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Chapter 1: Introduction
Silicon Graphics software is distributed on compact discs (CDs). A CD contains one or more software products and any special tools that the products require for installation. The purpose of the installation utility, inst, is to transfer distribution software, which has an encoded format, to a hard disk in a format that is usable. The installation utility offers two user interfaces: a graphical interface, called Software Manager (documented in the Personal System Administration Guide); and a command line interface, called Inst (the subject of this guide).
The media containing installable software that you purchase from Silicon Graphics is referred to as a distribution. Most distributions are not specific to a particular model of Silicon Graphics computer; distributions ordinarily contain all versions of any hardware-specific files that might be required. Sometimes, however, a new server or personal workstation model is introduced, accompanied by a special software distribution. When this occurs, subsequent distributions are fully compatible with the new model.
- Software Product Releases
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- Anatomy of a Software Product
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- Patch Releases
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- Sources of Installable Software
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- Software Installation Methods
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- Introduction to Inst
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