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Oracle Solaris Administration: Basic Administration Oracle Solaris 10 1/13 Information Library |
1. Oracle Solaris Management Tools (Road Map)
2. Working With the Solaris Management Console (Tasks)
3. Working With the Oracle Java Web Console (Tasks)
4. Managing User Accounts and Groups (Overview)
5. Managing User Accounts and Groups (Tasks)
6. Managing Client-Server Support (Overview)
7. Managing Diskless Clients (Tasks)
8. Introduction to Shutting Down and Booting a System
9. Shutting Down and Booting a System (Overview)
10. Shutting Down a System (Tasks)
11. Modifying Oracle Solaris Boot Behavior (Tasks)
12. Booting an Oracle Solaris System (Tasks)
13. Managing the Oracle Solaris Boot Archives (Tasks)
14. Troubleshooting Booting an Oracle Solaris System (Tasks)
15. x86: GRUB Based Booting (Reference)
16. x86: Booting a System That Does Not Implement GRUB (Tasks)
17. Working With Oracle Configuration Manager
18. Managing Services (Overview)
20. Managing Software (Overview)
What's New in Software Management in the Oracle Solaris Operating System?
Oracle Solaris Auto Registration
Package and Patching Tools Enhancements to Support Oracle Solaris Zones
Common Agent Container Included in the Oracle Solaris OS
Improvements to How patchadd -M Command Handles Multiple Patches
Package and Patch Tool Enhancements
Where to Find Software Management Tasks
Tools for Managing Software Packages
Adding or Removing a Software Package (pkgadd)
Key Points for Adding Software Packages (pkgadd)
Guidelines for Removing Packages (pkgrm)
Avoiding User Interaction When Adding Packages (pkgadd)
Using a Response File (pkgadd)
21. Managing Software With Oracle Solaris System Administration Tools (Tasks)
22. Managing Software by Using Oracle Solaris Package Commands (Tasks)
Software management involves installing or removing software products. Sun and its third-party ISVs deliver software as a collection of one or more packages.
The term packaging generically refers to the method for distributing and installing software products to systems where the products will be used. A package is a collection of files and directories in a defined format. This format conforms to the application binary interface (ABI), which is a supplement to the System V Interface Definition. The Solaris OS provides a set of utilities that interpret this format and provide the means to install a package, to remove a package, or to verify a package installation.
A patch is an accumulation of fixes for a known or potential problem within the Solaris OS or other supported software. A patch can also provide a new feature or an enhancement to a particular software release. A patch consists of files and directories that replace or update existing files and directories. Most Solaris patches are delivered as a set of sparse packages.
A sparse package contains only those objects that have been altered since the packages were first delivered as part of the Solaris distribution. Sparse packages accommodate patches that are smaller than if they were redistributed as complete packages to provide software updates. Delivering sparse packages also minimizes the changes that are made to the customer's environment. For more information about patches, see Chapter 23, Managing Patches.