Using Software Manager

When to Use Software Manager

Use Software Manager to:

• Save configuration files
• Select software to install or remove from the local machine
• Display a graphical overview of storage space used by a file system

Requirements for Using Software Manager

The requirements for using Software Manager are:

• A bit-mapped display monitor
• Ability to use the OpenWindows environment
• Access privileges as described in Chapter 1, "Administration Tool Overview"

Alternatives to Using Software Manager

Software Manager cannot be used on an ASCII terminal. If needed, all software-related tasks can be performed using the package administration commands. Table 12-1 provides more information about choosing to use package administration commands or Software Manager.

Table 12-1

Use Software Manager If You:	Use Package Administration Commands If You:
Have a bit-mapped display monitor	Are using an ASCII terminal
Are running OpenWindows	Want output for each command issued

Window, Menu, and Command Descriptions

Software Manager Main Menu Window

The Software Manager main window lists the software applications available for installation or removal. It has three areas: a main control panel, a level display, and a software selection area.

Main Control Panel

The main control panel contains menu items that allow you to take specific actions and bring up other windows and options. In addition, the main control panel contains the Category field which displays the product. (See "Current Product Category" on page 161 for more information about the product category.)

Level Display

The level display uses icons to represent the software available for installation or removal. The level display lists the software in a hierarchic view, allowing easy movement among levels of the hierarchy.

The Software Selection Area

The software selection area displays the software in the current distribution. In this window, you select the software you want to install or remove.

In the bottom area of the window, Software Manager displays the software modules found in the active software distribution. The format of this display is controlled by the Software Manager's display properties. See "Browser Display Window"on page 163 for more information.

You can limit the number of modules displayed by using the Current Product Category window (see page 161).

The border of each module's icon shows whether any version of that module is currently installed on the local system. The three possible border types are listed in Table 12-2.

Table 12-2

Icon Border	Description
None	No version of the module is installed on the local system.
Solid	The version of the module being examined is already installed on the local system.
Broken or Dashed	The version of the module being examined is different from the version of the module already installed.

To select a module for installation or removal, click on the module icon. Selected items appear in reverse video (white on black).

Pressing MENU (right) mouse button while the pointer is positioned over a module displays the Software menu:

Table 12-3 describes the Software menu commands, some of which may not be active (they will be grayed out), depending on the module's type.

Table 12-3

Command	Use This Command To...
Package Properties	Display a pop-up window containing additional statistics describing the module.
Select Localizations	Choose which localizations to install or remove.
Read About	(If active) See more information about the module. (Drag the mouse to the right of this command to display a menu containing additional textual descriptions of the module.)
Run	(If active) Run a demonstration of the module. (Drag the mouse to the right of this command to display a menu containing the names of executable demonstrations of the module.)
Set Base Directory	Specify the directory in which a software module should reside. If the module is a cluster, all its components will be installed relative to this root directory.
Expand	(If active) View and select a cluster's individual components. Double-clicking on a cluster also expands it.

Double-clicking over a software cluster expands the cluster into a scrolling list of its software packages. Double-clicking while the cursor is positioned over a software package displays the package's property sheet. The following figure shows an example property sheet.

File Menu Commands

The Software Manager's main window File menu commands are summarized in Table 12-4.

Table 12-4

Command	Use This Command To...
Save	Save the configuration file. The default path is ./.swmrc. If you used the command line to specify a configuration file, pressing Save in the File menu saves the configuration file you specified on the command line (with the -c option).
Save as	Save the current configuration file as a new file with a new name. Specify the directory path and the name of the configuration file.

View Menu

The View menu commands are summarized in the following table.

Table 12-5

Command	Use This Command To...
Prev Level	Reverse the Expand command. Use this command after you have expanded a software cluster in either the software selection or level display areas. Returning to the previous level enables you to view and select the modules contained in the cluster you most recently expanded
Command Window	Display the window in which Software Manager executes programs. The most important are pkgadd and pkgrm, the package installation and removal commands.
Space Meter	Display a window that shows a graphical overview of storage space used by file systems. The Space Meter window shows how many megabytes a file system uses, and how many megabytes are free.

Space Meter Window The Space Meter window indicates how much disk space is required to install the selected software or how much disk space would become available after you remove selected software. The meter automatically displays the first time you select a software module for which there is insufficient disk space.

Table 12-6 lists and describes the columns in the meter.

Table 12-6

Field	Description
File System (left column)	Mount point name. Software Manager tracks several possible mount points and calculates space totals for those that correspond to actual mount points on your system. Names that are not mount points are grayed out.
Percentage Used (the meter)	Graphically represents the combined percentage of disk space used and disk space required to install selected software.
Mb Used	Total, in megabytes, of the amount of disk space currently in use plus that required to install selected software.
Mb Free	Amount of free space, in megabytes, that would remain in each file system after installation of any selected software. A negative value indicates the program estimates insufficient space is available for the selected software.

