Any package that is available in multiple versions or for multiple architectures
should be designed to walk the base directory, if needed.
Walking a base directory means that if a previous version or a different architecture
of the package being installed already exists in the base directory, the package
being installed resolves this issue, perhaps by creating a new base directory
with a slightly different name. The request
and checkinstall scripts in the Solaris 2.5 and compatible
releases have the ability to modify the BASEDIR
environment variable. This is not true for any prior version
of the Solaris operating environment.
Even in older versions of the Solaris operating environment, the request script had the authority to redefine directories within the installation base. The request script can do this in a way that still supports most administrative preferences.