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Also, Digital does not support the installation of a product on an alternate root on the existing system disk.
If you specify option R, the product is installed on the alternate root. However, you cannot create accounts or request a system reboot on an alternate root.
The POLYCENTER Software Installation utility is used to install, remove, and manage layered software products on Alpha or VAX systems. It can also save information about software products such as system requirements, installation options, and your answers to questions asked during the product installation procedure.
Perform POLYCENTER Software Installation utility operations from the DCL prompt. Use the following command format to invoke each operation:
$ PRODUCT subcommand product-name[/qualifier1,...]
For example, to install COBOL Version 2.2 and the latest version of Fortran, enter the following command:
$ PRODUCT INSTALL COBOL/VERSION=2.2,FORTRAN [Return]
The following products have been selected:
DEC AXPVMS COBOL V2.2 Layered Product
DEC AXPVMS FORTRAN V7.0 Layered Product
Do you want to continue? [YES] [Return]
Section 3.9 describes installation.
You can enter PRODUCT commands at the DCL prompt ($) or in a DCL command procedure. See the OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual for subcommand syntax information.
To run the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility as a batch job, see Section 3.9.6.
Table 3-5 lists DCL commands the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility can perform and describes each of them.
| DCL Command | Description |
|---|---|
| PRODUCT CONFIGURE | Create a product configuration file (PCF) |
| PRODUCT COPY | Copy a software product kit or convert it to another format |
| PRODUCT EXTRACT FILE | Retrieve a specified file or files from a software product kit packaged in sequential format |
| PRODUCT EXTRACT PDF | Retrieve the product description file (PDF) from a software product kit packaged in sequential format |
| PRODUCT EXTRACT PTF | Retrieve the product text file (PTF) from a software product kit packaged in sequential format |
| PRODUCT EXTRACT RELEASE_NOTES | Retrieve the release notes for a selected product |
| PRODUCT FIND | Display the name of product kits found in a specified directory |
| PRODUCT INSTALL | Install one or more software products and updates the product database |
| PRODUCT LIST | List a file or files contained in a specified product kit that is packaged in sequential format |
| PRODUCT PACKAGE | Create a software product kit. |
| PRODUCT RECONFIGURE | Modify the configuration choices for an installed product and update the product database |
| PRODUCT REGISTER PRODUCT | Record product information in the product database |
| PRODUCT REGISTER VOLUME | Record a volume label change of the volume containing the installed products |
| PRODUCT REMOVE | Remove a product from the system and from the product database |
| PRODUCT SHOW HISTORY | Display in chronological order the operations performed on software products |
| PRODUCT SHOW OBJECT | Display information about objects created during software product installation |
| PRODUCT SHOW PRODUCT | Display information about installed products |
| PRODUCT SHOW UTILITY | Display information about the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility |
The POLYCENTER Software Installation utility requires specific privileges to perform certain operations, as shown in the following table:
| Operations | Privileges Required |
|---|---|
| COPY, EXTRACT, FIND, LIST, PACKAGE | None |
| CONFIGURE, SHOW | SYSLCK |
| REGISTER | SYSLCK and SYSPRV (or a system UIC) |
| INSTALL, RECONFIGURE, REMOVE | SYSLCK, SYSPRV (or a system UIC), TMPMBX, and CMKRNL |
Note that commands you execute from the kit you are installing might require additional privileges. Check the installation guides that you receive with product kits for these privileges.
The following files are used by the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility:
Software products compliant with the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility are distributed in one of two formats:
A software product kit packaged in sequential copy format has a container file named in the following format:
producer-base-product-version-kit_type.PCSI
A software product kit packaged in reference copy format has a product description file in the root directory named in the following format:
producer-base-product-version-kit_type.PCSI$DESCRIPTION
Each subfield is separated by a hyphen and is defined as follows:
| Value | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Full | Application software. |
| 2 | Operating system | Operating system software. |
| 3 | Partial | An update for the operating system or for a product that is currently installed. |
| 4 | Patch | A correction to existing software. |
| 5 | Platform | A software system that has more than one product. |
| 6 | Transition | A kit that is intended to register a product that was not installed by the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility. Transition kits include only a product definition file and (optionally) a product text file. |
| 7 | Mandatory update | A required update, which produces functionally updated software that has the same version number. |
The version of the software product kit is in the format tmmnn-ue. This format is described in Table 3-8.
