Tools for Managing Software

Solaris provides the tools for adding and removing software from a system. These are described in Table 12.1.

Use the pkgadd or pkgrm commands directly from the command line to load or remove software packages. The pkgadd and pkgrm commands can be incorporated into scripts to automate the software-installation process. Many third-party vendors use pkgadd in scripts as a means of installing their software.

Admintool, on the other hand, provides an easy-to-use interface for installing and removing software packages. It is simply a graphical user interface to the command line utilities described in Table 12.1. Using the Admintool graphical interface is a convenient way to view software already installed on a system or to view the software that resides on the installation media. If you’re unfamiliar with software-package naming conventions, are uncomfortable using command-line options, or are managing software on only one system at a time, you’ll find Admintool to be an easy way to add and remove software packages.

The Solaris Product Registry, also a front-end GUI for the software package commands described in Table 12.1, is a system for maintaining records of the software products installed on a Solaris system. The Product Registry includes a GUI tool to make managing your Solaris software easier. The Product Registry enables you to install, list, or uninstall Solaris software packages or clusters.

Also included on many CD-ROMs that ship with Solaris is the installer utility, which invokes a Web Start install wizard sequence that leads the user through a series of installation windows. This installer utility is found in the top-level directory on many CD-ROMs that ship with Solaris. When the installer is on a CD-ROM being accessed from a desktop file manager, the installer can be double-clicked to start the installation sequence. If the user is not currently the system’s root user, the root user password will be requested.