AIX software package Theory and practice

The AIX operating system can install packages that include RPM and INSTALLP formats. The INSTALLP is an AIX system-specific package format that provides a powerful management capability, but it also contains a number of confusing concepts (such as fileset, package, LPP, etc.), Many experienced system administrators still often fail to understand their meanings and interrelationships correctly. By discussing the basic concepts and internal mechanism of some AIX INSTALLP software packages, this paper gives administrators a deeper understanding of AIX INSTALLP packages and can use INSTALLP's powerful functions flexibly in practice.

In addition, the last part of this article summarizes some of the problems that are frequently encountered in the day-to-day management of the Aix INSTALLP packages and gives solutions that are left to the AIX system administrator for reference.

AIX INSTALLP Package Basic Concepts

Fileset

In the file packaging architecture of the AIX 5L operating system, the files are divided into many fileset. Each fileset contains a set of logically related files. For example, files related to TCP/IP client functionality are packaged in Bos.net.tcp.client Fileset. Fileset is the smallest self-contained installation entity, and each fileset can be installed, upgraded, uninstalled separately. The Fileset version number consists of four domains: version, release, maintenance level, and fix level, called VRMF. (For example: Bos.rte 5.3.0.0 indicates that the version field is 5, the release field is 3, the maintenance level field is 0, and the Fix level field is 0).

Package

Multiple related fileset can be packaged together to form an installation image or a BFF (Backup Format File), also known as package. In general, a package can contain one or more fileset.

LPP (Licensed program Product)

LPP is like his English definition, for users LPP is the product that users can buy. It can be a series of package or just a single package. In general, users can choose not to buy the entire LPP and just buy a few of them package.

Fig. 1 The relationship between FILESET/PACKAGE/LPP

As can be clearly seen in Figure 1, each package in the example contains only one fileset, while the CSM LPP contains Csm.core, Csm.deploy, and Csm.server 3 package.

Figure 2

Figure 2 is a more complex package diagram. You can see that each package contains a lot of fileset, and a LPP contains a lot of package. This is also the most common situation in Aix.