| t | The type of version (a single uppercase alphabetic character). |
| mm | The major version number (decimal integer 01 through 99). |
| nn | The minor version number (decimal integer 00 through 99). |
| - | The hyphen is required in all cases. When both update level (u) and maintenance edit level (e) are omitted, the version will end with a hyphen and the file name will have a double hyphen (- -) preceding the kit type. |
| u | The update level (decimal integer 1 through 999). The level is optional. |
| e | The maintenance edit level (one or more alphanumeric characters beginning with an alphabetic character). This level is optional. |
The following table of examples shows how to use the format:
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| V6.1 |
In this example:
|
| V6.1-1H2 |
In this example:
|
| T6.2-FT2 |
In this example:
|
The following examples show how the format is used for one sequential and two reference copy format kits:
DEC-VAXVMS-SOFTWIN-V0101--1.PCSI
DEC-AXPVMS-VMS-V0601-1H2-2.PCSI$DESCRIPTION
DEC-AXPVMS-VMS-T0700-FT2-2.PCSI$DESCRIPTION
You can create a PCF before or during an installation. You can also create more than one PCF for each product, thereby helping you to customize software installations for unique hardware situations or for different usage patterns within a group.
If a PCF is present and it contains a response for a configuration choice, the default for that choice comes from the PCF. The PCF specifies whether the choice can be changed or whether it is required.
If a PCF is not present or does not contain a response for a configuration choice, the default choice comes from one of two places:
Some options available for customizing the PCF are:
To create a PCF, use the PRODUCT CONFIGURE command. For example:
$ PRODUCT CONFIGURE CHESSMASTER
The POLYCENTER Software Installation utility creates a PCF in your current default directory. The default PCF is named DEFAULT.PCSI$CONFIGURATION. To override the default file name or directory, use the /CONFIGURATION=OUTPUT qualifier. Refer to the sample procedure in the next section.
After defining the PCF, the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility prompts you with questions about the product. Determine how and whether your responses are recorded in the PCF by responding to the questions and using two predefined function keys. The following table shows how your responses configure the PCF:
| Key | Action by the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility |
|---|---|
| Return |
Accepts the default or explicitly entered choice for the current
operation and for entry into the PCF, and then moves to the next choice.
If the Defer option is in effect, this entry can be changed when the PCF is used for future installations or upgrades. If the Defer option is not in effect, this entry cannot be changed when the PCF is used for future installations or upgrades. If the Write option is in effect, this entry, including the Defer option, is written into the PCF and used when the PCF is used for future installations or upgrades. If the Write option is not in effect, this entry, including the Defer option, is not written into the PCF and is not used when the PCF is used for future installations or upgrades. In this case, the default for the future installation or upgrade will come from the PDF or PDB. |
| F17 | Toggles the Defer option. By default, the Defer option is not in effect. |
| F18 | Toggles the Write option. By default, the Write option is in effect. |
Press the Return key after each response.
Example 3-1 shows how to use keys F17 and F18 in the PCF. Note that this is an example only and does not necessarily represent an actual PCF for a product. A description of the callouts follows the example.
Example 3-1 Sample Procedure for Creating a PCF
$ PRODUCT CONFIGURE VMS/SOURCE=SYS$SYSDEVICE:[VMS$COMMON]/LOG -
_$ /CONFIGURATION=(OUTPUT=MYPCF)[Return]
The following product has been selected:
DEC AXPVMS VMS V7.1 [Available]
Do you want to continue [YES] [Return]
Configuration phase starting ...
You will be asked to choose options, if any, for each selected product and for
any products that may be installed to satisfy software dependency requirements.
*** DEC AXPVMS VMS V7.1: OpenVMS Operating System
Copyright © 1996 Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation
Do you want the defaults for all options? [YES] N [Return] (1)
Accounting Log Report Generator Utility [YES] [F17] (2)
%PCSIUI-I-DEFER, that item has been deferred; please set the default value
Accounting Log Report Generator Utility [YES] [F17] (3)
%PCSIUI-I-UNDEFER, that item is no longer deferred; please set the value
Accounting Log Report Generator Utility [YES] [F17] (3)
%PCSIUI-I-DEFER, that item has been deferred; please set the default value.
