Patch Question

[Tom Jackson]

Hi:

I'm trying to load some patches, but I'm a bit confused. Some of the patches I need have been superseded.

One of the patches I need is PHKL_25729 which has a patch dependency on PHKL_25728.

I also need PHKL_25840, which was superseded by PHKL_27092, which was superseded by PHKL_27317. PHKL_27317 also supersedes PHKL_25728.

My question is: do I need to install PHKL_25728? PHKL_25729 does not mention a dependency on PHKL_27317.

One more question. If I have a patch that is superseded by another patch that I need to install, do I need to remove the superseded patch?

Tom

[Anthony deRito]

We can guess at this or give HP a call and have them carefully walk through the patch text. It's best to be 100 percent sure about this. No need to remove the superceeded patch. There was a script on 10.20 called cleanup.... this script manages superceeded patches for you.

[erics_1 · Accepted solution]

Tom,

The easiest way to avoid confusion with patch dependencies is to use the patch database tool on the ITRC. Simply enter your system type and then the patch(es) that you require into the text box. Three patch options will be offered to you based on how that patch is rated (how long it has been available). Check the patches that you'd like and hit the blue button at the bottom of the page. A list of patches with their dependencies will be listed. You can choose to download all of the patches as a zip, gzip or tar bundle.

Hope this helps.
Eric

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi Tom:

There is no need to remove superseded patches before installing a more recent one. You can (and should) use 'cleanup -c [1|2]' to committ and remove before a general patch application, thereby regaining space in 'var/' and providing a "baseline" for new patches.

That said, the easist way to deal with a patch and its dependencies is to select the patch and *all* its dependencies from the ITRC patch database.

The ITRC Patch database makes this easy. Simply select the patch(es) you want, and add them to the "cart". The dependencies will be automatically selected and included in the "shopping list". You may elect to add more recent versions of the depenendent patches too. During installation, the most recent will supercede the less recent. When you are done collectig the patches, download them as a bundle. A 'gzip' file is ideal.

Once on your server, uncompress the 'gzip' file in the /tmp directory:

# gzip -d filename

Next extract the 'tar' file:

# tar xvf filename

This will yield a 'README" file with more instructions and a file named 'create_depot_hp-ux_VV' where VV is the OS version. By executing the 'create_depot_hp-ux_VV' file, the selected patches will be un-shared and copied into a software depot (via 'swcopy'). At that point the depot is ready for use by 'swinstall'. Since the patches are collected into a bundle for installation, only one reboot is necessary regardless of the number of patches requiring this action.

Regards!

...JRF...

[Tom Jackson]

Hi:

Thanks for the replies. I just went to the patch DB and it should make applying patches much easier.

Here's the URL for the patch database home:
www1.itrc.hp.com/service/patch/mainPage.do

Tom

[Krishnan Viswanathan]

Hi Tom,

I checked your patches, you need to just download the following patches:

PHKL_25729 and PHKL_27092. (This will take care of PHKL_25729 and also PHKL_25840).

As these are kernel patches, these will need a reboot. (If these are bundled together, these will need only one reboot)

When you install the patches with the swinstall gui, swinstall normally checks for all dependencies and will complain if you need more patches. (This is an additional way of checking if you have got all the dependencies or not)

You should not remove any "applied/active" patches from your system before installing these patches. The old patches will get automatically "superceded" when the new ones are installed, so you dont need to worry about them. You may remove the "superceded" patches subsequently only if you need to free up space under /var/adm/save. (Pls use the "cleanup" command for this)

As with any swinstall, pls make a recovery tape before you commence this work. Good luck !

-Krishnan

[Steven E. Protter]

Another nice thing about using the itrc builder, besides all dependencies being included.

It comes with a create depot script.

You just run the script, -d depotname and you have a depot.

Then you swinstall -x autoreboot=true -x reinstall=false -s /fullpath of depot \* and you get the job done with one boot.

Steve

[Tom Jackson]

Thanks for all the additional great replies.

Tom