Step 3: Displaying Software Information

Step 3: Displaying Software Information

Displaying software information is an optional step in the installation procedure. You can omit this step if you are already familiar with the products that you plan to install. In most cases, however, this step is necessary to evaluate distribution and target software and to do progress checks during the selection process.

By default, the list command displays a list of all subsystems in the distribution inventory; but you can also display a complete list of software on the target using the view command (see "Using the View Commands Menu" for additional ways of using view to control list displays). As you select software for installation or removal (step 4 of this procedure), list displays are automatically updated to reflect your selections.

Using the list Command

Use the list command with no arguments to display the distribution list (if you did not enter the from command in step 2, Inst performs initialization before executing the list command). You can use the names of products and their components, metacharacters, and other keywords as arguments to list commands to save time (see "Using Command Shortcuts" for details).

Example 4-1 illustrates a list entry and the legend that precedes list displays. In this example, the distribution contains a software patch.

Inst> list 
  View:     distribution
  Status:    N=New, U=Upgrade, S=Same, D=downgrade, P=patch upgrade
  Patches:   A=installable patch, X=uninstallable patch (missing base product)
  Selection: i=install, r=remove, k=keep
  Subsystem Type(s) [bdrpc]: b=reBoot needed, d=Default, r=Required, p=Patch,
                             c=client only

Example 4-1 : The list Legend As Example 4-1 shows, the list legend provides information about software components and about actions taken during the installation session:

View identifies the location of software in Inst displays: target or distribution.
Status mnemonics convey comparison information between software on the target and software on the distribution software.
Patches mnemonics are shown if the distribution contains patches; they indicate the appropriateness of the patch for the current installation.
Selection mnemonics convey information about installation actions that have been specified either during automatic initialization or by the user.
Subsystem Types mnemonics are the only mnemonics to appear to the right of the software name in a list display; they provide information about distribution software requirements and designations.

Example 4-2 illustrates sample list output of a distribution inventory.

  S bvo.sw.bvo                       0  VGX Broadcast Video Option Software
  S bvo.sw.diag                      0  VGX Broadcast Video Option Diags
i U compiler_eoe.sw.cpp [bdr]        0  Source Code Preprocessor 
i U compiler_eoe.sw.lboot           43+  Kernel lboot Software
i U compiler_eoe.sw.lib [bdr]        3+  Base Execution Libraries
i U compiler_eoe.sw.unix            40+ IRIX Execution Environment
  D desktop_tools.sw.tools [d]       0   Desktop Tools
  N onc3_eoe.sw.cachefs              0  ONC3 6.2 Cache File System

Example 4-2 : Sample list Display of Distribution Software Frequently, list displays comprise several screens of information. To display more information, press <Enter> at the more prompt to see a new line and press the spacebar to see a new screen. You can also quit the display before reaching the end by typing q at the more prompt.

Displaying Software Installed on the Target

Use these commands to change the view and display target software:

Inst> view targ 
Inst> list

Example 4-3 shows sample list output of target software (the legend is omitted from this display).

  I bvo.sw.bvo                      0 VGX Broadcast Video Option Software
  I bvo.sw.diag                     0 VGX Broadcast Vidio Option Diags
u I compiler_eoe.sw.cpp [bdr]       0  Source Code Preprocessor 
u I compiler_eoe.sw.lboot          43- Kernel lboot Software
u I compiler_eoe.sw.lib [bdr]       3- Base Execution Libraries
u I compiler_eoe.sw.unix           40- IRIX Execution Environment
  I desktop_tools.sw.tools [d]      0  Desktop Tools
  R showcase.sw.data [d]            0  Necessary Data Files 
  R showcase.sw.showcase [d]        0  IRIS Showcase 3.3 Software

Example 4-3 : Sample list Display of Target Software Use this command to return the view to the distribution:

Inst> view dist

Interpreting list Output

A list display contains several columns of information about each software component in the display. Some columns convey information by means of mnemonic tags, which are defined in the list legend (see Example 4-1). Columns appear empty when a tag is unassigned or when the tag is masked by the current view setting (see "The target and distribution Commands" for more information).

