This chapter contains information on the tasks and tools that allow you to install software and obtain software licenses. It covers the following major topics:
This document shows you how to install and remove software products that you receive from Silicon Graphics. To install products from other vendors, please see the software installation instructions that accompany the products. In some cases, you can also install their products using the Software Manager.
Software from Silicon Graphics is distributed on compact discs (CDs). Typically you install software from a CD-ROM drive that's connected either to your own system or to another system from Silicon Graphics. In some cases a network administrator may use the CD to create a distribution directory on your system or on another system on the network from which you can install the software.
Click on one of the links below for more information on that topic:
The Software Manager lets you install and remove both operating system software and optional product software. Any user can use the Software Manager to view a list of installed software, but only the Administrator (or anyone who knows the password for the root account) can use it to install or remove software. You can start the Software Manager using any of these methods:
From the Toolchest, choose System > Software Manager.
Open the System Manager by choosing “System Manager” from the System toolchest. Click Software, then click “Software Manager.”
Double-click a CD drive icon that contains a CD with software on it.
If you are not logged in to the root account and the root account has a password, a dialog box appears that requests the password. If you do not know the password, click the Continue button, and Software Manager starts in read-only mode where you can view available and installed software, but cannot install or remove software.
For help on a specific item or area in the Software Manager window, choose “Click for Help” from the Help menu, then click on the item or area.
Click on one of the links below to find out how to perform that Software Manager task:
“Software Manager Reference” contains details on the Software Manager graphical interface.
The Software Manager offers two standard views:
To view all software that is currently installed on your system, click Manage Installed Software. The software is displayed in the Software Inventory list. In this default view, you do not see any software that is available for installation. When you click the Manage Installed Software button, you can remove installed software. See “Removing a Product”.
To view software that is available from the CD or distribution directory specified in the Available Software field, click Customize Installation. The software is displayed in the Software Inventory list. By default, this shows new products, upgrade products, patch upgrade products, same products, downgrade products, and products that have not been installed yet. It does not show any products that are already installed.
Regardless of which standard view you start with, you can change it using the Software menu. Click a topic for more information:
You can change your view using the Software menu in these ways:
Add or remove check marks on the Software menu next to “New Products,” “Upgrade Products,” “Patch Upgrade Products,” “Same Products,” “Downgrade Products,” or “Not Installed Products” to view or hide these types of available software.
Add or remove the check mark on the Software menu next to “Installed Products” to view or hide the complete list of software that is currently installed.
Place a check mark next to “Short Product Names” to see abbreviated names in the Product column; remove the check mark to see the full names.
Place a check mark next to “Subsystems Only” to view only the smallest installable or removable part of the products (the subsystems); remove the check mark to see the top-level products. See also “About Product Structure: Products, Subsystems, and Files”.
Choose “Configuration Files Summary” to see a separate window that contains a list of every site- and user-specific configuration file contained in the products. See also “Checking Configuration Files”.
Using the Software menu, you can make your view of available and installed software as simple or comprehensive as you like. You can also view more detail about the structure of each product by clicking the folded arrow icon next to the product's name in the list; see also “About Product Structure: Products, Subsystems, and Files”.
You can control the contents of the Software Inventory list using the Software menu (see “Viewing Installed or Available Products”). For details on the information shown in each column, click a column name:
You can also use keyboard shortcuts to navigate the list and make selections; see “Keyboard Shortcuts in the Software Inventory List”.
The Remove column contains check boxes that correspond to the item shown in the Product column. When you place a check mark in a Remove check box, you are selecting that item for removal.
You can place a check mark in a Remove check box by either clicking in the box, or selecting the item in the Product column and choosing “Mark Remove” from the Selected menu.
When you select for installation a newer version of a product that is already installed (that is, when you choose to replace an installed product with an upgrade product), a blue check mark (rather than a red check mark) automatically appears in the Remove check box next to the installed product. See also “Removing and Installing Software at the Same Time”.
The Install column contains check boxes that correspond to the item shown in the Product column. When you place a check mark in an Install check box, you are selecting that item for installation.
You can place a check mark in an Install check box by either clicking in the box, or selecting the item in the Product column and choosing “Mark Install” from the Selected menu.
The Product column shows whether an item is a product, subsystem, or file (see also “About Product Structure: Products, Subsystems, and Files”), and displays the item's full name. When you select an item by clicking on it, the name of the product that contains the selected item appears in the text field next to the Product column label.
Immediately to the left of the item's description (Product, Sub, or File) is a folded arrow icon. To see what the item contains, click this icon. When the arrow is expanded the column displays more detail about a product's content. You can eliminate the detail and refold the arrow icon by clicking it.
The Status column describes the item relative to the software that is currently installed. Descriptions that appear in boldface type indicate that the item is available for installation (it is on the CD or in the distribution directory). Descriptions that appear in normal type indicate that the item is not available for installation; it is either installed on the system or has been removed.
New (in boldface type) indicates that the item is available for installation, and that it or an older version of the product has never been installed on your system.
Upgrade (in boldface type) indicates that the item is available for installation, and is part of an upgrade product; it is a newer version of a product that is already installed.
Patch Upgrade (in boldface type) indicates that the item is available for installation, and is part of a patch upgrade product; it contains bug fixes for a version of a product that is already installed.
Same Version (in boldface type) indicates that the item is available for installation, and is the same version of a product that is already installed.
Older Version (in boldface type) indicates that the item is available for installation, and is part of a product that is older than the version of the product that is already installed; it is a downgrade product.
Not Installed (in boldface type) indicates that the item is available for installation, and that it has been available for installation before but has never been installed; this description appears only in the Managed Installed view.
Installed (in normal type) indicates that the item is already installed on the system.
The Size column shows how much disk space (in kilobytes) an installed item occupies, and shows how much disk space an uninstalled item will occupy once it is installed.
The Type column uses character codes to provide additional information about each subsystem that may help you decide which subsystems to install or remove. The character codes do not appear next to the product or a file, only next to the subsystem. To see the codes, you must click the folded arrow icon next to a product, or you can choose “Subsystems Only” from the Software menu.
More than one character code may appear next to a subsystem. This list describes each code:
| R | The subsystem is required for the basic operating system (IRIX) to run. | |
| D | The subsystem is not required for IRIX to run, but the manufacturer recommends installing it if you choose to install the product; it is selected for installation by default. An example of default subsystems are those that provide the graphical IRIX Interactive Desktop; if you choose not to install these, your system will provide only IRIX shells as an interface. | |
| B | You must restart the system after installing the subsystem. | |
| O | The subsystem was installed as part of a maintenance release. | |
| E | The subsystem is empty and therefore should not be installed. | |
| C | The subsystem can be installed only by a diskless client system. |
If no character codes appear next to a subsystem, it is probably (but not always) an optional component of the product. For example, most manufacturers do not designate subsystems that contain clip art as default, since they often are unwanted and occupy large amounts of disk space.
