Using the Solaris Patch Management Tools (smpatch)

Keep the following key points in mind when using the Solaris patch management tools:

• Make sure your systems are currently up-to-date with patches, including the appropriate kernel update patches, Java patches, and the recommended patch clusters.

• You will have to manually import the Sun certificates used to verify a patch's signature after installing the Solaris patch management tools.

• Solaris 2.6, 7, or 8 only – If you have previous versions of the PatchPro software on your system, the older versions will be upgraded when Solaris Patch Manager Base Version 1.0 is installed.

• Install patches on a quiet system, preferably in single-user mode.

• Signed patches are verified when they are downloaded with the smpatch download command.

  However, on a Solaris 9 system, no patch signature validation message is displayed during the patch download, even if the patch signature is successfully verified. If the patch signature verification fails, then the patch is not downloaded to your system.

• Solaris 9 only – The smpatch command prompts you for authentication information if you do not specify the authentication information in the smpatch command line.

  For example, you can specify authentication information to the smpatch command using the following syntax:

  # smpatch add -p mypassword -u root -- -i patch-ID

  The smpatch subcommands (add, analyze, download, or remove) and the authentication options and arguments are separated by the subcommand arguments with --.

  Or, you can let the smpatch command prompt you for the authentication information. For example:

  # /usr/sadm/bin/smpatch add -i patch-ID Authenticating as user: root Type /? for help, pressing <enter> accepts the default denoted by [ ] Please enter a string value for: password :: Loading Tool: com.sun.admin.patchmgr.cli.PatchMgrCli from starbug Login to starbug as user root was successful. Download of com.sun.admin.patchmgr.cli.PatchMgrCli from starbug was successful.

• Use the /opt/SUNWppro/bin/uninstallpatchpro script if you need to uninstall PatchPro 2.1. Do not attempt to remove PatchPro2.1 using this script if your current directory is /opt/SUNWppro/bin. Set your path as described in How to Set Up Your Patch Environment (smpatch) and then run the uninstallpatchpro script from the root (/) directory, for example.