Chapter 2

Installation

The requirements in the generic ABI (see in the chapter of the generic ABI) should be expanded to include the notion that an optional product should be structured into the following hierarchy:

 /opt/pkg/bin      executables invoked by users
 /opt/pkg/lib      libraries and other executables
 /opt/pkg/man      manual pages
 /opt/pkg/include  include files

where is the abbreviated name of an add-on software package. Additionally, a MIPS ABI platform will provide the following directories:

 /opt/bin
 /opt/lib
 /opt/man
 /opt/include

The installation script of an installable package may symbolically link files from directories under /opt/pkg/* to the corresponding directory under /opt . For example, the post installation script for a package called xtank , might contain the following instructions:

for file in /opt/xtank/bin/*
do
    ln -s $file /opt/bin
done

This is especially important for manual pages in order to limit the proliferation of directories containing manual pages. ISVs must be aware of the potential name space conflicts in the /opt directory tree. Not only must package names be unique, but individual binaries must also have names likely to be unique, since each package may link its files into /opt/bin, /opt/lib, etc.

Devices

The following devices may be available:

 /dev/abi/floppy      floppy disk (1.44mb)
 /dev/abi/qic         QIC-120 cartridge tape
 /dev/abi/qic.nr      QIC-120 cartridge tape (non-rewinding version)
 /dev/abi/9track      6250 bpi 9-track tapes
 /dev/abi/9track.nr   6250 bpi 9-track tapes (non-rewinding version)
 /dev/abi/cd_iso      CD-ROM in ISO 9660 format

The devices listed here are supported for installation purposes only and are not guaranteed to generate installation media. Also, these /dev/abi nodes will exist only if the device is supported on the system.

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last modified on November 21, 1995