You can navigate through the Software Inventory list and make selections by clicking in the list, then using these keyboard shortcuts:
| <Home> | Go to the top of the list and select the first item. | |
| <End> | Go to the bottom of the list and select the last item. | |
| <Page Up> | Scroll the contents of the list up one windowful. | |
| <Page Down> | Scroll the contents of the list down one windowful. | |
| <-> or up arrow | Move the cursor to the item that is immediately above the current selection. | |
| <Enter> or down arrow | Move the cursor to the item that is immediately below the current selection. | |
| <i> | Mark selected item for installation. | |
| <r> | Mark selected item for removal. | |
| <k> | Unmark (keep) selected item so it will not be installed or removed. |
The similar keyboard shortcuts that are available from the Selected menu work at any time; you do not need to first click in the Software Inventory list.
The Software Manager displays an R in the Type column next to each subsystem that is required for the operating system (IRIX) to run, and places a D in this column next to all subsystems that are selected for installation by default (that the manufacturer recommends installing); it does not place these codes next to the product or files. See also “The Type Column”.
To check whether a subsystem is required or recommended for the operating system to run, you can do one of the following:
Click the folded arrow icon next to a product to display the subsystems.
Choose “Subsystems Only” from the Software menu to view only the subsystems.
The Software Manager does not indicate conclusively whether a specific subsystem of an optional product is required for the product to run. If no character code appears next to a subsystem, it is likely that the subsystem is not required. For conclusive information, view the product's release notes by following these steps:
Select the product from the Software Inventory list.
Choose “Release Notes” from the Selected menu.
Use the scroll bar and the Prev Chapter and Next Chapter buttons to read through the release notes. See Chapter 2 of the release notes for information about which subsystems are required.
To find specific software, such as a product, subsystem, or file (see also “About Product Structure: Products, Subsystems, and Files”), choose either “Find” or “Find and Mark” from the Selected menu.
The Find window lets you search for strings within products, subsystems, and files; see “Finding Strings Within Products, Subsystems, and Files”.
The Find and Mark window lets you search for products and subsystems and mark or unmark them for installation or removal; see “Finding and Marking Products and Subsystems”.
To use the Find window, choose “Find” from the Selected menu, then follow these steps:
In the Find field, type the name or a part of the name of the software that you want to find.
For example, to find all the products or subsystems that contain Release Notes, enter Release Notes. To find all products or subsystems that contain the string Exe, enter Exe (you do not need to use a wildcard character such as *).
The string you enter is compared to either the long or short names, depending on which view of the names you selected from the Software menu.
Customize the way the Find window searches for the name. By default, it searches each product and subsystem for the exact string that you enter in the field.
Click the box next to Search Files if you also want to search all files that make up all the products.
Click in the box next to Ignore Case if you want to find all instances of the string, regardless of whether characters in the string are uppercase or lowercase. By default, there is a check mark in this box.
Click the Search button to start the search.
When the search is complete, the window reports how many matches it found, and the first matching item in the Software Inventory list is selected.
To stop the search before it is complete, click the Stop Search button.
Browse through all the matches.
To move forward through the list, click the Search button.
To move backward through the list, click the Previous button.
Search for another string or close the window.
To search for another string, type a new string in the Find field, then click the Search button.
To close the Find window, click the Close button.
To use the Find and Mark window, choose “Find and Mark” from the Selected menu, then follow these steps:
In the Find field, type the name or a part of the name of the product or subsystem that you want to find.
For example, to find all the products or subsystems that contain Release Notes, enter Release Notes. To find all products or subsystems that contain the string Exe, enter Exe (you do not need to use a wildcard character such as *).
The string you enter is compared to either the long or short names, depending on which view of the names you selected from the Software menu.
Customize the way the Find window searches for the name. By default, it searches each product and subsystem for the exact string that you enter in the field.
Click in the box next to Ignore Case if you want to find all instances of the string, regardless of whether characters in the string are uppercase or lowercase. By default, there is a check mark in this box.
Click the Search button to start the search.
When the search is complete, the window reports how many matches it found, and the first matching item in the Software Inventory list is selected.
Browse through all the matches.
To move forward through the list, click the Search button.
To move backward through the list, click the Previous button.
Mark or unmark for installation or removal some or all of the matches.
When you mark a product or subsystem that's already installed, it is marked for removal (a check mark appears in its Remove column); when you mark an available product or subsystem, it is marked for installation (a check mark appears in its Install column.)
To mark or unmark only the match that's selected in the Software Inventory list, click the Mark or Unmark button. After you click the button, the next match becomes selected. Use the Search and Previous buttons to find other specific matches to mark or unmark.
To mark or unmark all matches, click the Mark Matches or Unmark Matches button.
Search for another string, or close the window.
To search for another string, type a new string in the Find field, then click the Search button.
To close the Find window, click the Close button.
If the root account has a password, you need to know it in order to install software. On the most basic level, installing software involves these three steps:
Specify where the software is located; see “Specifying the Location of Available Software”.
Choose to install either
upgrade products and/or new products (see “Performing a Default Installation”)
a custom selection of products or parts of products (see “Performing a Custom Installation”)
For more information, see “About Default and Custom Installations”.
Start the installation by clicking the Start button.
Click a topic for more information:
The Software Manager lets you upgrade your workstation to a new version of the operating system.
Follow the detailed instructions that are provided in the Installation Instructions CD booklet that came with your software CDs, because important operating system installation instructions vary with each release.
In general, upgrading the operating system typically consists of these steps:
Shut down all running applications and ask any remote users to log off.
Make a full backup of all user and system files; see “Backing Up and Restoring Data” in Chapter 6.
Open the Software Manager and follow the instructions in “Specifying the Location of Available Software” to specify the location of the new operating system software.
Insert and open all the CDs you plan to use for the upgrade, beginning with the Installation Tools CD.
Each CD must be inserted and read by Software Manager before you begin the installation selections.
To open the CDs:
Eject the current CD and insert the next one. (See the table below for location-specific instructions.)
Click the Add button.
When all CDs have been added, click Done.
Software location:
To replace the CD or distribution:
CD
Eject the current CD by selecting the CDROM icon (on the desktop of the system connected to the CD drive), holding down the right mouse button, and choosing Eject CDROM. (Alternatively, enter eject /CDROM in a shell.
Distribution Directory
Open the next directory, for example:
open mars:/irix/cd2Click the Customize Installation button.
Choose Install > Select Recommended Upgrades... .
If you are upgrading to an intermediate release and haven't already chosen a release stream in a previous installation, you will be prompted to select a stream. Or, you may have previously chosen a stream but want to switch streams. In either case, see “Choosing, Determining, and Switching Release Streams”.
