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The related concepts of ancestors and supersession
are integral to patches and patch management. It is important that
you gain a basic understanding of both. It may also be helpful for
you to recall information presented in “HP-UX Software Structure”. Ancestors | |
The ancestor of a patch is the original software
product that a patch modifies. Ancestry is defined only at the fileset
level. Each patch fileset has only one ancestor fileset that composes
the base software that a patch modifies. However, there may be one
or more versions of this ancestor fileset. The patch fileset has the
same extension as its ancestor. For example, fileset Xserver.AGRM is the ancestor of patch fileset PHSS_29183.AGRM. You can see an additional example in “Advanced Topic: Determining Patch Ancestors”. Ancestry impacts both patch installation and patch
removal. A patch fileset cannot be installed on a system unless its
ancestor fileset software either is already installed or is being
installed during the same operation. Similarly, when an ancestor fileset
is removed, all the patches that have been applied to it are also
removed. Advanced Topic: Determining Patch AncestorsYou can determine a patch fileset's ancestor
using the patch's ancestor attribute with the swlist command. The following command lists the ancestor
filesets for the filesets of patch patch_id: swlist -l fileset -a attributepatch_id |
For example: |
$ swlist -l fileset -a ancestor PHSS_29183
# Initializing...
# Contacting target "chb26006"...
# Target: chb26006:/
# PHSS_29183
PHSS_29183.AGRM Xserver.AGRM,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.DDX-ADVANCED Xserver.DDX-ADVANCED,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.DDX-ENTRY Xserver.DDX-ENTRY,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.DDX-LOAD Xserver.DDX-LOAD,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.DDX-SAM Xserver.DDX-SAM,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.DDX-SLS Xserver.DDX-SLS,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.DDX-UTILS Xserver.DDX-UTILS,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.X11-SERV Xserver.X11-SERV,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.X11-SERV-MAN Xserver.X11-SERV-MAN,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.XEXT-DBE Xserver.XEXT-DBE,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.XEXT-DBE-MAN Xserver.XEXT-DBE-MAN,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.XEXT-DPMS Xserver.XEXT-DPMS,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.XEXT-DPMS-MAN Xserver.XEXT-DPMS-MAN,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.XEXT-HPCR Xserver.XEXT-HPCR,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.XEXT-HPCR-MAN Xserver.XEXT-HPCR-MAN,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.XEXT-MBX Xserver.XEXT-MBX,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
PHSS_29183.XEXT-RECORD Xserver.XEXT-RECORD,fr=B.11.11,v=HP
|
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Patch filesets that have been applied to an ancestor
fileset are listed in the ancestor's applied_patches attribute. Enter the following command: swlist -a applied_patches fileset_name |
For example: $ swlist -a applied_patches Xserver.AGRM
# Initializing...
# Contacting target "chb26006"...
# Target: chb26006:/
Xserver.Runtime.AGRM
PHSS_21817.AGRM,fa=HP-UX_B.11.11_32/64
PHSS_26619.AGRM,fa=HP-UX_B.11.11_32/64
PHSS_26622.AGRM,fa=HP-UX_B.11.11_32/64
PHSS_26638.AGRM,fa=HP-UX_B.11.11_32/64
PHSS_29169.AGRM,fa=HP-UX_B.11.11_32/64
PHSS_29183.AGRM,fa=HP-UX_B.11.11_32/64
|
For more information see the Software
Distributor Administration Guide on the HP Technical documentation Web site at http://docs.hp.com. Supersession | |
Supersession is the process of replacing an earlier
patch with a new patch. A new patch supersedes all previous patches
for its particular patch chain. Upon installation of the new (superseding)
patch, its files replace files of the patches being superseded. Patches
for HP-UX products are always cumulative. Each new patch contains
all aspects of all its preceding patches. A series of patches form a supersession chain.
A supersession chain includes the following: The nonpatch software
product being patched. Each patch that fixes
the nonpatch software product. Each patch that fixes
the patches.