Edit Menu

The Edit menu enables you to add client support software and selecting or deselecting groups of software packages.

Table 12-7 summarizes Edit menu commands.

Table 12-7

Command	Use This Command To...
Native Environment	Select software to install or remove from the local machine.
Add Client Support	Add support (services) for diskless clients.
Select All	Select all modules matching the current category.
Deselect All	Deselect all modules currently selected.

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Note - Deselect All behaves differently than Select All. Deselect All will deselect all modules, visible or not, whereas Select All selects only modules that match the current software category.

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Props Menu

The Props menu invokes the Properties window, which you can use to save or edit the configurable properties of Software Manager. The Properties window contains the following categories:

• Source Media
• Package Administration
• Current Product Category
• Browser Display
• Remote Hosts

The following sections describe each of these categories.

Source Media

The Source Media category lets you specify the physical format (type), and name (device name or directory name) of the software distribution you want to examine. Table 12-8 on the following page describes the menu items in the Source Media window.

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Table 12-8

Item	Description
Media Type	Specifies the physical format of the software distribution you intend to examine. The Software Manager supports two types of formats: CD-ROM - Use this setting to examine a software distribution from a locally attached CD-ROM device not yet mounted as a local file system. Directory - Use this setting if your software distribution has already been locally mounted. If your software is CD-based and you do not have a local CD-ROM device, you will need to use this setting and mount the disk manually, using NFS(R).
Device Name	Specifies the name of the device containing the software distribution. Use this field if you indicated your software is CD-based. For a standard local CD-ROM device, the default device, /dev/dsk/c0t6d0s0, should suffice. The device name you specify must not be mounted or must have been mounted from within Software Manager. Consult the documentation included with your software product for further information.
Directory Name	Specifies the location of a mounted software distribution. Use this field if you indicated your software is already mounted. Enter the path name of the distribution. Press the Return key after entering your text to begin the load operation. Note: This path can be relative; however, Software Manager does not recognize the home directory expansion character, tilde (~).

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Note - You must set Media Type to Directory and use the Directory Name field if Volume Management controls the device you want to use. By default, Volume Management automatically mounts the CD-ROM.

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Package Administration Window

The Package Administration window contains menu items that allow you to set Package Administration options. Status messages may be displayed at the bottom of the window. The fields and options are discussed in the following pages.

Mail Recipients Field

The Mail Recipients list contains the mail addresses of people who should be informed about the installation or removal of a package. Enter the name of a recipient in the Recipient Name field and use the buttons listed in Table 12-9 to update the list.

Table 12-9

Button	Description
Add	Adds an address to the recipient list.
Delete	Deletes an address from the recipient list. To delete an address from the list, select the address and click on the Delete button.
Change	Modifies an address already in the recipient list. To change an address, select the address and enter the new address in the Recipient Name field. Click on Change.

Recipient Name Field

Use the Recipient Name field to specify the mail address of a recipient.

Existing Files Options

Use the Existing Files options to control attempts to overwrite existing files. The options are described in Table 12-10.

Table 12-10

Option	Use This Option To...
Ask	Receive a confirmation prompt before existing files are overwritten.
Overwrite	Replace existing files with the version contained in the package.
Skip	Install new files but skip installation of files that already exist.
Abort	Abort the operation without making any changes to the system if it detects conflicts with existing files.

Existing Packages Options

Use the Existing Packages options to control attempts to install packages more than once. The options are described in Table 12-11.

Table 12-11

Option	Use This Option To...
Ask	Receive a confirmation prompt before any attempt to install a package that has already been installed. (This check is based on package name.)
Overwrite	Install packages in place of any previous installations. Note that you are only allowed to reinstall the package "on top" of the old one. You are not allowed to install the package in a different location.
Install Unique	Install packages as uniquely named instances, if they are installed already. Note that this option may overwrite existing files. This option is useful if you are installing packages that are architecture- or locale-specific pieces of a product, or if you want to install a new version of a previously installed package in a different location.
Abort	Abort the operation without making any changes to the system if you attempt to install a package more than once.

Existing Partial Installation Options

Use the Existing Partial Installation options to control attempts to reinstall a partially installed package. The options are described in Table 12-12.

Table 12-12

Option	Use This Option To...
Ask	Receive a confirmation prompt before any attempt to reinstall a partially installed package.
Ignore	Ignore previous attempts to install the package, overwriting any previous partial installations.
Abort	Abort the operation if Software Manager detects a previous partial installation. In this case, Software Manager will not make any changes to the system.