If there are installation conflicts, the Conflicts button text turns red. To display and resolve conflicts, click the Conflicts button.
For details, see “Resolving Installation or Removal Conflicts” in Chapter 8.
Click the Start button.
You are prompted to open one or more specific CDs for the actual installation. If necessary, refer to the table in Step 4 for details on opening additional CDs.
When a dialog appears that says “Installations and removals were successful,” select Restart the system now and click OK.
Restarting completes the installation process.
Now that the IRIX operating system is upgraded, you can also use Software Manager to select and install any new products that were included with your upgrade package. See “Installing a Product”.
This section includes:
The phrase “release stream” refers to a group of products in an intermediate operating system release: each intermediate release contains a group of products called the “feature” stream, and a group of products called the “maintenance” stream.
During your first upgrade to an intermediate release, you will be asked to choose a release stream.
Choose the maintenance stream if you want to upgrade your system with only the fixes that are essential to maintaining stability and compatibility. The maintenance stream contains accumulated bug fixes and basic support for new hardware.
Choose the feature stream if you want the maintenance stream content plus new software features. The feature stream contains new software features in addition to the same accumulated bug fixes and basic support for new hardware.
Both the maintenance and the feature stream products are on the same CDs, but once you choose a specific stream, only products in that stream will be displayed by Software Manager. Also, by default, only products from that stream will be displayed for you the next time you upgrade to an intermediate release of the same release family. To switch release streams, see “Switching Release Streams”.
If your system is running a 6.5.x version of IRIX, it will either be on the maintenance or feature release stream. (If the system is running IRIX 6.5 or earlier, a release stream has not yet been designated. You will be asked to choose the release stream the first time you install an intermediate release.)
To determine a system's current release stream, look below the Lookup button in the Software Manager window. If a stream has been chosen, you will see either Stream: Maint or Stream: Feat, where “Maint” indicates you are on the maintenance stream and “Feat” means you are on the feature stream.
You can switch release streams in either of the following situations:
When upgrading from one version of IRIX to another version
When you have already installed a release using one stream, but would like to switch to the other stream
To switch release streams, follow the operating system upgrade instructions given in the CD booklet that accompanies your software CDs. When you come to the product selection step, choose Install > Switch to Maintenance Stream or Install > Switch to Feature Stream, depending on which stream you want. These menu items automatically select the related release stream upgrades and prerequisite products.
Important: If you are switching from the Feature to the Maintenance stream, open the core CDs from the major release during the step in which you open the intermediate release CDs.
Once a new release stream has been chosen, Software Manager will display only the products that are in the chosen stream.
Silicon Graphics distributes software on compact disks (CDs). You typically access the new software from a CD drive that's connected to either your own system or to another system on the network whose CD drive allows software installation (see “Allowing Remote Users to Install Software From Your CD Drive” in Chapter 3).
In some sites, a network administrator copies the contents of the CD into a distribution directory on a server system on the network so that you can access the new software from a directory rather than a CD. (See also “Setting Up a Distribution Directory”.)
The first step in installing software is to indicate in the Software Manager where the software is located. If the CD that contains the software distribution appears as an icon on your desktop, just double-click the icon. This launches the Software Manager and specifies the software's location.
If the CD icon is not on your desktop, you can specify the location of the software by following these steps:
If the Software Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Software Manager” from the System toolchest, or by clicking the words Software Manager.
If the root account on your system has a password, a dialog box appears that requests the password. If you do not know the password, click the Continue button, and Software Manager starts in read-only mode where you can view available and installed software, but cannot install or remove software.
Place the software CD into a CD drive that's connected to your system or to another system on the network. If you're installing from a distribution directory, get the system's hostname and the full pathname of the directory from your network administrator.
Drag the CD or directory icon from your desktop into the Available Software drop pocket in the Software Manager window, then click the Lookup button.
If the CD drive is connected to another system, choose “On a Remote Workstation” from the Shared Resources rollover menu in the Desktop toolchest. Type the name of the remote workstation and press Enter; the resources available on that workstation appear in the window. Drag the CD drive icon onto your desktop; you can then drag it into the Available Software drop pocket (in the System Manager window) and click the Lookup button.
If the software is in a directory that is on another system, click in the pathname field labeled Available Software, type the remote system's hostname, a colon (:), and the full pathname of the directory, then press Enter or click the Lookup button. For example, to specify a directory named /dist on a system named mars, enter
mars:/dist
Then click the Lookup button.
If the drop pocket or pathname field does not accept the CD or directory, the CD or directory does not contain installable software.
If you want to specify an additional distribution directory or CD, choose “Open Additional Distribution” from the File menu.
The “Open Additional Distribution” window appears. Select a distribution using one of these methods.
Select the name of a distribution that appears in the list of available ones and click the Add button.
If the software is in a directory that is on another system, click in the Distribution field, type the remote system's name, a colon (:), and the full pathname of the directory, then click the Add button. (See Step 3 above for more information.)
Click the Browse button to open a file browsing window and then navigate through the system's directories to locate the distribution directory. After you locate the distribution you want, select it and click the Add button.
Software Manager is now ready to do a default installation (see “Performing a Default Installation”).
To view all the available software or to install a custom selection of software instead, click Customize Installation (see “Performing a Custom Installation”).
Once you specify the location of software to the Software Manager, it makes these assumptions:
You want to automatically install the default set of products, so the LED is lit on the Default Installation button.
You want to install all products that are newer versions of software that is already installed.
You want to install all the default subsystems of the new software that is available but is not yet installed on your system.
You want to install all available applicable patches.
Each product consists of several parts; some are required for the product to work, others are optional. See also “About Product Structure: Products, Subsystems, and Files”.
To install the default and required portions of the selected products, click the Start button; see “Performing a Default Installation”.
To set up a custom installation of software, click the Customize Installation button. (See “Performing a Custom Installation” for information.) The Software Inventory list displays a full listing of all software that is available from the CD or distribution directory, and lets you
install specific products (both new and upgrade) and/or subsystems by selecting them individually; you can expand products to view and select their various subsystems and can expand subsystems to view and select their various files.
install older versions of products that are already installed.
Note: For information about how to install and remove software at the same time, see “Removing and Installing Software at the Same Time”.
Use the default installation to install all default subsystems of upgrade products, all default subsystems of new products, and all applicable patch products. For more information, see “About Default and Custom Installations”.
If there is a password on the root account, only the Administrator can install software (or a user who has been granted the appropriate privileges). If the Software Manager is not already running, start it by choosing System > Software Manager from the Toolchest.
To install default software automatically, follow these steps:
Specify the location of the new software by dragging a CD or directory icon into the Available Software drop pocket, then clicking the Lookup button. See also “Specifying the Location of Available Software”.
