Package Facets and Variants

Software can have components that are optional and components that are mutually exclusive. Examples of optional components include locales and documentation. Examples of mutually exclusive components include SPARC or x86 and debug or non-debug binaries. In IPS, an optional component is called a facet and a mutually exclusive component is called a variant.

Facets and variants are special properties set on the image. Facets and variants are also tags set on actions in a package manifest. The values of facet and variant tags on an action compared with the values of facets and variants set in the image determine whether that package action can be installed. For example, if you set a particular locale facet to false in the image, any file actions that specify that facet will not be installed, and currently installed file actions that specify that facet are uninstalled.

For more information about facets and variants, including how to view or modify the values of the facets and variants set on the image, see Controlling Installation of Optional Components.