The columns in list displays contain this information:

Column 1: A pending selection on the software component, if a selection was made. This column may contain any item listed in the Selection line of the list legend.
Column 2: The status of the software component relative to its corresponding component on the target or distribution. This column contains an item listed in the Status line of the list legend.
Column 3: The name of the software component. When software subsystems are displayed, the name may be followed by one or more special designations from the Subsystem Type line of the list legend (see Example 4-1).
Column 4: For software items being installed (i) or removed (r), a comparison between the disk space requirements of the distribution and target versions of the software. The amount, which is displayed in kilobytes by default, is followed by a plus sign if additional space is required or a minus sign if space is freed. If items are not selected for installation or removal or if there is no net change, the size shown is zero.
Column 5: A brief description of the software component. The content of this description varies slightly with each product.

These items from Example 4-2 further illustrate the information provided about distribution software by the list command:

S bvo.sw.bvo: The distribution version of the bvo.sw.bvo subsystem is the same (S) as the version on the target; no action is to be taken on this subsystem (the first column is blank).
i U compiler_eoe.sw.cpp [bdr]: The distribution version of compiler_eoe.sw.cpp is an upgrade (U) to the version that is currently on the target. This subsystem is selected for installation (i). Installing compiler_eoe.sw.cpp requires a reboot (b) of the target; the manufacturer has selected this subsystem as a default (d) for installation; compiler_eoe.sw.cpp is required (r) for system operation.
i U compiler_eoe.sw.unix...26-: The distribution version of compiler_eoe.sw.unix is an upgrade (U) to the version that is currently on the target. This subsystem is selected for installation (i); the distribution version is 26 kilobytes smaller than the corresponding version on the target.
D desktop_tools.sw.tools [d]: The desktop_tools.sw.tools subsystem in the distribution is a downgrade (D) of the corresponding subsystem on the target. Since the target version of this subsystem is newer, no action is to be taken on this subsystem, even though the manufacturer recommends it as a default (d) installation selection.

The information in Example 4-3 indicates that most products from the distribution are currently installed (I) on the target, but the showcase subsystems have been removed (R). One distribution product from Example 4-2, onc3_eoe, does not appear in the target list in Example 4-3. Also notice that items marked for installation (i) in the distribution list are marked for upgrading (u) in the target list.

Interpreting Patch Information

A list display also includes patch components if patches are present on the distribution or target. Example 4-4 illustrates patch entries in a list display.

DA patchSG0000000.eoe1_sw.unix [bp]    0  IRIX Execution Environment
SA patchSG0000001.eoe1_sw.unix [bp]    0  IRIX Execution Environment
PA patchSG0000002.eoe1_sw.unix [bp]    0  IRIX Execution Environment
NA patchSG0000005.4DDN_sw.4DDN [bd]    0  4DDN Software
NX patchSG0000011.dwb_sw.aps [p]       0  Autologic APS-5 Fonts

Example 4-4 : Sample list Display of Patches The mnemonic tags on patches have these meanings:

DA: (Downgrade Available) This patch applies to an installed base subsystem; it is a downgrade to another patch that is already installed.
NA: (New Available) This patch applies to a base subsystem that is installed or available for installation; it does not apply to any installed patch.
NX: (New Uninstallable) This patch applies to software that is not installed and not available for installation from this distribution.
PA: (Patch Upgrade) This patch upgrades installed software.
SA: (Same Available) This patch is already installed.

Interpreting the Disk Space Summary

At the end of each listing, the list command posts a disk space summary similar to those shown in Example 4-5. The summary identifies the target filesystems to receive the selected software, estimates the additional space (or space savings) that will result if the selected software is installed, calculates the space overhead required by installation processing, and reports the amount of space that will be available on the target filesystems after the installation. Estimates in disk space summaries are based on the current installation selections.

Disk Space summary (Kbytes)                    / 
Current free space                        564432
- Selections net change                     1276+
- Temporary inst overhead                     53+
= Minimum free during install             563103
Final projected free space                563156

Example 4-5 : Sample Disk Space Summary