If the drop pocket does not accept a CD or directory icon, the CD or directory does not contain installable software.
Make sure the yellow LED is lit on the Default Installation button.
To start the installation, click the Start button in the middle of the Software Manager window.
The Status area reports the progress of the installation in a series of stages: Initialize, Install, and Post Install. (If the Status area is not displayed, you can display it by choosing “Status/Disk Space” from the Panes menu.)
If the installation requires more than one CD, the Software Manager prompts you for the next CD.
If Software Manager encounters any installation conflicts, it displays a Conflicts window in which you can resolve the conflict. See “Resolving Installation or Removal Conflicts” in Chapter 8.
If Software Manager reports that you do not have enough disk space to install the software you have selected, you can free disk space at this time by removing other software products (see “Removing a Product”) or by selecting fewer products or subsystems to install (see “Saving and Loading a Custom Selection of Software”). If this does not result in enough disk space, you may need to move some user files onto backup tapes, a second disk, or other systems on the network. See also “Freeing Disk Space” in Chapter 6.
If Software Manager reports a different sort of problem, see “Troubleshooting Software Installation Problems” in Chapter 8.
When the installation is complete, a dialog reports that the installation was successful.
Select one of the options in the dialog and then click OK.
To install more software, select “Continue with installations.”
You can install more software from the same CD or distribution directory (see “Saving and Loading a Custom Selection of Software”), or specify a new location from which to install additional software; see “Specifying the Location of Available Software”. You can also use the Software Manager to view or remove software; see “Viewing Installed or Available Products” and “Removing a Product” for instructions.
To quit the Software Manager, select “Exit, installation completed.”
The Status pane reports all exit commands, then the Software Manager window disappears.
To restart the system, select “Restart the system now.”
Note: Some software products may require that you restart the system after installation.
To use your new software, see the documentation that came with the software. It tells you where on the system the software is located and how to run it.
By clicking the Customize Installation button you can install
only some of the upgrades, new products, or patches that are available (rather than all of them)
only the required subsystems of a product, or the required subsystems plus some of the optional subsystems
older versions (downgrades) of products that are already installed
While making a custom selection of software, you can also
remove software at the same time; see “Removing and Installing Software at the Same Time”.
save your custom selections in a file that others can load directly into the Software Manager; see “Saving and Loading a Custom Selection of Software”.
When you click the Customize Installation button, you're requesting a more informative view of the software that's available.
If there is a password on the root account, only the Administrator can install software. If the Software Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Software Manager” from the System toolchest, or by clicking the words Software Manager.
| Note: If the root account on your system has a password, a dialog box appears that requests the password. If you do not know the password, click the Continue button, and Software Manager starts in read-only mode where you can view available and installed software, but cannot install or remove software. |
To install a custom selection of software, follow these steps:
Specify the location of the new software by dragging a CD or directory icon into the Available Software drop pocket, then click the Lookup button. See also “Specifying the Location of Available Software”.
If the drop pocket does not accept a CD or directory icon, the CD or directory does not contain installable software.
Click the Customize Installation button.
You'll see a wait cursor, and a series of progress indicators appear in the Status area as the Software Manager scans all the available software. After several seconds (or a few minutes if there are several products available), the Software Inventory pane displays all of the available software.
By default, when you click Customize Installation, the Software Inventory pane shows all available new products, upgrade products, patch upgrade products, same products, and downgrade products.
Change your view of the available software, if you like; for more information, see “Viewing Installed or Available Products”.
View fewer types of products in the Software Inventory list by choosing a type (which removes the check mark) from the Software menu. For example, if you do not want the list to include downgrade products, choose “Downgrade Products” from the Software menu.
View the next level of product structure detail for a specific product by clicking the folded arrow icon next to the product's name in the list. See also “About Product Structure: Products, Subsystems, and Files”.
View only the smallest installable unit of the products by choosing (placing a check mark next to) “Subsystems Only” from the Software menu.
Choose which products you want to install (or remove).
To choose one product at a time, either click to place a check mark in the Install box next to the product, or select the product and choose “Mark Install” from the Selected menu.
To choose not to install a product, either remove the check mark from the Install box, or select the product and choose “Unmark (Keep)” from the Selected menu.
To choose all upgrade products or all new products, choose “Mark Upgrades to Install” or “Mark New Products to Install” from the Selected menu.
To choose only part of a product (a subsystem), click the folded arrow icon next to the product to see its subsystems, then click the Install box next to those parts you want to install.
To choose a product or part of a product to remove, choose “Installed Products” from the Software menu to display installed products; then, in the Remove column, click in the check box next to the item.
Note: When you choose to install an upgrade product, a blue check mark appears in the Remove box next to the currently installed version of the product. This indicates that by installing the new version, the current version will be removed (replaced). See also “Removing and Installing Software at the Same Time”.
After you've made all your selections, make sure they do not cause any installation conflicts.
If you select a combination of software that cannot be safely installed on the system (for example, prerequisite products are missing, or you did not select a required part of a product), the Software Manager reports this in the Status area, and the Conflicts button in the middle of the window becomes active.
To resolve conflicts, click the Conflicts button, and see “Resolving Installation or Removal Conflicts” in Chapter 8.
Make sure you're comfortable with how much disk space the new software uses. The Disk Space area shows existing disk space that's in use, and shows in blue how much additional space the new software requires. See also “Checking Available Disk Space”.
If the Disk Space area is not displayed, you can display it by choosing “Status/Disk Space” from the Panes menu.
If you do not have enough disk space to install the software you have selected, the disk space pie chart turns red. You can free up disk space at this time by removing other software products; see “Removing a Product”. If this does not result in enough disk space, you may need to move some user files onto backup tapes, a second disk, or other systems on the network. See also “Freeing Disk Space” in Chapter 6.
To start the installation, click the Start button in the middle of the Software Manager window.
The Status area reports the progress of the installation; if this area is not displayed, you can display it by choosing “Status/Disk Space” from the Panes menu. When it has successfully completed, you'll see a message in the status area.
If the Software Manager encounters a problem, it displays a notifier; see “Installation Ends Before It Is Complete” in Chapter 8.
When the installation is complete, a dialog reports that the installation was successful.
Select one of the options in the dialog and then click OK.
To install more software, select “Continue with installations.”
You can install more software from the same CD or distribution directory (see “Saving and Loading a Custom Selection of Software”), or specify a new location from which to install additional software; see “Specifying the Location of Available Software”. You can also use the Software Manager to view or remove software; see “Viewing Installed or Available Products” and “Removing a Product” for instructions.
To quit the Software Manager, select “Exit, installation completed.”
The Status pane reports all exit commands, then the Software Manager window disappears.
To restart the system, select “Restart the system now.”
Note: Some software products may require that you restart the system after installation.
