TOPIC
The installation process in Mac OS X Server centers around the Installer.app located in /System/Administration. The Installer.app installs groups of files called packages. All packages end in the .pkg or .mpkg extensions. A .pkg extension indicates a single package where as a .mpkg extension signifies multiple packages to be installed. Once a package is installed a receipt is created to keep track of the files installed and to remove the package if needed. All receipts are stored in the /Local/Library/Receipts directory.
DISCUSSION Packages As stated above, a package is a collection of files. One of these is a compressed files that contains the software to be installed. The other files facilitate the installation process. The file contained in a package are:
The contents of a package can be viewed by selecting the package and holding down the command, shift, and "o" key. This opens a new viewer window in which the contents of the package are displayed. Receipts The Installer.app creates a receipt after a package has been installed. All receipts are stored in the /Local/Library/Receipts directory. Note : all receipts have the .pkg or .mpkg extension so that the Installer.app opens them. A receipt is very similar to a package. Most of the files explained above are part of the receipt with one major exception: the product.pax.gz file is not contained in the receipt. The files that make up the receipt allow the Installer.app to remove the package at a later date, or to display the location of the installed files. The contents of a receipt can be viewed by selecting the receipt and holding down the command, shift, and "o" key. This opens a new viewer window in which the contents of the package are displayed. The Installer.app To install a package, open the directory that contains the package and double-click the package to be installed. The Installer.app opens and the "Install" button and the "List" button is active. The Install button starts the install process, while the List button lists the files to be installed and where they are to be placed. Deleting a package is accomplished by double-clicking on its receipt located in the /Local/Library/Receipts directory. When the Installer is done opening the receipt, the "Delete" button and the "List" button will be active. The "Delete" button removes the files installed by the package and also the package receipt itself. Also, in the Installer.app window is a pull down menu. This menu has three selections, info, progress, and log. The info option is what the Installer.app shows by default. It shows some basic information about the package or receipt. The progress option shows the user the progress of the operation that is currently taking place (installation, uninstall, or listing). Finally, errors will sometimes be reported during an installation. When this happens the Installer.app will refer the user to the log for a description of the issue. OpenUp and the Installer There is a very useful third party program called OpenUp that uncompresses files in Mac OS X Server. This program sometimes tries to open packages or receipts when they are double-clicked. See the following article under the Tools heading for instructions on solving this problem: Article 60030: " Mac OS X Server: The Inspector ." |
Document Information | |
Product Area: | Mac OS System Software |
Category: | Mac OS X Server |
Sub Category: | General Topics |
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