Install Setuid/Setgid Files Options

Use the Install Setuid/Setgid Files options to control attempts to install files with set-ID bits activated. The options are described in Table 12-13.

Table 12-13

Option	Use This Option To...
Ask	Receive a confirmation prompt before attempts to install a file with setuid or setgid bits activated.
Yes	Install files regardless of the states of their setuid and setgid bits.
No	Install setuid and setgid files with their setuid and setgid bits turned off.
Abort	Abort the operation without making any changes to the system if Software Manager detects an attempt to install setuid or setgid files.

Run Setuid/Setgid Scripts Options

Some packages contain scripts to be executed after the package is installed or removed. These "action" scripts potentially impact system security if their setuid or setgid bits are enabled. Use the Run Setuid/Setgid Scripts options to control attempts to run scripts with set-ID bits activated. The options are described in Table 12-14.

Table 12-14

Option	Use This Option To...
Ask	Receive a confirmation prompt before executing a setuid or setgid action script.
Yes	Install packages regardless of the security impact of their action scripts.
Abort	Halt the operation without making any changes to the system if the installation program encounters a package containing setuid or setgid action scripts.

Installation Dependencies Not Met Options

Use the Installation Dependencies Not Met options to control attempts to install packages without satisfying all prerequisites. The options are described in Table 12-15.

Table 12-15

Option	Use This Option To...
Ask	Receive a confirmation prompt before attempts to install a package without all prerequisite packages installed.
Ignore	Install a package even if all packages on which it depends have not been installed.
Abort	Abort the operation without making any changes to the system if prerequisite packages are not completely installed.

Removal Dependencies Not Met Options

Use Removal Dependencies Not Met options to control attempts to remove packages required by other packages. The options are described in Table 12-16.

Table 12-16 Removal Dependencies Not Met Options in Package Administration

Window

Option	Use This Option To...
Ask	Receive a confirmation prompt before removing a package required by other packages.
Ignore	Remove a package even if it is required by other packages.
Abort	Abort the operation without making any changes to the system if you attempt to remove a package required by other packages.

Incorrect Run Level Options

Use Incorrect Run Level options to control attempts to install packages when the system run level does not match the run level specified by the package. The options are described in Table 12-17.

Table 12-17

Option	Use This Option To...
Ask	Receive a confirmation prompt before installing a package with the system at a run level not specified in the package.
Ignore	Install packages regardless of the current or specified run levels (installation of the package is still subject to other consistency checks).
Abort	Abort without making any changes to the system if you attempt to install a package when the system's run level does not match one of those specified by the package.

Insufficient Space Options

Use the Insufficient Space options to control attempts to install packages for which there is insufficient space. The options are described in Table 12-18.

Table 12-18

Option	Use This Option To...
Ask	Receive a prompt before installing a package for which there is not enough disk space.
Ignore	Install packages regardless of the amount of disk space available.
Abort	Abort without making any changes to the system if you attempt to install a package for which there is not enough disk space.

Show Copyrights Field

Usually each software package comes with a long copyright notice that is displayed when the package is installed. This message can take a significant amount of time and resources to display. The Show Copyrights field controls the display of verbose messages like copyrights during package installation.

To see these copyright notices, select Yes, otherwise select No.

Install/Remove Interactively Field

Package installation and removal can either be interactive or noninteractive. If run interactively, the Software Manager will prompt you for appropriate action if any of several error or abnormal conditions arise. If you disable interactivity, these conditions result in the failure of the package operation in progress (other operations may proceed).

The Install/Remove Interactively field controls the ability to interact with package installation and removal commands.

If you would like to execute package installation and removal commands interactively, select Yes, otherwise select No.

Action Buttons

The buttons described in Table 12-19 inform the Software Manager of changes made in the Package Administration Properties window.

Table 12-19

Button	Description
Apply	Save current Package Administration settings for use during the current session of software installation and removal. Saving current settings does not save the settings to a file; you must use the File menu items Save or Save As.
Reset	Reset Package Administration settings to match current program values. These values are those in force when you last pressed Apply or those taken from the program's configuration file (if you have not yet applied any changes).

Current Product Category Window

The Current Product Category window enables you to restrict to specific categories the software displayed in the Software Display area.

Categories List

This list contains the software categories to which the modules in the currently active software distribution belong.

Software vendors can attach category names to the modules in their distributions. You may limit the number of modules displayed in the Software Selection area by selecting a category (the selected category will appear highlighted), then clicking on Apply. Only modules in the current category will be displayed. To display all modules, select All Software from the list, then click on Apply.

Action Buttons

Table 12-20 describes the Current Product Category Action buttons.