To use your new software, see the documentation that came with the software. It tells you where on the system the software is located and how to start it up.
The Software Manager displays the amount of disk space that is currently used and free (available) for each disk on your system. If the Disk Space area is not currently shown, you can display it by choosing “Status/Disk Space” from the Panes window.
The Software Manager automatically recalculates disk space when you click the Customize Installation or Manage Installed Software button, and updates the disk space pie chart. When the amount of free disk space changes independent of the Software Manager (for example, when you remove some files using the desktop or a shell window while the Software Manager is running), you can force Software Manager to recalculate the disk space by choosing “Recalculate Disk Space” from the File menu.
The disk space pie chart represents the total amount of space that's available on the disk directory whose name is displayed on the Disk Space menu button. See also “Viewing Space on Other Disks or Disk Directories”.
The dark gray portion of the disk space pie chart shows the relative amount of space that is currently being used; the precise amount in KB is shown to the right of the pie chart and the dark gray square that is labeled Used. The white portion shows the relative amount of free space; the precise amount in KB is shown to the right of the pie chart and the white box that is labeled Free.
When you choose items for installation or removal, a new wedge appears in the pie chart. This wedge shows the change in disk space use that takes place once you install or remove the items you selected. The color of the wedge and its corresponding Net Change box indicate the positive or negative effects of your selections:
A light green wedge and box show that your selections will use up some of your free space. The amount in kilobytes (KB) is shown to the right of the Net Change box, and is always a positive number.
A dark blue wedge and box show that your selections will free some of your used space. The amount in kilobytes (KB) is shown to the right of the Net Change box, and is always a negative number.
A red wedge and box show that your selections require more disk space than you have available. The amount of additional disk space you need to install all of your selections is shown next to the Needs extra box.
The Overhead box displays additional, temporary disk space the Software Manager requires to perform the installation. This “overhead” disk space will become available again after you complete the installation.
Note: The disk space amounts shown in the pie chart are estimates; the precise amounts of disk space are calculated when you click the Start button to start the installation.
The menu button next to Disk Space is labeled with the name of the disk or disk directory (partition) that is displayed in the Disk Space area. New systems with one disk have only one disk directory called / (root); this is the default disk directory that is shown in the Disk Space area. Even when you have more than one disk, new software is installed onto /.
If your system has more than one disk, or if your disk is divided into several disk directories, from the menu button, choose the disk directory whose space you want to check.
All software that the Software Manager can install is made up of several hierarchical parts:
The product is the largest unit that you can display in the Software Inventory pane. The operating system consists of several products that are required for the system to work. You can also install several optional products.
Every product contains at least one subsystem. Each subsystem is a logical grouping of product parts. For example, a product may have three subsystems; one that contains online books, one that contains all software that is required for the product to work, and one that contains all optional components of the product. The subsystem is the smallest installable component of a product.
Each subsystem contains at least one file. You can view the list of files that make up a subsystem, but you cannot install or remove individual files using the Software Manager.
Note: Some advanced users may want to view a fourth structural component, called an image; for information on viewing images, see “Setting Software Manager Preferences”.
By default, the Software Inventory pane shows only products. To display the subsystems that make up a product, click the folded arrow icon next to the product. To display the files that make up a subsystem, click the folded arrow icon next to the subsystem. To re-fold the arrow and hide the smaller components, click the unfolded arrow icon.
To view only subsystems (no products), choose “Subsystems Only” from the Software menu. When only subsystems are displayed, you can still expand them to view the files they contain.
In a hierarchical structure like this one, a unit that contains other units is called a parent, and each unit it contains is called a child. The parent of a file is a subsystem, and the parent of a subsystem is a product. To locate the parent of a specific child, select the child, then choose “Move to Parent” from the Selected menu. For example, when you are viewing a long list of subsystems, you can select a subsystem, then choose “Move to Parent” from the Selected menu to find the product that contains the subsystem. The parent becomes highlighted (selected) in the Software Inventory list.
When you install a product, the product can include some files that you customize (or configure) either from within the application, or by editing the files using a text editor. A file that you customize for your specific system or site is called a configuration file.
When you install upgrade products, the Software Manager does not destroy the information in your configuration files. It either
saves your old configuration file, but renames the old version (filename.O) and uses the new version
saves your old configuration file and uses it, but also installs the new version under a new name (filename.N)
To view the list of all configuration files on your system, or a list of all configuration files that have been changed, follow these steps:
Click the Manage Installed Software button.
Choose “Configuration Files Summary” from the Software menu.
In the Configuration Files window, specify which files you want to list.
To see a list of all configuration files on your system, click the radio button next to allToggle.
To see a list of only those configuration files that you have changed and for which another version may be installed (for example, where both filename and filename.N exist on the system), click the radio button next to mergeTB.
When your system shows changed configuration files, you can ignore the new configuration files, check the two different versions and decide to use one version as is, or merge the contents of both versions. For details, see “Understanding and Merging Configuration Files”.
To close the window, click the dismiss button.
The Administrator can use the Software Manager to remove only software that was installed using the Software Manager or Inst. You can remove software while installing other software (see “Removing and Installing Software at the Same Time”) or in an independent removal session.
To remove software, follow these steps:
If the Software Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Software Manager” from the System toolchest or by clicking the words Software Manager.
If the root account on your system has a password, a dialog box appears that requests the password. If you do not know the password, click the Continue button, and Software Manager starts in read-only mode where you can view available and installed software, but cannot install or remove software.
In the Software Manager window, click Manage Installed Software.
You'll see a wait cursor, and a series of progress indicators appear in the Status area as the Software Manager locates all the installed software. After several seconds or minutes, the Software Inventory pane displays all software that was installed using the Software Manager.
Find and identify the products or parts of products that you want to remove.
To find an item by searching for a specific string, choose “Find” from the Selected menu.
To determine whether an item is required for the operating system or an optional product to work properly, click the folded arrow next to the item and check the character codes that appear next to the subsystems. See “The Type Column” for information about character codes.
In the Remove column, click in the check box next to each item that you want to remove.
To remove an entire product, click in the Remove check box in the line where the word Product appears in the Product column. This automatically selects each subsystem that makes up the product.
To remove part of a product (a subsystem), click the folded arrow icon that appears next to the product that contains the item you want to remove, then click in the Remove check box that's next to the item.
Check for removal conflicts.
If you select a combination of software that cannot be safely removed (for example, if you selected an item that is required for the operating system or an optional product to work), the Software Manager reports this in the Status area, and the Conflicts button in the middle of the window becomes active.
To resolve conflicts, click the Conflicts button.
To remove the selected software, click the Start button in the middle of the Software Manager window.
When the removal is complete, a dialog reports that the removals were successful.
Select one of the options in the dialog and then click OK.