Accounting Log Report Generator Utility [YES] [Return] (4)
Access Control List Utilities [YES] [F18] (5)
%PCSIUI-I-UNWRITE, that item will not be written to configuration file;
please set the value.
Access Control List Utilities [YES] [Return] (6)
Print and Batch Queue Utilities [YES] NO (7)
DECdtm Distributed Transaction Manager [YES] [Return] (8)
Do you want the defaults for all suboptions? [YES] NO
.
.
.
Programming Support [YES] [Return]
Do you want the defaults for all suboptions? [YES] NO
.
.
.
Do you want to review the options ?[NO] [Return] (9)
%PCSI-I-WRICON, writing configuration file
SYS$SYSDEVICE:[VMS$COMMON]MYPCF.PCSI$CONFIGURATION;1 (10)
%PCSIUI-I-SUCCONFIG, CONFIGURE operation completed successfully
$
The callouts in the example mark the following actions:
When you use a single DCL command to install or configure more than one product and write the responses to a PCF, the information for all the products that are installed or configured is in a single PCF. Use separate operations to install or configure a set of products when you want to keep each product's configuration values in its own PCF.
You can use DCL to modify an existing file. Specify the name of the PCF to be modified and the name of the PCF to be created. Include both the INPUT and the OUTPUT keywords with the /CONFIGURATION qualifier on the PRODUCT CONFIGURE command line. For example, read the default values in the file PRODUCTA_REV1.DAT, make changes to the file, and save the changes to PRODUCTA_REV2.DAT, the output file:
$ PRODUCT CONFIGURE - _$ /CONFIGURATION=(INPUT=PRODUCTA_REV1.DAT,OUTPUT=PRODUCTA_REV2.DAT) - _$ PRODUCTA
The POLYCENTER Software Installation utility automatically stores information about product installation, configuration choices, and objects, such as files and directories, that make up the product in the product database. The product database is useful for recalling information about products installed on your system and for detecting and tracking product dependencies.
Although the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility stores product information for you automatically, you can also add your own information. When you perform a task, you can include a remark---a comment to be recorded in the product database---along with the other information about the task being performed.
To add a remark to the product database, use the /REMARK qualifier with any of the following DCL commands:
See the OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual for information about this command and the /REMARK qualifier.
To register a product that was installed with a tool other than the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility, enter PRODUCT REGISTER PRODUCT. This command records information that a PDF provides. For example:
$ PRODUCT REGISTER PRODUCT TOOLCHEST
If you do not have a PDF for a product you want to register, enter the following command:
$ @SYS$UPDATE:PCSI$REGISTER_PRODUCT.COM
This procedure prompts you for the product name, version, and producer. For example, the producer for Digital products is DEC. The procedure uses this information to create a temporary, minimal PDF. It then executes the PRODUCT REGISTER PRODUCT command to register the product, and deletes the temporary PDF.
Because PCSI$REGISTER_PRODUCT.COM creates only a minimal PDF, it cannot register with the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility database all the information about the product. For this reason, if a PDF for the product is available, use it.
Although a transition PDF is intended specifically for PRODUCT REGISTER PRODUCT, you can also register full and operating system PDFs.
Some software products depend on other software products to work correctly. For example, a product might work only when a specific version of another product is installed on the system. The POLYCENTER Software Installation utility detects and tracks the dependencies of the products that you install. The utility also attempts to satisfy the requirements of multiple products. In some instances, the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility is unable to resolve product dependency issues. In such instances, the utility provides feedback on the nature of the conflict and asks you to decide how to proceed.
The basic steps for installing a software product are:
Before installing software, follow these steps:
For many operations, you must specify a location where the software kit resides and a location where you want to install the software. Two methods are available for identifying these locations:
6017P005.HTM OSSG Documentation 22-NOV-1996 14:21:23.31
Copyright © Digital Equipment Corporation 1996. All Rights Reserved.