pkgtrans(1)

pkgtrans -- translate package format

Synopsis

pkgtrans [-b bufsize] [-inos] srcdev dstdev [pkg ...]

Description

pkgtrans translates an installable package from one format to another. It translates:

a file system format to a datastream
a datastream to a file system format
a file system format to another file system format

For removable file system media, pkgtrans will optionally allow the user to format and place a file system on the media, and write a label on the media before transferring the package to the media.

The options and arguments for pkgtrans are:

-b bufsize: Specifies the buffer size passed to cpio to copy a package image from a device (such as a tape drive) to a temporary work area on disk. By default, the buffer size is taken from /etc/device.tab; and, if this value fails, the command is re-tried with a buffer size of 512. The -b option overrides the value in /etc/device.tab; if the buffer size you supply fails, the command is attempted again with a buffer size of 512.
-i: Copies the pkginfo and pkgmap files. If the package's category is defined as ``set'', for Set Installation Packages (SIPs) [see setinfo(4)], then that package's setinfo file is also copied.
-n: Creates a new instance of the package on the destination device destdev. If the package instance already exists on destdev, it will be left unchanged and a new instance will be created. The new instance will have a sequence number attached to distinguish it from the existing instance. For example, assume the destination device already contained an instance of package X. If you use pkgtrans with the -n option to write a new instance of package X to the device, the existing instance of package X will remain on the destination device, and a new instance, called X.2, would be created on the device. If you executed pkgtrans again with the -n option, a third instance, called X.3, would be created.
-o: Overwrites the same instance on the destination device. The package instance will be overwritten if it already exists.
-s: Indicates that the package should be written to destdev as a datastream rather than as a file system. The default behavior is to write to destdev in the file system format.
srcdev: Indicates the source device. Can be ``"-"'' which specifies package(s) in datastream format read from standard input. The package or packages on this device will be translated and placed on destdev. If srcdev is a regular file or directory, you must use the absolute pathname, rather than a relative pathname.
destdev: Indicates the destination device. Can be ``"-"'' which specifies package(s) written to standard output in datastream format. Translated packages will be placed on this device. If destdev is a regular file or directory, you must specify it as an absolute pathname, rather than a relative pathname.
pkg: Specifies which package on srcdev should be translated. The token all may be used to indicate all packages. pkg.* can be used to indicate all instances of a package. If no packages are defined, a prompt shows all packages on the device and asks which to translate. If a set is being transferred to datastream format, the pkg arguments should begin with the SIP and be followed by the packages listed in the SIP's setinfo file, in the order in which they appear in that file.

Exit codes

0: Successful completion of script.
1: Fatal error. Installation process is terminated at this point.

Files

/etc/device.tab
/usr/lib/locale/locale/LC_MESSAGES/uxpkg: language-specific message file [See LANG on environ(5).]

Examples

The following example translates all packages located on drive device and places the translations on /tmp.

   pkgtrans device /tmp all

The next example translates packages pkg1 and pkg2 located on /tmp and places their translations on diskette1 in file system format.

   pkgtrans /tmp diskette1 pkg1 pkg2

The next example translates pkg1 and pkg2 on tmp and places them on device in a datastream format.

   pkgtrans -s /tmp device pkg1 pkg2

References

installf(1M), pkgadd(1M), pkgask(1M), pkginfo(1), pkginfo(4), pkgmk(1), pkgparam(1), pkgproto(1), pkgrm(1M), removef(1M)

Notices

You cannot run pkgtrans from csh (see csh(1)).

Device specifications can be either the special node name (/dev/diskette) or the device alias (diskette1). The device spool indicates the default spool directory. Source and destination devices may not be the same. Regular files and directories must be specified by their absolute pathname, rather than a relative pathname.

By default, pkgtrans will not transfer any instance of a package if any instance of that package already exists on the destination device. Use of the -n option will create a new instance if an instance of this package already exists. Use of the -o option will overwrite the same instance if it already exists. Neither of these options are useful if the destination device is a datastream, since the entire datastream is overwritten anyway.

When creating file system format package instances on removable media, pkgtrans will optionally allow you to format the media and create a file system on it. The file system type used and the file system size will depend on the attributes defined for the device in /etc/device.tab.

pkgtrans depends on the integrity of the /etc/device.tab file to determine whether a device can support a datastream and/or file system formats. Problems in transferring a device in a particular format could mean corruption of /etc/device.tab.