To remove additional software, select “Continue with installations.”
You can also use the Software Manager to view or install software; see “Viewing Installed or Available Products” and “Installing a Product” for instructions.
To quit the Software Manager, select “Exit, installation completed.”
The Status pane reports all exit commands, then the Software Manager window disappears.
To restart the system, select “Restart the system now.”
You can remove and install software simultaneously in three different cases:
When available upgrade products (newer versions of installed products) are selected for installation, the appropriate subsystems of the installed (older) versions of the products are automatically removed and replaced by the newer versions. You do not have to explicitly request that the installed versions be removed. The Software Manager places a blue check mark in the Remove box of the installed version.
You can click the Manage Installed Software button to view these check marks, and can then click Customize Installation to continue your customization. All selections that you make are retained.
When you click Customize Installation, select some items for installation, choose “Installed Software” from the Software menu, and explicitly select some installed items for removal, both installations and removals take place when you click the Start button.
When your selections cause a conflict, the Conflicts window lets you select items for installation or removal that can resolve the conflict. The installation or removal takes place when you click the Start button.
In all cases, the Disk Space area predicts the net change in disk space use that occurs after all installations and removals are complete.
| Note: If you need to remove software because you don't have enough disk space to perform a desired installation, see “Troubleshooting Software Installation Problems” in Chapter 8 for instructions. |
For details on what you see in the Software Manager window, click on one of these links:
The File menu contains these choices:
“Browse Directory” brings up a file browsing window from which you can choose a directory that contains software that you want to install. The directory then appears in the Available Software drop pocket.
“Open Distribution” brings up a window that lets you select the distribution that contains the software you want to install.
“Open Additional Distribution” brings up a window that lets you select and open another distribution that contains software that you want to install. The current distribution remains open; you can install software from all opened distributions.
“Close Distribution” lets you select one or more of the currently opened distributions and close it.
“Load Selections” brings up a file browsing window from which you can open a file that contains a custom selection of software. Such files were previously created using Software Manager's “Save Selections” choice.
“Save Selections” saves the current custom selections of software in a file that you can later open by choosing “Load Selections.”
“Start Installation /Removal” starts the actual installation and/or removal of software. It is identical to the Start button that appears in the middle of the Software Manager window.
“Stop Installation/Removal” stops the installation or removal that is currently in progress. It is identical to the Stop button that appears in the middle of the Software Manager window.
“Manage Conflicts” brings up a window in which you can resolve problems that the Software Manager identifies while trying to install or remove software. It is identical to the Conflicts button that appears in the middle of the Software Manager window.
“Recalculate Disk Space” checks whether you have enough disk space to install the software you currently have selected for installation. The Software Manager automatically recalculates disk space each time you make a selection; use this menu choice when your amount of free disk space changes independent of the Software Manager (for example, when you remove some files using the desktop or a shell window while the Software Manager is running).
“Set Preferences” brings up a window in which you can modify standard behaviors of the Software Manager.
“Relocate Product” lets you move a product from its original location on a disk to another filesystem. You may find this useful if the current filesystem does not have enough space for a particular product.
Note: Not every product can be relocated. If you select a product in the Software Inventory list and the “Relocate Product” menu item does not appear highlighted, then the product cannot be relocated. “Exit” exits the Software Manager.
The Start button starts the actual installation or removal of software. It is identical to the “Start Installation/Removal” choice in the File menu.
The Stop button stops the installation or removal that is currently in progress. It is identical to the “Stop Installation/Removal” choice in the File menu.
The Conflicts button brings up a window in which you can resolve problems that the Software Manager identifies while trying to install or remove software. It is identical to the “Manage Conflicts” choice in the File menu.
The Install menu contains choices for selecting products for installation:
“Select Recommended Upgrades” clears any existing selections, selects upgrades to currently installed products, and selects products required by these upgrades. You can continue to customize selections after executing command.
“Switch to Maintenance Stream” clears any existing selections, selects maintenance stream upgrades and downgrades, selects products required by these upgrades, and sets the release stream preference to maintenance. Also, it turns the “neweroverride” option on, which allows products viewed as older (e.g., all maintenance products) to be selected without generating conflicts. You can continue to customize selections after executing this command.
“Switch to Feature Stream” clears any existing selections, selects feature stream upgrades, selects products required by these upgrades, and sets the release stream preference to maintenance. You can continue to customize selections after executing this command.
The Selected menu lets you select software for installation or removal, and find specific software in the Software Inventory list. Its choices become available when you click the Customize Installation or Manage Installed Software buttons. The menu contains these choices:
“Mark Install” places a check mark in the Install box next to the product that is selected in the Software Inventory list. The product is not installed until you click the Start button.
“Mark Remove” places a check mark in the Remove box next to the product that is selected in the Software Inventory list. The product is not removed until you click the Start button.
“Unmark (Keep)” removes a check mark that may appear in the Install or Remove box next to the product that is selected in the Software Inventory list. When you click the Start button, the product is not installed or removed.
“Release Notes” displays the release notes that correspond to the product that is selected.
“Get Info” brings up a window that contains information about the selected product.
“Mark Upgrades to Install” places a check mark in the Install box next to all upgrade products (products that are newer versions of products that are currently installed) that are available.
“Mark New Products to Install” places a check mark in the Install box next to all new products (products that have never been installed on the system).
“Unmark All” removes all check marks from all Install and Remove boxes. The Start button is grayed out after you choose “Unmark All,” because no software is marked for installation or removal.
“Find” brings up a window that lets you search the Software Inventory list for each product, subsystem, or file that contains a specific combination of characters.
“Find and Mark” brings up a window that lets you search the Software Inventory list. Once all matches are found, you can mark all or some of the matches for installation or removal.
“Move to Parent” changes the selection from a particular subsystem or file to the product or subsystem that contains that original subsystem or file. For example, if a subsystem within the product IRIS Showcase were selected and you chose “Move to Parent,” the entire IRIS Showcase product would become selected. See also “About Product Structure: Products, Subsystems, and Files”.
The Software menu controls your view of the Software Inventory list. When you choose an item in the menu whose check box is empty, a check mark appears in the box to indicate that the item is now in the Software Inventory list. You can choose as many items as you like. Most of the items become available when you click the Customize Installation or Manage Installed Software buttons.
The menu contains these choices:
“New Products” shows all available products that are new; a product is considered new when it or an older version of the product has never been installed on your system.
“Upgrade Products” shows all available products that are upgrades to (newer versions of) products that are already installed on your system.
“Patch Upgrade Products” shows all available products that contain bug fixes to products that are already installed on your system.
“Same Products” shows all available products that are identical to products that are already installed on your system.
“Downgrade Products” shows all available products that are older versions of products that are already installed on your system.
“Installed Products” shows all products that are currently installed on your system.
