Requesting User Responses (swask)

SD-UX packaged applications can use interactive control scripts to query a user and obtain installation or configuration information that cannot be known at package time. For example, different hardware or OS versions may require different configuration, or some software may need a specific IP address or hostname for configuration.

SD-UX runs the interactive control scripts by the swask command or by the ask default option for the swinstall and swconfig commands. (SD-UX does not query the user but the control script does.)

Using swask

The swask command runs interactive software request scripts for the software objects selected.
These scripts store the responses in a response file (named response) for later use by the swinstall or swconfig commands. (swinstall and swconfig can also run the interactive request scripts directly, using the ask option.)
A response file is generated for each piece of selected software that has a corresponding request script.
swask uses the command-line only; there is no Graphical User Interface.

Syntax

swask[-v] [-c catalog] [-C session_file] [-f software_file]
[-s source][-S session_file][-x option=value][-X option_file]
[software_selections][@target_selections]

Options and Operands

-v

Turns on verbose output to stdout and displays all activity to the screen.

-c catalog

Specifies the pathname of an exported catalog which stores the response files created by the request script. The swask command creates the catalog if it does not already exist.

If the -c catalog option is omitted and the source is local, swask copies the response files into the source depot: distribution.path/catalog.

-C session_file

Run the command and save the current option and operand values to a session_file for re-use in another session. See “Session Files”.

-f software_file

Read a list of software selections from a separate file instead of (or in addition to) the command line. See “Software Files”.

-S session_file

Run the command based on values saved from a previous installation session, as defined in session_file. See “Session Files”.

-s source

Use the software source specified by source instead of the default, /var/spool/sw. The syntax is: [host:] [:] [/directory]

host may be a host name, domain name, or internet address (for example, 15.1.48.23). directory is an absolute path.

-x option=value

Sets a command option to value and overrides default values or a values in options files. See “Changing Command Options ”.

-X option_file

Read session options and behaviors from option_file. See “Changing Command Options ”.

software_selections

The software objects for which the request script will be executed. See “Software Selections”.

target_selections

The target of the command. See “Target Selections”.

Changing Command Options

You can change the behavior of this command by specifying additional command-line options when you invoke the command (using the -x option) or by reading predefined values from a file. The following table shows the options and default values that apply to swask.

Table 11-3 swask Command Options and Default Values

admin_directory=/var/adm/sw
ask=true
autoselect_dependencies=true
autoselect_minimum_dependencies=false
autoselect_patches=true
enforce_scripts=true
installed_software_catalog=products

log_msgid=0
logdetail=false
logfile=/var/adm/sw/swask.log
loglevel=1
patch_filter=*.*
run_as_superuser=true
verbose=1

For More Information

See Appendix A for complete descriptions of each default.

Requesting User Responses (swask)

Technical documentation

» Table of Contents

» Glossary

» Index

Using swask

Syntax

Options and Operands

Changing Command Options

For More Information