Installing Optional Softwares on AIX Machine

How will you install optional software on a AIX machine?

Firstly, what is optional software?

Optional softwares are those which are not pre-installed when you install an AIX machine.

Secondly, how will you identify the software product?

The OS software could be identified with the following format as:- 

versionnumber.releasenumber.modificationlevel.fixlevel

Versionnumber- it may be 1 to 2 digits.

Releasenumber- It may be 1 to 2 digits.

Modificationlevel- It can be from 1 to 4 digits.

Fixlevel- It can be from 1 to 4 digits.

How to remember this? vrmf

Eg:- 05.02.0000.0000

Eg2:- 5.3.0083.2233

This is useful when we need to find the level of the AIX OS using the #oslevel command

Now let us see some of the key words required to go further:-

1. Fileset- It is the smallest installable unit for the AIX OS, example of a completely installable unit is bos.net.uucp & example of a separately installable part of a product like bos.net.nfs.client

2. Packages- It is a group of separately installable filesets, which provides a set of related functions. Eg:- bos.net

3. Licensed Program Products (LPP) - They are a complete software product including all packages associated with that licensed program. Eg: - BOS

4. Bundles - They are a list of sofwares which contains filesets, packages, LPPs, which are used for a specified use. Bundles are the actual software. 

Example:- Server bundle, network bundle, graphics bundle

5. PTFs- It stands for Program Temporary Fix. It is a temporary solution to the problem. The problem is a result of a defect in a current unaltered release of the program. This problem is diagnosed by IBM.

6. APAR - It stands for Authorized Program Analysis Report. This is just a report of the problem caused due to the defect in a current unaltered release of the program. It is an emergency fix.

Now let's see how the software hierarchy in AIX looks like:-

The Naming Conventions used for the fileset are:-

SOFTWARE STATES

As you can see from the above pic... There are 2 states when you are installing any software.

Applied state and Committed state.

Let’s say you already have an older version of software available on your system. Now you want to install a newer version of the software. In this example, you can install this software in applied mode. If you install software in applied mode, it maintains the older version in un-available state (not removed) and the newer version will be in Applied mode and made available to you. That means both the old and the new version are there on your system. If you are convinced with the newer version you can commit the newer version. Once the newer version is committed, the older version which was maintained will be removed and if the newer version is rejected, then the older version is made available again and the newer version gets removed i.e. rejected.

Coming to the final part of the article, let us get into the business of installing software.

The command used to install software is:-

 #smit install

Now immediately the System Installation window pops up.

If you choose the first option i.e. Install and Update Software, you will again see submenus:

Now we can see that the software is installed using SMIT in this way.

We can list the installed softwares using the command

#smit list_installed

            Or

#lslpp -l bos.rte.*

>>Hope you enjoyed the knowledge in this post :)

Have a nice day :)

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Types of Installation methods available for AIX

There are 3 types of installation types in AIX, they are:-

1. Complete Overwrite Installation

2. Preservation Installation

3. Migration Installation

Descriptions:-

COMPLETE OVERWRITE INSTALLATION:-

An installation method that completely overwrites an existing version of the Base Operating System that is installed on your system. This procedure may impair recovery of data or destroy all existing data on your hard drives. Be sure to back up your system before doing a complete overwrite installation.

PRESERVATION INSTALLATION:-

An installation method used when a previous version of the Base Operating System (BOS) is installed on your system and you want to preserve the user data in the root volume group. However, this method overwrites the /usr, /tmp, /var, and / (root) file systems, so any user data in these directories is lost. System configuration must be done after doing a preservation installation.

MIGRATION INSTALLATION:-

An installation method for upgrading AIX Version 5.3 or later to the current release while preserving the existing root volume group. This method preserves the /usr, /tmp, /var, and / (root) file systems, as well as the root volume group, logical volumes, and system configuration files. Migration is the default installation method for, and can only be used on, an AIX Version 5.3 or later machine.

Related Post:
AIX Installation

Incoming Search:
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AIX Installation

Snap shots for AIX installation.
Steps to be followed to install AIX on a IBM AIX RS/6000 box.