“Short Product Names” displays the abbreviated, hierarchical product name in the Product column.
“Subsystems Only” displays only subsystems (no products or files) in the Product column.
“Configuration Files Summary” brings up a window that shows every configuration file on the system, and gives you an option to view only those files that a Privileged User, Administrator, or network administrator has changed on your system using the System Manager interactive guides or a text editor. See also “Checking Configuration Files”.
The Panes menu lets you control which portions (called panes) of the Software Manager window are displayed. By default, the Available Software, Software Inventory, and Status/Disk Space panes are shown, so check marks appear next to these three items on the menu.
To hide one of the three default panes, choose it from the menu; the check mark disappears along with the pane; to view a pane that's not displayed, choose it from the menu. Software Manager retains your pane choices, so whatever panes are displayed when you quit Software Manager are displayed the next time you start Software Manager.
“Available Software” displays the Available Software drop pocket, pathname field, path bar, recycle button, and Lookup button. You specify the location of the available software in this pane; see “Specifying the Location of Available Software”.
“Software Inventory” displays only the Upgrade Products and New Products check boxes when the LED on the Default Installation button is lit. When you click the Customize Installation button, it displays a detailed list of all available software; when you click the Manage Installed Software button, it displays a detailed list of all installed software.
“Status/Disk Space” displays the Status area and the Disk Space menu button and graphical space representation.
“Command” displays a text field in which you can type a subset of the standard Inst (the command-line version of Software Manager) commands. For details, see “Using Inst Commands in the Command Pane”.
“Log” displays a detailed, scrolling log of Software Manager messages.
The Help menu contains these choices:
“Click for Help” turns your cursor into a question mark. When you click this cursor over any item or area of the Software Manager window, a help window appears that describes the specific item or area.
“Overview” starts a help window that gives you an overview of the Software Manager.
Each task-oriented topic starts a help window that covers the topic.
“Index” brings up a window that contains an index to all the help topics that are available for the Software Manager. When you double-click a topic in the Index window, the appropriate help window appears.
“Keys and Shortcuts” displays a window with information about keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate through and make selections in the Software Inventory list.
“Product Information” displays version information about the Software Manager.
This section contains information for experienced system or network administrators. For comprehensive advanced information, see “What This Guide Contains,” in IRIX Admin: Software Installation and Licensing , available online.
Click a topic for more information:
You can customize many aspects of the Software Manager's behavior using the Preferences window. Most of the customizations are useful only for a network administrator or very advanced users. See also IRIX Admin: Software Installation and Licensing .
To customize Software Manager's behavior, follow these steps:
Choose “Set Preferences” from the File menu.
Select a preference that you want to set or learn about.
A description of the preference appears in the Preference Description pane, and any controls you need to use to set the preference appear below the pane.
Adjust the controls below the Preference Description pane, then set the preference by clicking the Apply button.
The Set Preferences window supports three levels of preferences. By default, it shows a small, often-used set of preferences. You can also view advanced preferences and hidden preferences.
To view and set advanced preferences, follow these steps:
Select swmgr_visible_resources from the Swmgr Preferences list, then choose to view transient (those that last for this session only) and/or expert (those that are for experienced system administrators) preferences by clicking in the appropriate check box.
Click the Apply button. This displays all advanced preferences in the Swmgr Preferences list.
Select a preference to see its description in the Preference Description pane, and to make buttons appear that help you set the preference.
Note: For people familiar with using Inst, you can view images that make up products by setting the expert resource hide_image_products to FALSE. Choose values using the buttons, then click the Apply button.
To view hidden preferences, follow these steps:
Choose “Set Preferences” from the File menu.
Select swmgr_visible_resources from the Swmgr Preferences list, choose to view expert preferences by clicking in the expert check box, then click the Apply button.
Select show_hidden_resources from the Swmgr Preferences list, click the radio button next to TRUE, then click the Apply button. All hidden preferences are now displayed in the list.
The Software Manager lets you save your custom selections of software in a file so that the same custom installation can be performed again at a later time. This is especially useful in sites where a network administrator loads software on all systems, and wants all systems to have an identical inventory of software.
The custom selection that you save is unique to the distribution directory or CD that you specified in the Available Software field. In other words, other users can use the custom selection file only if they specify a distribution directory or CD that contains the same software that yours did when you saved the selections.
| Note: You must save the custom selections before you start the software installation. |
To save your custom selections, follow these steps:
Choose “Save Selections” from the File menu.
In the Save Selections window, enter the full pathname for the file in the Selection field.
To load a file that contains custom selections, follow these steps:
In the Available Software field, specify a distribution directory or CD that contains the same software that was specified when the custom selections were saved.
Choose “Load Selections” from the File menu.
In the Load Selections window, enter the full pathname for the file in the Selection field.
To copy new software from a distribution CD into a directory on a server system so users can install from this distribution directory across the network, follow these steps:
Copy the dist directory from the CD onto a server system.
On the server system, allow remote installations by editing /usr/etc/inetd.conf.
Provide the server's hostname and the full pathname of the dist directory to all users who need to install the software.
The command line version of Software Manager is called Inst. You can run Inst from either a shell window or from a limited version of the operating system called the miniroot. Inst commands are fully documented in IRIX Admin: Software Installation and Licensing .
If you use both Software Manager and Inst, you may find it convenient at times to use a subset of the more complex but often more powerful Inst commands while using Software Manager. To issue Inst commands, follow these steps:
Choose “Log” from the Panes menu. All output from the commands you type in the Command field appears in the Log pane.
Choose “Command” from the Panes window.
In the Command text field that appears above the Log pane, enter the command; then press Enter. You need to press Enter after each command.
The Command pane supports these Inst commands:
| install <string> | The string is the name of a product, image, or subsystem that you want to mark for installation. It can contain the wildcard character * (asterisk). This way you can choose to install, for example, all subsystems that contain man pages by typing: install *.man | |
| remove <string> | The string is the name of a product, image, or subsystem that you want to mark for removal. It can also contain the wildcard character * (asterisk). | |
| keep <string> | The string is the name of a product, image, or subsystem that you want to keep in its current installation state; you do not want to install or remove the item. The string can also contain the wildcard character * (asterisk). | |
| set <preference> | The preference is a preference listed in the Set Preferences window. | |
| files <product> | Lists all files in the product. | |
| space | Calculates disk space and displays it in the Disk Space pane. | |
| recalculate | Recalculates the disk space and displays it in the Disk Space pane. This is the same as choosing “Recalculate Disk Space” from the File menu. | |
| save <filename> | This is the same as choosing “Save Selections” from the File menu and typing a filename in the window that appears. | |
| load <filename> | This is the same as choosing “Load Selections” from the File menu and typing a filename in the window that appears. | |
| from <distribution> | Specifies the location (source) of a software distribution. This is the same as clicking the Locate button. | |
| open <distribution> | Adds a new distribution to the list. | |
| close <distribution> | Closes the specified distribution. | |
| config | Lists every configuration file, and places an m next to those that have changed. | |
| hardware | Displays a brief summary of your system's hardware configuration. | |
| filter <type> | Selects the type of products (for example, new, upgrade) to be displayed. | |
| show | Describes the current view shown in the Software Inventory list. | |
| sort <field> | Sort the Software Inventory list by the specified field (for example, product, size, name) first. | |
| help | Lists help topics. | |
| go | Starts the installation. | |
| quit | Quits the Software Manager. |
For a summary of Inst commands, see IRIX Admin: Software Installation and Licensing .
