Name

updates - How to install software updates

Description

ProLine updates may include a number of programs (and their manuals). To make transferring many files as efficient as possible, the updated files are stored in an archive created with the ProLine Archive (par) program. The update file, ending with a “.par” extension, is distributed over the ProLine network to the system administrator at each site.

To install an update, the administrator follows these three easy steps:

1.

Login, and change directories to $/ with this command:

cd $/

2.

Invoke the unpar command on the archive (residing in the administrator’s directory):

unpar -r ~/update.par

The name of the .par file varies from update to update, but always ends with “.par”.

3.

Reboot the system to begin a new ProLine session:

boot -r

The administrator should move the ProLine update archive offline to a safe place (e.g. a backup disk).

Compressed Update Archives


If an update consists of an enormous amount of data, it is usually compressed using a utility such as ShrinkIt. These updates are sent out with a “.shk” extension and must be decompressed into the resulting “.par” file before the steps above can be taken.

Encoded Update Archives


If an update is distributed with a “.uu” suffix, it indicates that it must be decoded using the uudecode program first. A “.par.uu” or “.shk.uu” ending means an archive is contained in the uuencoded file.

See Also

unpar(C), uudecode(C)