M100601: Using Solaris admin and response files to control installation settings

During installation, Solaris packages use admin files to control things like whether subsequent upgrades are allowed and whether multiple versions of the application can be installed in parallel. This article describes how admin files work with ManageSoft.

Solaris package installations can be controlled by two files:

• Admin file: An admin file contains settings that can apply to the installation of multiple Solaris packages. Refer to the admin file man pages for detailed descriptions of this file. If the installation command does not specify a particular admin file, /var/sadm/install/admin/default is used by default.
  This file is restrictive, and tailored to interactive installations. Using it when installing Solaris packages using ManageSoft may result in package installation or self-healing failures, depending on the default system settings. ManageSoft Corporation recommends that Packaging Engineers create a different admin file for use during installation. (Altering the default admin file is not recommended.)
• Response file: The values in a response file apply to a specific package. This file is generated by performing apkgask on the target package. Refer to the pkgask man pages for a further description of the pkgask command. If you will use a response file, create it before proceeding.

If a Solaris package should be installed using an admin and/or response file, you must record the filenames in the ManageSoft package so that the ManageSoft client can pass them to pkgadd at installation time.

Complete the following steps to add details about admin and response files to a ManageSoft package:

1. Create the ManageSoft package using the Solaris software import wizard.
2. Create an admin file with the desired settings. 
   For a full description of the admin file parameters refer to the Solaris pkgadd man pages. ManageSoft recommends specifying following settings to enable unattended installations Solaris packages:
   • conflict=nocheck
   • setuid=nocheck
   • action=nocheck
   • partial=nocheck
3. Save the admin file in the ManageSoft repository, in the same directory as the pkginfo file for the Solaris package.
4. If required, create a response file. Save it to the same directory.
5. In the ManageSoft warehouse, open the ManageSoft package.
6. Expand the Project node until the External Installer node is visible.
7. Open the SMC installer properties.
8. Click the General tab.
9. Modify the install command with the following additional command line arguments:
   • To use an admin file: 
     -a $(ManageSoftPackage)/[packagefoldername]/admin
   • To use a response file: 
     -r $(ManageSoftPackage)/[packagefoldername]/response
10. Click the Advanced tab.
11. Modify the reinstallation command in the same way you modified the install command at step 8.
12. Save, pack, and distribute the package.