HP OpenVMS Systems Documentation

POLYCENTER Software Installation Utility Developer's Guide

You can use the PRODUCT COPY command to extract files from a kit in sequential format and place them in reference format. This differs in a number of ways from extracting all files from a sequential kit into a specific directory using the PRODUCT EXTRACT FILE command. When copying a kit into reference format, the files are placed in a directory tree as they would appear after installation on the user's system. Unlike the installation of a sequential kit, however, temporary files from the kit are placed in the directory tree and files pertaining to all options are extracted.

You can also use the PRODUCT COPY command to convert a reference kit into sequential format, and for copying a kit while preserving its format.

5.5.4 Converting a Sequential Kit into Compressed Format

You can use the PRODUCT COPY command to convert a sequential kit into compressed format. The following example illustrates this technique:

$ PRODUCT COPY CHESS /SOURCE=[TEST.KIT] -
    /DESTINATION=[TEST.KIT] /FORMAT=COMPRESSED

The /SOURCE qualifier points to the location of the sequential kit you want to convert to the compressed format. The /DESTINATION= qualifier points to the location where the newly-created compressed kit will reside.

5.6 Displaying Information from the Product Database

After the product kit is installed, you can use the PRODUCT SHOW PRODUCT command to list the products installed on the system. Use the /FULL qualifier for additional information about software references and patches that may have been applied to the products. Additional commands (not shown here) that are useful for obtaining more information about installed products are the PRODUCT SHOW HISTORY /FULL, PRODUCT SHOW OBJECT /FULL, and PRODUCT SHOW RECOVERY_DATA commands.

$ PRODUCT INSTALL CHESS  ! /LOG and /TRACE are useful for debugging
.
.
.
$ PRODUCT SHOW PRODUCT
----------------------------------- ----------- ------------
PRODUCT                             KIT TYPE    STATE
----------------------------------- ----------- ------------
ABC_CO AXPVMS CHESS V1.0            Full LP     Installed
DEC AXPVMS DECNET_PHASE_IV V7.1     Full LP     Installed
DEC AXPVMS DWMOTIF V1.2-4           Full LP     Installed
DEC AXPVMS VMS V7.1                 Transition  Installed
----------------------------------- ----------- ------------

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This chapter contains information about the following advanced POLYCENTER Software Installation utility concepts:

• Using command procedures
• Testing and debugging

In addition, it presents flow diagrams depicting the execution of several PRODUCT commands.

6.1 Using Command Procedures in PDL Statements

The Product Description Language (PDL) provides statements that perform common kit installation tasks such as creating directories, copying files to the target disk, updating libraries, displaying informational messages, and so on. There are times, however, when you might need to perform tasks that are unique to your product. For example, a new version of a product might need to detect the existence of a data file from a previous version and convert it to a new format. Or, you might want to probe the operating environment or ask the user specific questions before an installation may proceed.

To support this type of customization, the PDL provides several EXECUTE statements. These statements let you include command procedures (or individual DCL commands) that run during certain phases of a product install, upgrade, reconfigure, undo patch, or remove operation. These statements are:

• EXECUTE ABORT
  Runs error recovery commands just before the utility exits when an error condition causes the operation to terminate. For example, the following will activate the EXECUTE ABORT statement:
  • An error or fatal error condition that results from running commands from an EXECUTE statement (except EXECUTE TEST and EXECUTE REBOOT).
  • The user terminates the operation by pressing Ctrl/Y or Ctrl/C.
  • After an error is reported during material placement on the target disk, the user answers YES to the question "Do you want to terminate?".
• EXECUTE INSTALL...REMOVE
  Runs commands during the execution phase when changes are made to the target disk (such as creating directories and moving files).
  • The INSTALL portion is performed during an installation, upgrade, or reconfiguration of the product after product material has been moved from the kit to the target disk.
  • The REMOVE portion is performed during removal of the product before any files are deleted from the target disk.
• EXECUTE LOGIN
  Does not run any commands. It only displays a predefined message telling users to update their LOGIN.COM file with the specified commands.
• EXECUTE POSTINSTALL
  Runs commands that perform additional tasks at the end of the execution phase of an installation, upgrade, or reconfiguration of the product.
• EXECUTE POST_UNDO
  Runs commands that perform additional tasks at the end of a patch kit removal in the UNDO PATCH operation.
• EXECUTE PRECONFIGURE
  Runs commands after the user has selected the product for installation, upgrade, or reconfiguration, but before the utility begins the configuration phase where the user is asked to select options for the product. If you need to run a command procedure in preparation for installing your product, consider using an EXECUTE PRECONFIGURE statement. This lets you embed preconfiguration work in the kit and relieves users of performing this task themselves.
• EXECUTE PRE_UNDO
  Runs commands that perform additional tasks at the beginning of a patch kit removal in the UNDO PATCH operation.
• EXECUTE REBOOT
  Runs commands that initiate a system reboot at the conclusion of a PRODUCT INSTALL or PRODUCT RECONFIGURE operation.
• EXECUTE START...STOP
  Runs commands during the execution phase.
  • The START commands are executed during an installation or upgrade. In addition, a predefined message is displayed telling the user to add these commands to their SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM file.
  • The STOP commands are executed when the product is removed or upgraded. In addition, a predefined message is displayed telling the user to add these commands to their SYSHUTDWN.COM file whenever the product is installed, upgraded, or reconfigured.
• EXECUTE TEST
  Runs an installation verification procedure (or functional test of the product) after the installation has completed. Prior to running the test, the product database is updated and closed. The user can prevent the running of the installation verification procedure by specifying the /NOTEST qualifier with the PRODUCT INSTALL command.
• EXECUTE UPGRADE
  Runs commands when the product is upgraded by another version of the product. Commands are run before product material from the previously installed version of the product is deleted.
• ASSEMBLE EXECUTE option of a FILE statement
  Runs commands that create the specified file in a scratch directory at execution time, then copies the file to the target disk. This replaces the usual process of extracting a packaged copy of the file from the kit. A typical use of the ASSEMBLE EXECUTE option is to dynamically link an image at installation time.

Table 6-1 lists the PDL statements you can use to run command procedures (or individual DCL commands) that you provide. The statements are listed in the order of their execution during an installation, reconfiguration, or remove operation. Note that the table distinguishes between a new installation and an upgrade installation. The term upgrade denotes replacement of an installed version of a product by a higher, lower, or the same version of the product.