What's New in Software Management in the Solaris 9 Release?

This section describes new software management features in the Solaris 9 release.

Signed Patches

All patches that are available for the Solaris 2.6, 7, 8, and 9 releases include a digital signature. A valid digital signature ensures that the patch has not been modified since the signature was applied.

Using signed patches is a secure method of downloading or applying patches because the patches include a digital signature that can be verified before the patch is applied to your system.

Signed patches are stored in Java^TM archive format files (abc.jar) and are available from the SunSolve Online^SM Web site.

For information about adding signed patches with the smpatch command, see Preparation for Managing Signed Patches with smpatch Command (Task Map). For troubleshooting problems with the smpatch command, go to http:sunsolve.Sun.COM/pub-cgi/show.pl?target=patches/spfaq.

Solaris Product Registry 3.0

The Solaris Product Registry 3.0 is a GUI tool that enables you to install and uninstall software packages.

For information on using this product to manage software packages, see Managing Software With the Solaris Product Registry GUI (Task Map).

Patch Analyzer

When you use the Solaris^TM Web Start program to upgrade to a Solaris 9 Update Release, the patch analyzer performs an analysis on your system to determine which (if any) patches will be removed or downgraded by upgrading to the Solaris Update Release. You do not need to use the Patch Analyzer when you upgrade to the Solaris 9 release.

For information on using this tool when you are upgrading to a Solaris 9 update release, see “Upgrading to a Solaris Update Release (Tasks)” in Solaris 9 12/03 Installation Guide.

Solaris Management Console Patch Manager

The Solaris Management Console provides a new Patches Tool for managing patches. You can only use the Patches Tool to add patches to a system running the Solaris 9 release.

For information on starting the Solaris Management Console, see How to Start the Console as Superuser or as a Role.