Figure 3-1 shows
a simple, hypothetical supersession chain in which a product has been
superseded by PHXX_31937, which in turn has been
superseded by PHXX_32384, which has been superseded
by PHXX_43826. In general, patch numbers increase
along a patch supersession chain. The cumulative nature of a patch allows it to
satisfy all dependencies on all patches it supersedes. The converse
is not true, however. A superseded patch will not satisfy a dependency
on a superseding patch. For more information about dependencies, see
“Patch Dependencies”. You can determine which patches a given patch
supersedes by viewing either the patch's patch details page or the patch's patch text file. See the Supersedes field for more information. Advanced Topic: Displaying Supersession InformationBy default, the swlist command
does not show superseded patches, but you can use the show_superseded_patches option to show them. Enter this command: swlist -l patch -x show_superseded_patches=true |
You can also use the HP-UX Patch Tool show_patches (available via PHCO_18519 and its superseding patches) to show superseded patches. To show
superseded patches, enter this command: You can list the filesets that have directly superseded
the filesets of a given patch installed on the system. This is done
by using the swlist command to show the superseded_by attribute of the patch. In the following example,
patch PHSS_27875 is superseded by patch PHSS_28681: swlist -l level -a attribute \ -x option=valuepatch_id |
For example: $ swlist -l fileset -a superseded_by \
-x show_superseded_patches=true PHSS_27875
# Initializing...
# Contacting target "some_system"...
#
# Target: some_system:/
#
# PHSS_27875
PHSS_27875.X11-JPN-S-MSG PHSS_28681.X11-JPN-S-MSG,fa=HP-UX_B.11.11_32/64
PHSS_27875.X11-RUN-CL PHSS_28681.X11-RUN-CL,fa=HP-UX_B.11.11_32/64
PHSS_27875.X11-TCH-B-MSG PHSS_28681.X11-TCH-B-MSG,fa=HP-UX_B.11.11_32/64
|
You can also show the filesets that a given patch
has superseded. These superseded filesets will be listed whether or
not they are installed on a system. This is done by using the swlist command to list the supersedes attribute
of the patch. Note that the first patch of any particular patch supersession
chain does not have a supersedes attribute. In the
following example, patch PHSS_28681 is shown
to supersede patches PHSS_27875, PHSS_26498, and PHSS_25201. (The output has been reformatted
to improve readability.) swlist -l level -a attributepatch_id |
For example: $ swlist -l fileset -a supersedes PHSS_28681
# Initializing...
# Contacting target "some_system"...
#
# Target: some_system:/
#
# PHSS_28681
PHSS_28681.X11-JPN-S-MSG
PHSS_27875.X11-JPN-S-MSG,fr=*
PHSS_26498.X11-JPN-S-MSG,fr=*
PHSS_28681.X11-RUN-CL
PHSS_27875.X11-RUN-CL,fr=*
PHSS_26498.X11-RUN-CL,fr=*
PHSS_25201.X11-RUN-CL,fr=*
PHSS_28681.X11-TCH-B-MSG
PHSS_27875.X11-TCH-B-MSG,fr=*
PHSS_26498.X11-TCH-B-MSG,fr=*
|
Advanced Topic: Supersession and the patch_state AttributeWhen a superseding patch is applied to a system,
the superseded patch (if there was one) remains on the system but
is not active. Only the top patch of the chain is in the active (applied) state. For more information about patch state,
see “Patch State”. You can use the following swlist command to show the patch_state attribute for patch patch_id: swlist -a patch_state -x show_superseded_patches=true patch_id |
It is important to note that the availability
of a newer, superseding patch does not preclude the use of the older
patch. Depending on the circumstances, a superseded patch might be
a better choice than the patch superseding it. Older patches have
had more exposure to varied, real-world use. When they have been shown
to induce no ill effects, they are generally safer than newer patches
that supersede them. Thus, if two patches in a supersession chain
solve the problem you are facing, you may find that the older patch
is the better choice. Because HP-UX patches are cumulative, a superseding
patch negates the need for the previous patch. As an example, patch PHSS_29377 delivers all the features and fixes of all
other patches shown in Figure 3-2: “HP-UX Patch Supersession Chain”. This patch will also satisfy
any dependencies on all patches in the supersession chain. SD-UX does not allow you to install a patch that
has been superseded by another patch already installed on a system.
Using Figure 3-2: “HP-UX Patch Supersession Chain” as
an example, if you have patch PHSS_29377 installed
on a system SD-UX will not allow you to install patch PHSS_29323. Patch supersession chains can be more complex
than the one shown in Figure 3-2: “HP-UX Patch Supersession Chain”.
The supersession chain in Figure 3-2: “HP-UX Patch Supersession Chain” is composed of two separate
supersession chains that were combined when patch PHSS_29156 superseded both PHSS_29026 and PHSS_29008. Again, because of the cumulative nature of HP-UX patches, patch PHSS_29377 delivers all the features and fixes delivered
by the other six patches in this supersession chain. |
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