Table 12-20

Button	Description
Apply	Saves the selected (highlighted) name as the currently active category.
Reset	Resets the Categories list to match the current category. This operation does not change the current category.

Browser Display Window

Display Format

The Display Format option field is used to specify software modules are represented in the Software Selection area. The available formats are listed in Table 12-21.

Table 12-21

Format	Use This Mode To...
Automatic	Invoke the default display mode of the software module. If any module in the current display has an icon, all modules primarily display as icons. If a particular module does not have an icon, a generic icon is used. If no modules have icons, all modules are primarily displayed as text, with a small generic icon representing each module's type.
Iconic	Force all modules to be displayed as icons. If no icon is explicitly associated with a module, a generic icon is used.
Textual	Force representation of modules as names. Each name is accompanied by a small generic icon that denotes the module's type (individual package or cluster) and an indication of the total amount of disk space required to install the module.

Name Length Options

This field specifies the format of module names in the Software Selection area. The formats are described in Table 12-22.

Table 12-22

Format	Use This Format To...
Long	Display the full name of each module.
Short	Display the abbreviated name of each module. This format is useful if you are using multiple columns.

Number of Columns Field

This field specifies the number of columns used in text mode (1, 2, or 3).

Action Buttons

Table 12-23 describes the Browser Display window Action buttons.

Table 12-23

Button	Description
Apply	Temporarily saves the current display settings and updates the display. Note that this does not save the settings to a file; this must be done using the Props menu items Save or Save As.
Reset	Resets settings to match the display. These values are those in force when you last pressed Apply, or those taken from the Software Manager's configuration file (if you have not yet applied any changes).

Remote Hosts Window

The descriptions on the following pages explain the use of the fields and buttons shown in the Remote Hosts window.

Edit Menu

The Edit Menu, shown below, enables you to add, modify, or remove entries in the Target Hosts list.

Toggle Selection

Pressing this button toggles between SELECTED and UNSELECTED in the Target Hosts list.

Clear

Pressing this button clears any entry in the Root Password field.

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Note - For security reasons, clearing this field will not display the password.

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Target Hosts List

The Target Hosts list contains the names of hosts on which software can be installed or removed. The Target Hosts list has three fields:

• Machine Name
• Machine Architecture
• SELECTED/UNSELECTED

Use this list to specify hosts on which software is to be installed or removed. This is a three-step process that entails:

1. Editing the list and add any desired hosts.

2. Selecting hosts from the list.

3. Pressing the Apply button.

Use the Mode setting to switch between host list editing and host selection. Each host name is accompanied by a small symbol indicating the host's status. See Table 12-24 for a description of the Target Hosts symbols and their meaning.

Table 12-24

Target Hosts glyph Meaning
The host is up. Software Manager has the necessary permissions to install or remove software on this host. The host is down. The host is a known host on the network. Software Manager does not have the necessary permissions to install or remove software on this host. The host is not known to the network or the host is not a Solaris 2.x system.

Host Name Field

Use the Host Name field to specify the name of a new host. This field is used when you add and modify host entries.

Root Password Field

Use the Root Password field to specify the root password for the host identified in the Host Name field.

To execute programs on remote systems, Software Manager requires either a .rhosts entry on the remote system, or that you know the remote system's root password. If a root password is required, you will be notified by pop-up notices and the password-required symbol (a circle with a diagonal line) in the host list. In either case, the CONSOLE entry in /etc/default/login must be commented out.

Root passwords are not stored in the Software Manager configuration file. They are flushed each time you quit the Software Manager, to protect the security of the remote systems.

Action Buttons

After entering information on the remote hosts or selecting remote hosts, use the Action buttons at the bottom of the Remote Hosts window to update the Software Manager. These buttons are described in Table 12-25.

Table 12-25

Button	Description
Apply	Commit the host list and host selections to Software Manager. Subsequent installations and removals during this session will operate on the hosts selected in the order they appear in the list. Note that this does not save the list to a file; this must be done using the File menu items Save or Save As.
Reset	Resets the host list and host selection values to the values in force when you last clicked on Apply or the values from Software Manager's configuration file (if you have not yet applied any changes). Note that the file-based configuration does not save selection status or root passwords.

Install/Remove

The Install and Remove buttons on the Main Menu represent two modes of behavior for the Software Manager--installing or removing software. Table 12-26 describes the two modes.

Table 12-26

Mode	Select This Mode To...
Install	Install software. Use the Software Selection area at the bottom of the window to select modules to be installed.
Remove	Remove software. After you press this button, the Software Selection area at the bottom of the window shows the software packages installed on the selected host. Use this area to select the packages you want to remove.