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Sun Update Connection System 1.0.8 Administration Guide

Getting Started With the Sun Update Connection System

Note –

If you are familiar with the Sun Update Connection System and would like to install the Update Manager client software, go to Chapter 2, Installing the Sun Update Connection System Software.

The Sun Update Connection System has three user interfaces that you can use to manage updates on your system. You can use either of the two Update Manager user interfaces to locally manage updates on your system. The user interfaces are the Sun Update Manager graphical user interface and the smpatch command-line interface. You can also use the Sun Update Connection Hosted web application to remotely manage updates on one or more of your systems.

This section covers the following topics:

Getting Started Process Overview

Before you can use Update Manager or the Sun Update Connection Hostedweb application to manage updates on your systems, you must determine the update management strategy you want to use.

  1. Install and start the Update Manager application on your SolarisTM 10 system.

  2. Find the situation that best describes your update management environment.

    • Your client system is directly connected to the Internet.

      You are ready to begin the system registration process.

    • Your client system is connected to the Internet by means of a network proxy.

      You must first specify the host name and port of the network proxy during the system registration process. If required, also specify the user name and password associated with the network proxy.

    • You want to have several client systems obtain updates from a Sun Update Connection Proxy on your intranet.

      You must first configure a system to act as your Sun Update Connection Proxy. See Configuring Your Sun Update Connection Proxy (Task Map). Then, configure your client system to obtain updates from the proxy during the registration process.

  3. Register your Solaris system with Update Manager.

    During the registration process, you are prompted for a Sun Online Account. You might already have a Sun Online Account if you registered for an account with programs such as Java Developer ConnectionSM, Online Support Center (OSC), My Sun, SunSolveSM, and Sun Store.

    Determine the update management strategy you want to use based on your level of registration and subscription.

    • Unregistered system. Manually obtain and manage Solaris security updates locally on your system by using the smpatch add command and the smpatch remove command.

    • Registered system with no subscription. Use Update Manager to locally manage only Solaris security updates.

    • Registered system with a subscription and managed with Sun Update Connection System. Use the Sun Update Connection Hosted web application to remotely manage all Solaris updates. A subscription is part of the Sun Service Plan. You can still manage updates locally by using the Update Manager GUI or the smpatch command.

  4. Manage updates on your Solaris systems.

Comparison of Update Manager User Interfaces

The following table summarizes the Sun Update Connection System features and tasks that are supported by the GUI, the command-line interface (smpatch), and the Sun Update Connection Hosted browser interface.

Table 1–1 Comparison of Features Supported by the Sun Update Connection System User Interfaces

Feature/Task 

Graphical User Interface 

Command-Line Interface 

Browser Interface 

Can apply updates to a system?

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Can perform update management operations on a remote system?

Yes. You can run the GUI on a remote system and display it on your local system. 

Also, use the Sun Update Connection Hosted web application to remotely manage your system. 

Yes, in remote mode smpatch only. Local mode smpatch can only be run on the local system.

Yes 

Can analyze a system for updates?

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Can perform a scheduled update analysis of your system?

Yes 

Yes. Use cron to run the smpatch analyze command.

Yes 

Can download individual updates?

No, only those updates that are marked as Download Only, which the Sun Update Connection System cannot install, can be downloaded. 

Yes 

No, only those updates that are marked as Download Only, which the Sun Update Connection System cannot install, can be downloaded. 

Can resolve update dependencies?

Yes 

Sometimes. If you run smpatch add, update dependencies are not resolved. However, if you run smpatch update or smpatch analyze -i update-id, update dependencies are resolved.

Yes 

Can remove more than one update at a time?

Yes 

No. smpatch remove can remove just one update at a time.

Yes 

Can be run while the system is in single-user mode?

No 

Yes. Limited operations of local mode smpatch only.

No 

Can access updates from a Sun Update Connection Proxy ?

Yes 

Yes 

Not applicable. 

Can operate on update lists?

No 

Yes 

No 

Can configure the update management environment for your system?

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Supports RBAC?

No 

Yes 

No