indicates where the object to be installed resides on the installation volume. The destination path name indicates the location on the target system where the object should be installed. The contents of the list are restricted by the following criteria:

   • The list contains only path names that belong to the associated class.

   • If the attempt to create the package object fails, then directories, named pipes, character devices, block devices, and symbolic links are included in the list with the source path name set to /dev/null. Normally, these items are automatically created by the pkgadd command (if not already in existence) and given proper attributes (mode, owner, group) as defined in the pkgmap file.

   • Linked files where the file type is l are not included in the list under any circumstances. Hard links in the given class are created in item 4.

2. If no class action script is provided for installation of a particular class, the path names in the generated list are copied from the volume to the appropriate target location.

3. A class action script is executed if one exists.

   The class action script is invoked with standard input that contains the list generated in item 1. If this volume is the last volume of the package, or no more objects exist in this class, the script is executed with the single argument of ENDOFCLASS.

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   Note –

   Even if no regular files of this class exist in the package, the class action script is called at least once with an empty list and the ENDOFCLASS argument.

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4. The pkgadd command performs a content and attribute audit, and creates hard links.

   After successfully executing items 2 or 3, the pkgadd command audits both content and attribute information for the list of path names. The pkgadd command creates the links associated with the class automatically. Detected attribute inconsistencies are corrected for all path names in the generated list.