installf(1M) installf(1M)
NAME
installf - add a file to the software installation database
SYNOPSIS
installf [-c class] pkginst pathname [ftype [major minor]
[mode owner group]]
installf [-c class] pkginst -
installf -f [-c class] pkginst
installf [[-c class] pkginst path1=path2 [l|s]
DESCRIPTION
installf is a tool available for use from within custom
procedure scripts such as preinstall, postinstall, preremove,
and postremove. When these scripts create or modify files,
installf should be used to register the addition or change
into the system's contents database.
When the second synopsis is used, the pathname descriptions
will be read from standard input. These descriptions are the
same as would be given in the first synopsis but the
information is given in the form of a list. (The descriptions
should be in the form: pathname [ftype [[major minor] [mode
owner group]].)
When the last synopsis is invoked, the pathname argument is
used to specify a link, where path1 indicates the link and
path2 the file being linked to. The ftypes l and s are used to
specify a hard link or symbolic link, respectively. If ftype
is not specified, installf defaults to type 1.
After all files have been appropriately created and/or
modified, installf should be invoked with the -f synopsis to
indicate that installation is final. Links will be created at
this time and, if attribute information for a pathname was not
specified during the original invocation of installf or was
not already stored on the system, the current attribute values
for the pathname will be stored. Otherwise, installf verifies
that attribute values match those given on the command line,
making corrections as necessary. In all cases, the current
content information is calculated and stored appropriately.
-c class Class with which installed objects should be
associated. Default class is none.
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 1
installf(1M) installf(1M)
pkginst Name of package instance with which the pathname
should be associated.
pathname Pathname that is being created or modified. Special
characters, such as an equal sign (=), are included
in pathnames by surrounding the entire pathname in
single quotes (as in, for example, '/usr/lib/~=').
When a pathname is specified on a shell command
line, the single quotes must be preceded by
backslashes so they're not interpreted by the shell.
ftype A one-character field that indicates the file type.
Possible file types include:
f a standard executable or data file
e a file to be edited upon installation or removal
v volatile file (one whose contents are expected to
change)
d directory
x an exclusive directory
l linked file
p named pipe
c character special device
b block special device
s symbolic link
Once a file has the file type attribute v, it will
always be volatile. For example, if a file being
installed already exists and has the file type
attribute v, then even if the version of the file
being installed is not specified as volatile, the
file type attribute will remain volatile.
major The major device number. The field is only
specified for block or character special devices.
minor The minor device number. The field is only
specified for block or character special devices.
mode The octal mode of the file (for example, 0664). A
question mark (?) indicates that the mode will be
left unchanged, implying that the file already
exists on the target machine. If the directory
doesn't exist, the default is 0755. If it's a file,
the default is 0644. This field is not used for
linked or symbolically linked files.
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installf(1M) installf(1M)
owner The owner of the file (for example, bin or root).
The field is limited to 14 characters in length. A
question mark (?) indicates that the owner will be
left unchanged, implying that the file already
exists on the target machine. If it doesn't exist,
owner defaults to root. This field is not used for
linked or symbolically linked files.
group The group to which the file belongs (for example,
bin or sys). The field is limited to 14 characters
in length. A question mark (?) indicates that the
group will be left unchanged, implying that the file
already exists on the target machine. If it doesn't
exist, group defaults to other. This field is not
used for linked or symbolically linked files.
-f Indicates that installation is complete. This
option is used with the final invocation of installf
(for all files of a given class).
EXAMPLES
The following example shows the use of installf invoked from
an optional preinstall or postinstall script:
#create /dev/xt directory
#(needs to be done before drvinstall)
installf $PKGINST /dev/xt d 755 root sys ||
exit 2
majno=`/usr/sbin/drvinstall -m /etc/master.d/xt
-d $BASEDIR/data/xt.o -v1.0` ||
exit 2
i=00
while [$i -lt $limit]
do
for j in 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
do
echo /dev/xt$i$j c $majno `expr $i * 8 + $j` 644 root sys
echo /dev/xt$i$j=/dev/xt/$i$j
done
i=`expr $i + 1`
[$i -le 9] && i="0$i" #add leading zero
done | installf $PKGINST - || exit 2
# finalized installation, create links
installf -f $PKGINST || exit 2
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 3
installf(1M) installf(1M)
FILES
/usr/lib/locale/locale/LC_MESSAGES/uxpkg
language-specific message file [See LANG on environ(5).]
REFERENCES
pkgadd(1M), pkgask(1M), pkgchk(1M), pkginfo(1), pkgmk(1),
pkgparam(1), pkgproto(1), pkgrm(1M), pkgtrans(1), removef(1M)
Exit Codes
0 Successful completion of script.
1 Fatal error. Installation process is terminated at this
point.
99 Internal error.
NOTICES
When ftype is specified, the required fields shown below must
be defined:
ftype Required Fields
__________________________________________
p x d f v e mode owner group
c b major minor mode owner group
The installf command will create directories, named pipes and
special devices on the original invocation. Links are created
when installf is invoked with the -f option to indicate
installation is complete.
For symbolically linked files, path2 can be a relative
pathname, such as ./ or ../. For example, if you enter a line
such as
installf -c none pkgx /foo/bar/etc/mount=../usr/sbin/mount s
path2 (/foo/bar/etc/mount) will be a symbolic link to
../usr/sbin/mount.
When a link is specified, the directory in which the link is
to reside must exist, otherwise installf -f will fail for that
entry.
Files installed with installf will be placed in the class
none, unless a class is defined with the command.
Subsequently, they will be removed when the associated package
is deleted. If this file should not be deleted at the same
time as the package, be certain to assign it to a class which
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installf(1M) installf(1M)
is ignored at removal time. To do this, associate the file to
a class which will be handled by a removal class action script
delivered with the package.
When classes are used, installf must be used as follows:
installf -c class1
installf -c class2
installf -f
Using multiple invocations is discouraged if standard input
style invocations can be used with a list of files. This will
be much faster because the contents file must be processed for
each entry.
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 5