Removing the sendmail package entries
The System: Solaris v2.8 w/MU #7 and Recommended Patches from July, 2004; running in SS20
The Issue: When the system was installed, the Solaris v8 sendmail packages were installed by default. I have since installed my own sendmail installation (since v8 ships with sendmail v8.11, which is horribly out-of-date). However, much to my chagrin, when I last applied a Recommended Patches set, it happily overwrote my pristine installation of sendmail v8.12.11 with the older garbage from Sun. All it took to fix was to re-run the sendmail install, but it was still very annoying.
I have identified the package names for sendmail (SUNWsndmr and SUNWsndmu).
1) Can I use pkgrm to remove these without damaging/deleting the sendmail install that I performed?
2) If the answer to 1) is "No", then how can I delete the information that tells a Recommended Patches install script that those packages are installed, so it'll skip any patches to those packages? Can I just delete some lines from some file listing the installed packages? Where?
The Issue: When the system was installed, the Solaris v8 sendmail packages were installed by default. I have since installed my own sendmail installation (since v8 ships with sendmail v8.11, which is horribly out-of-date). However, much to my chagrin, when I last applied a Recommended Patches set, it happily overwrote my pristine installation of sendmail v8.12.11 with the older garbage from Sun. All it took to fix was to re-run the sendmail install, but it was still very annoying.
I have identified the package names for sendmail (SUNWsndmr and SUNWsndmu).
1) Can I use pkgrm to remove these without damaging/deleting the sendmail install that I performed?
2) If the answer to 1) is "No", then how can I delete the information that tells a Recommended Patches install script that those packages are installed, so it'll skip any patches to those packages? Can I just delete some lines from some file listing the installed packages? Where?
No. But you can save a copy of /etc/mail, remove the Sun packages, reinstall Sendmail, and restore.
ASKER
If I remove the Sun packages, what exactly is removed?
PsiCop,
Try
pkgchk -l SUNWsndmu |grep Pathname
&
pkgchk -l SUNWsndmr |grep Pathname
to get a list of the files installed / modified by the package, you then might have to mess about with cut / sed or manually edit the list to remove directories that are only affected like /ust/sbin etc
Try
pkgchk -l SUNWsndmu |grep Pathname
&
pkgchk -l SUNWsndmr |grep Pathname
to get a list of the files installed / modified by the package, you then might have to mess about with cut / sed or manually edit the list to remove directories that are only affected like /ust/sbin etc
ASKER
Ah.
Is there anyway to get at the DB that the pkg* tools use and simply delete the entries for SUNWsndmu and SUNWsndmr? I'm thinking if I do that, I won't have to worry about a cluster instal script clobbering me.
Is there anyway to get at the DB that the pkg* tools use and simply delete the entries for SUNWsndmu and SUNWsndmr? I'm thinking if I do that, I won't have to worry about a cluster instal script clobbering me.
don't think so....
ASKER
Well, as it happened, I went looking at the man pages for the pkg* utilities.
On the page for pkgadd, I found a reference to the directory /var/sadm/install. Checking out the directory, I found the file "contents", which has stuff in it like this:
<SNIP>
/usr/lib/sendmail f none 4555 root bin 761388 52703 1081447323 SUNWsndmu
/usr/lib/smrsh f none 0555 root bin 8012 453 1081447323 SUNWsndmu
/usr/sbin d none 0755 root bin SUNWesu SUNWfns SUNWatfsu SUNWgss SUNWpsu SUNWsadmi SUNWtcxow SUNWbnuu SUNWcpcu SUNWdialh SUNWswmt SUNWaccu SUNWluxop SUNWftpu SUNWsutl SUNWntpu SUNWadmfw SUNWpmu SUNWocf SUNWsasnm SUNWpcu SUNWnisu SUNWadmap SUNWinst SUNWsndmu SUNWauda SUNWcsu SUNWvolu
/usr/sbin/etrn f none 0555 root bin 4453 13596 1081426484 SUNWsndmu
/usr/sbin/makemap f none 0555 root bin 310036 50664 1081447323 SUNWsndmu
<SNIP>
Along with entries concerning a LOT of other packages, including ones I installed myself (e.g. gcc).
Anyway, that seems to me to be the "database" (its a flat text file) of packages installed on the system. Can I just delete the entries concerning SUNWsndmu and SUNWsndmr and thereby "trick" the system into thinking that sendmail is not installed?
On the page for pkgadd, I found a reference to the directory /var/sadm/install. Checking out the directory, I found the file "contents", which has stuff in it like this:
<SNIP>
/usr/lib/sendmail f none 4555 root bin 761388 52703 1081447323 SUNWsndmu
/usr/lib/smrsh f none 0555 root bin 8012 453 1081447323 SUNWsndmu
/usr/sbin d none 0755 root bin SUNWesu SUNWfns SUNWatfsu SUNWgss SUNWpsu SUNWsadmi SUNWtcxow SUNWbnuu SUNWcpcu SUNWdialh SUNWswmt SUNWaccu SUNWluxop SUNWftpu SUNWsutl SUNWntpu SUNWadmfw SUNWpmu SUNWocf SUNWsasnm SUNWpcu SUNWnisu SUNWadmap SUNWinst SUNWsndmu SUNWauda SUNWcsu SUNWvolu
/usr/sbin/etrn f none 0555 root bin 4453 13596 1081426484 SUNWsndmu
/usr/sbin/makemap f none 0555 root bin 310036 50664 1081447323 SUNWsndmu
<SNIP>
Along with entries concerning a LOT of other packages, including ones I installed myself (e.g. gcc).
Anyway, that seems to me to be the "database" (its a flat text file) of packages installed on the system. Can I just delete the entries concerning SUNWsndmu and SUNWsndmr and thereby "trick" the system into thinking that sendmail is not installed?
possibly, I've never tried, but I remember doing something similar in osf on a DEC machine years ago.......
Best thing to to is make a copy of the file, delete (or maybe comment out) a line for a package you have a patch for, then try and install the patch
Best thing to to is make a copy of the file, delete (or maybe comment out) a line for a package you have a patch for, then try and install the patch
ASKER
*nods* Always make a backup! :-)
ASKER
After some consultation with a guy from Sun, I've confirmed that /var/sadm/install/contents
Another, perhaps safer, method, would be to edit the "patch_order" file in a given Recommended Patches cluster and remove any patches that you don't want applied. The issue I have with this solution is that if you miss one, you're hosed.
I'm going to ask that this Question be PAQed and my points refunded since I solved it on my own. But I appreciate, as always, your inputs, jlevie and liddler.
Another, perhaps safer, method, would be to edit the "patch_order" file in a given Recommended Patches cluster and remove any patches that you don't want applied. The issue I have with this solution is that if you miss one, you're hosed.
I'm going to ask that this Question be PAQed and my points refunded since I solved it on my own. But I appreciate, as always, your inputs, jlevie and liddler.
PAQ is fine with me
OK with me
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