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PKGINFO (5)

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pkginfo - package characteristics file

CONTENTS

Description
Environment Variables
Examples
See Also
Notes

pkginfo is an ASCII file that describes the characteristics of the package along with information that helps control the flow of installation. It is created by the software package developer.

Each entry in the pkginfo file is a line that establishes the value of a parameter in the following form:

PARAM="value"

There is no required order in which the parameters must be specified within the file. The PKG, NAME, ARCH, VERSION and CATEGORY parameters are mandatory. Other parameters are optional.

The following paramaters are mandatory:

ARCH	A comma-separated list of alphanumeric tokens that indicate the architecture associated with the package. The pkgmk(1) tool can be used to create or modify this value when actually building the package. The maximum length of a token is 16 characters and it cannot include a comma.
CATEGORY	A comma-separated list of categories under which a package can be displayed. A package must at least belong to the system or application category. Categories are case-insensitive and can contain only alphanumerics. Each category is limited in length to 16 characters.
NAME	Text that specifies the package name (maximum length of 256 ASCII characters). Use the NAME parameter as the foundation for describing the functionality and purpose of the package; spell out any acronyms and avoid internal product/project code names. The DESC parameter can then be used to expand the descriptive information. Use the NAME parameter to state as specifically as possible the use of the package, why a user would need to load it, and so on.
PKG	Abbreviation for the package being installed. All characters in the abbreviation must be alphanumeric. You can also use the - and + characters in the abbreviation. The first character cannot be numeric, a + or a -.
	The abbreviation is limited to a maximum length of 32 characters. install, new, and all are reserved abbreviations. It is customary to make the first four letters unique to your company, such as the company's stock symbol.
VERSION	Text that specifies the current version associated with the software package. The maximum length is 256 ASCII characters and the first character cannot be a left parenthesis. The pkgmk(1) tool can be used to create or modify this value when actually building the package.
The following parameters are optional:
BASEDIR	The pathname to a default directory where "relocatable" files can be installed. If blank, the package is not relocatable and any files that have relative pathnames are not installed. An administrator can override the default directory.
CLASSES	A space-separated list of classes defined for a package. The order of the list determines the order in which the classes are installed. Classes listed first are installed first (on a media by media basis). This parameter can be modified by the request script.
DESC	Text that describes the package (maximum length of 256 ASCII characters). This parameter value is used to provide the installer with a description of what the package contains and should build on the description provided in the NAME parameter. Try to make the two parameters work together so that a pkginfo -l provides a fairly comprehensive textual description of the package.
EMAIL	An electronic address where further information is available or bugs can be reported (maximum length of 256 ASCII characters).
HOTLINE	Phone number and/or mailing address where further information can be received or bugs can be reported (maximum length of 256 ASCII characters).
INTONLY	Indicates that the package should only be installed interactively when set to any non-null value.
ISTATES	A list of allowable run states for package installation (for example, "S s 1" allows run states of S, s or 1). The operating environment supports the run levels s, S, 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6. Applicable run levels for this parameter are s, S, 1, 2, and 3. See init(1M) for details.
MAXINST	The maximum number of package instances that should be allowed on a machine at the same time. By default, only one instance of a package is allowed. This parameter must be set in order to have multiple instances of a package. In order to support multiple instances of packages (for example, packages that differ in their ARCH or VERSION parameter value), the value of this parameter must be high enough to allow for all instances of a given package, including multiple versions coexisting on a software server.
ORDER	A list of classes defining the order in which they should be put on the medium. Used by pkgmk(1) in creating the package. Classes not defined in this field are placed on the medium using the standard ordering procedures.
PSTAMP	Production stamp used to mark the pkgmap(5) file on the output volumes. Provides a means for distinguishing between production copies of a version if more than one is in use at a time. If PSTAMP is not defined, the default is used. The default consists of the UNIX system machine name followed by the string "YYYYMMDDHHMMSS" (year, month, date, hour, minutes, seconds).
RSTATES	A list of allowable run states for package removal (for example, "S s 1" allows run states of S, s or 1). The operating environment supports the run levels s, S, 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6. Applicable run levels for this parameter are s, S, 1, 2, and 3 See init(1M) for details.
ULIMIT	If set, this parameter is passed as an argument to the ulimit(1) command (see limit(1)), which establishes the maximum size of a file during installation.
VENDOR	Used to identify the vendor that holds the software copyright (maximum length of 256 ASCII characters).
VSTOCK	The vendor stock number, if any, that identifies this product (maximum length of 256 ASCII characters).

Example 1 A Sample pkginfo File

Here is a sample pkginfo file:

PKG="SUNWesu"
NAME="Extended System Utilities"
VERSION="11.5.1"
ARCH="sparc"
VENDOR="Sun Microsystems, Inc."
HOTLINE="Please contact your local service provider"
EMAIL=""
VSTOCK="0122c3f5566"
CATEGORY="system"
ISTATES="S 2"
RSTATES="S 2"

pkgmk(1), uname(1), init(1M), pkgmap(5)

Developers can define their own installation parameters by adding a definition to this file. A developer-defined parameter must begin with a capital letter.

Trailing white space after any parameter value is ignored. For example, VENDOR="Sun Microsystems, Inc." is the same as VENDOR="Sun Microsystems, Inc. ".