When you install upgrade products, the Software Manager does not destroy the information in your configuration files. It does one of the following:
saves your old configuration file, but renames the old version (filename.O) and uses a new version
saves your old configuration file and uses it, but also installs the new version under a new name (filename.N)
You need to identify the configuration files that have changed, then decide whether you want to
use the new version and risk losing some configuration changes you made in the past
use your old version and ignore possible enhanced features contained in the new version
merge the old and new versions by adding previous changes to the new version and naming it filename (rather than filename.O or filename.N)
To merge the files, follow these steps:
Identify configuration files that have changed.
Click the Manage Installed Software button.
Choose “Configuration Files Summary” from the Software menu.
Click the radio button next to Modified Files.
The list shows all changed configuration files, and places an m next to the version of the file that was in use prior to the installation.
Compare the two versions of the file using the gdiff command.
Choose “Open Unix Shell” from the Desktop toolchest.
In the shell window, type
gdiff filename1 filename2
For example
gdiff myfiles myfiles.N
Decide whether you want to use either file as is or to merge them.
To use a file as is, you may need to rename it. For example, to use filename.N, rename it filename.
To merge files, carefully transfer past edits from your old configuration file to the newer version of the file. If you are unfamiliar with the configuration files or are uncomfortable about the risks associated with damaging a configuration file, contact an experienced IRIX administrator to help you merge the files.
This information shows you how to add, remove, and update the licenses for your Silicon Graphics software products. Most software products require some type of licensing; for details on your particular product, see its Release Notes.
Click on one of the links below for more information on that topic:
If you do not have access to external e-mail or the World Wide Web for automated license installation, use License Manager to install or update a product license. License Manager also allows you to remove a license or obtain information on a license.
To obtain the current version number of your License Manager tool, double-click on the key pictured in the License Manager window. To open the License Manager window, choose “License Manager” from the System toolchest.
For further information on the License Manager, click one of these topics:
“License Manager Reference” contains details on the License Manager graphical interface
Before you can install or update a product license using License Manager, contact Silicon Graphics technical support to obtain the license and password information. License and password information is sent to you via facsimile or regular mail (assuming you do not have access to external e-mail or the World Wide Web).
To request a license and obtain license and password information, if you do not have access to external e-mail or the World Wide Web, do one of the following:
If you are a Silicon Graphics support customer in North America, you may send a facsimile to (650) 932-0537, requesting a permanent license.
If you are a Silicon Graphics support customer in North America, you may call the technical support hotline at (800) 800-4SGI to request a permanent license.
If you are outside of North America, are not a Silicon Graphics support customer, or wish to obtain an evaluation license rather than a permanent license, contact your local support provider or sales office.
If you have access to external e-mail or the World Wide Web, you also may request a license in one of the following ways:
Visit the Silicon Graphics license request Web page at:
http://www.sgi.com/Products/license.html
Send a blank e-mail message to license@sgi.com
If you have access to e-mail or the World Wide Web, you do not need to use the License Manager since you can install or update licenses using automated procedures.
To obtain information about a license:
In the main License Manager window, select the license about which you want information.
Click the Get Info button.
The Get Info form appears.
The Get Info form lists vendor name, feature name, product name, version, password, expiration date, host ID (when relevant) and annotation. In addition, the form indicates whether the license is valid.
For FLEXlm Floating licenses, the Get Info form also lists server, server host ID, port number, vendor daemon, vendor daemon path, and number of licenses.
Click the Close button to close the form.
The License Manager contains the following items:
| License list | Displays the licenses that you currently have installed. | |
| Action buttons | Install allows you to install a new license through the license server; Update allows you to update an existing license using the network license server; Remove deletes the selected license; Get Info displays information about the selected license such as the vendor, the expiration date, the location of the file that contains the license, and so on; Options allows you to choose whether or not to install licenses for standard Silicon Graphics products or for Alias/Wavefront products; Close closes the License Manager window; Help launches the help for License Manager. |
To install a product license:
Obtain the license and password information from Silicon Graphics technical support (see “Obtaining a License”).
Click the Install button in the main License Manager window.
A dialog box appears asking you which type of license you want to install. Look on the license information sheet you received from Silicon Graphics for the type of license you are installing.
Select FLEXlm Nodelock, FLEXlm Floating, FLEXlm Increment, NetLS Nodelock, FLEXlm Nodelock Package, FLEXlm Floating Package, or FLEXlm Increment Package, and click the OK button.
The Install License form appears.
Type in all requested information, using the license information sheet you received from Silicon Graphics. Copy the information exactly as it is written on the license information sheet, noting, for example, whether letters are in uppercase or lowercase, and whether there is a space placed between characters.
The Installation Location field indicates the file in which the license will be saved. If you wish to have the license filed in another location, you can override this default file by entering another file name.
Click the OK button.
The new license is installed.
After installing a FLEXlm Floating license, you need to restart the server to activate the license. You also need to copy the license file to the client system before it can be used by the client system. For instructions, see Chapter 10, “Licensing,” in IRIX Admin: Software Installation and Licensing .
You may want to remove a license that you no longer need.
To remove a license:
In the main License Manager window, select the product license you wish to remove.
Click the Remove button.
If you do not have root privileges, you may be required to enter the root password. If this is the case, type in the root password, then click the OK button.
Another dialog box appears asking you if you really want to remove this license.
Click the OK button to remove the license.
To update an expired product license:
Obtain the license and password information from Silicon Graphics technical support (see “Obtaining a License”).
In the main License Manager window, select the license you want to update.
Click the Update button.
The Update License form appears.
Type in the requested information, using the license information sheet you received from Silicon Graphics. Copy the information exactly as it is written on the license information sheet, noting, for example, whether letters are in uppercase or lowercase, and whether there is a space placed between characters.
Click the Apply button.
The license is updated.
After updating a FLEXlm Floating license, you need to restart the server to activate the license. You also need to copy the license file to the client system before it can be used by the client system. For instructions, see Chapter 10, “Licensing,” in IRIX Admin: Software Installation and Licensing .