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 Software Package Builder 2.0 User's Guide: for HP-UX 11i v1 and 11i v2 > Chapter 1 Introduction to Software Package Builder

Software Package Builder Overview
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Software Package Builder (SPB) provides a visual method to create and edit software packages using the HP-UX Software Distributor (SD-UX) package format. Once software is packaged, it can easily be transferred to a distribution medium, mass produced, and installed by administrators. The SPB graphical user interface (GUI) provides a window into the software package structure, showing attributes that can be set for each package element. SPB loads packaging policies and validates software package attributes against these policies. The SPB command line interface (CLI) can also perform validation of software package attributes against policies and can be added to an automated process for editing and validation of a PSF.

SPB can assist with the following tasks:

  • Creating a product specification file (PSF) to organize files into products, filesets, and optionally, into bundles and subproducts

  • Setting attribute values to define software package characteristics such as revision, architecture, file permissions, and dependencies

  • Validating the PSF against packaging policies to ensure successful packaging into a software depot with the swpackage command

  • Editing and validating the PSF automatically as part of a nightly build process using SPB’s CLI

  • Viewing and editing multiple PSF’s

  • Viewing and validating depots and copying data from a depot to create a PSF

  • Testing or creating a software package by running the swpackage command from within the SPB GUI

Features

FeaturesBenefits
Graphical User Interface (GUI) for creating PSFs in SD-UX format.Provides an easy-to-use interface, making the complex task of creating a PSF easier.
Command Line Interface (CLI) for automating nightly changes to packages.Provides a mechanism for easy automation of PSF edits and validation.
Policy validator for verifying a package’s use of legal SD-UX syntax.Easy to create a valid PSF without in-depth knowledge of all the packaging policies.
Open source software can be packaged in SD-UX format.Easy to repackage software from various formats into SD-UX, allowing you to manage software with the SD-UX software management toolset.
User-specified rules files.Allows you to specify the rules file you want to validate your PSF against.

Depot view.

Allows you to view and validate depots and copy information from a depot to create a PSF.

Package software.

Allows you to run the swpackage command from within the SPB GUI to create a software package.

Software Package Builder and HP-UX Software Distributor

It is important to understand the relationship between SPB and SD-UX.

SD-UX

SD-UX provides a powerful set of tools for centralized HP-UX software management. SD-UX commands are included with the HP-UX operating system and allow you to package software into the SD-UX format, as well as create, distribute, and manage software from software depots.

SD-UX provides utilities to support numerous software package management tasks. Of these, the swpackage command creates a software package by combining the files the user wants to deliver (which may include control scripts) and a product specification file (PSF). The software package is then placed in a software depot where it can be distributed to customers and installed using the swinstall command.

The SD-UX packaging operations are based on the attribute values set in the PSF. The PSF is a master file that is created for a given software package to define the structure and describe all the characteristics and file mappings. The PSF contains attribute information for all the software elements contained in the package and must adhere to a strict, hierarchical structure and set of packaging policy rules.

SPB

SPB fits into this process by assisting with the creation and validation of a PSF that the swpackage command uses to create the software package. The structure of a software package and its software elements are largely abstract and the packaging policy rules that the software package must adhere to can also be very complex. SPB helps simplify the process of creating a software package by providing a visual method for creating the PSF, its software elements, attributes, and structure, as well as automatically validating the PSF against packaging policy rules. SPB provides a default set of packaging policies that validate your PSF, however, you can also customize your own packaging policies.



Chapter 1 Introduction to Software Package Builder
  		 


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