AIX INSTALLATION PICTURES
(plus explanatory text)

Boot

Installation starts with booting from media. In this case, from the AIX 7.1 DVD media.

Select Install Screen

First we have to tell AIX which screen we are installing from. AIX sends a message to each screen -
whether it is a tty or lft (low function graphic terminal) with a number. Press that number followed by
the Enter key. The other displays clear and AIX continues with the selected screen.

Install Language

The first choice you need to make is language. English is pre-selected so just press enter.

Welcome to AIX

Although you could go through life accepting defaults, I prefer option 2 when installing AIX.

Installation Settings

Use option 1 to ensure it is a New & Overwrite install - let's be fresh!

Then use option 2 to select your language of choice. I prefer using the USA English.

Set Primary Languge

After you select option 2 note that the default choice is the next screen. Continue scrolling and enter your language number.
The screen after that is the keyboard selection. I always choose the "smaller" keyboard option 1.

Security

Select option 3 in the figure below.

Security Models

Do not start with Trusted AIX. That is an advanced topic we shall cover on another day. Since we are
looking at options - Option 2 please.

Standard Security Options

Here the defaults are all set to No.

Option1:-"Secure by Default" installs less of AIX than usual - being more secure than installing everything. Also, "Secure by Default" calls AIX Security Expert during thefirst boot to do some automatic system hardening.

Option 2:-"CAPP and EAL4+ Configuration Install" - Controlled Access Protection Profile andEuropean Audit Level 4 with some additions. This used to be known as C2 (from Orange Book days) Security.

Option 3:- Trusted Computing Base Install. This is the old TCB install. Great in it's day - we do not want it now.

Note:- If you are installing AIX 4 or 5, then the steps are all identical but only the options for step 3 are different. I recommend you to install TCB for AIX 4 or 5. But that prevents a clean migration AIX 5 to 6 and higher.


For AIX 6 and higher I recommend you to install with "New and Overwrite"

Use option 0 now (Continue to more software options)

Install Options

Normally you will leave all these options at yes.
Option 1. Graphics Software. X11 applications can run in client mode. This does not, by default, enable an
X11 server. Unless security policy specifically prohibits it, leave this option at yes.
Option 2. System Management Client Software. Highly recommended to leave this at yes for ease of remote
management of this system.
Option 3. AIX6 and higher is 64-bit kernel. JFS2 is optimized for an 64 bit-kernel. The is really no reason
not to use JFS2. Leave this at yes. You will need to reinstall AIX to get it into JFS2 if you do not.
Option 4. Enable System Backups to install to any system. This is an aid to system cloning. Leaving it to yes means
AIX installs many more filesets (nearly 500) and the install time takes longer. Sooner or later
all the filesets will be installed. Why, how and/or when you ask? When you update AIX to a (new) technology level
one of the side-effects is that all device drivers get installed. This is to prevent a mixture of device
drivers coming from different TL and or service-pack combinations. The recommendation is to leave it at yes.
Press Enter please (option 5 pre-selected)

Install More Software

These options are all no by default.

Option 1: Firefox. If you want to work with Firefox on AIX change this to yes. The install process will prompt
you for the correct DVDs at the appropriate time to install Firefox. You can also do this later
using the smitty easy_install option to install the Firefox bundle.
Option 2: Not many people need Kerberos. If you do - switch to yes and the installation procedure prompts you
at the correct moment for the expansion DVD. What expansion DVD you ask? Then leave this at no. Again,
smitty easy_install will install the kerberos bundle later.
Option 3: Server. Back in the CDROM days you would install extra software from the second CDROM. It all fits
on one DVD now so you want get prompted for Volume 2 anymore. Why this option then? Think of it as the
opposite of "Secure by Default". This options installs the optional server filesets.

Take note: the next default action is to start installation. Press Enter!

Installation Summary

IBM would not be IBM (I guess) if it did not provide a summary screen (rather than a simple "Are you sure Y/N".
This screen summarizes what you have chosen. Default (option 1) is to really start installation, but you can
go back to the main installation menu (option 99) and make any changes you desire.