We have tried our best to provide you with your favorite utilities in a form that is painless to install and dependable in its behavior. However, we make no expressed or implied warrantees about the products available from this site. We can not, and have not, tested every package for complete compatibility with all SolarisX86 configurations and with all X86 hardware platforms.

Similarly, we make no representations about the integrity of the source code from which the packages were installed. We strive, at all times, to obtain the latest releases and to monitor the applicable news groups and problem-reporting sites in order to provide you with the most problem-free packages extant.

However, in spite of all of these efforts, we must still assert, as with every freeware site, that you are advised to USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

If this is the first time you have installed SolarisX86, you will need specific tools in order to get started. All of the files in our Download Archive are in compressed gzip format. Therefore, in order to work with the files, you must first have a compiled executable of gunzip. We have provided an uncompressed/untarred gunzip binary to so that you can get started.

After you have downloaded gunzip, and have placed it into your chosen directory, (usually /usr/local/gnu/ or /opt/gnu/) you can then use it to unzip any files contained in our Download Archive (including the full set of gzip tools).

Additionally, you may already know that Solaris does not ship with a compiler. Therefore, if you intend to download source code files that you wish to compile for yourself, then you will need to obtain a compiler. In obtaining a compiler, know that it will not help you to download source code for a compiler (because you don't have a compiler with which to compile the compiler). Rather, you must download executable binaries for a compiler which, if you wish, you can then use to compile your own compiler...(did you ever wonder how our predecessors ever compiled the VERY FIRST compiler)? If compiling is your game, we have provided GCC (compiled and packaged) to enable you to get started.

Below are instructions for installing PackageAdd Packages . If you have need to compile your own binaries, refer to the instructions for installing Source Code later in this section.

Philosophy Regarding "File System Polution" When determining how best to make packages available to you, there are several conflicting philosophical issues which system administrators face. On the one hand, many prefer to install all site specific (non-system) software to /usr/local/. On the other hand, many prefer to use /opt/ for this purpose. It is for this reason that we have provided both installation options in our packages.

In doing so, the notion of "File System Polution" arises. Many system administrators prefer, for example, to place gnu file manangement utilities (gzip, gunzip, etc.) in /usr/local/gnu/bin whereas others prefer to place them straight into /usr/local/bin (to minimize required search path entries). However, we do not feel that it is our place to dictate this to you. If, for example, we created our packages to install directly to /usr/local/bin, then they would likely install other components to directories such as /usr/local/man and /usr/local/lib, thereby infusing themselves into your existing mix of files (a condition which we have labeled "File System Polution"). If, after you installed one of our packages, you decided that you really didn't want it (maybe it doesn't do what you expected it to do), then you could be faced with a very painful task of trying to figure what you need to delete to get rid of all of the files that were written by the package.

In an effort to avoid "File System Polution", we have constructed all of our packages to ALWAYS install to a separate directory tree within /usr/local/ or /opt/. For example, when installing a package named foo-3.1.4, a directory named foo-3.1.4 will be created under /usr/local/ or /opt/ and this directory will act as the root directory for the entire program system. In this way, you can be sure that unwanted files will not be merged with your current file systems.

Unfortunately, this effort can lead to some inconveniences on your part that may require you to do some additional work to get the files where you want them. For example, you may wish to install our gzip package. As described above, doing so will install to a directory named gzip under /usr/local/ or /opt/. This is probably not what you really want. That is, you probably want to place all of your gnu file manangement utilities into /usr/local/gnu/bin or directly into /usr/local/bin. Since our packages install to stand-alone directory trees, you may need to physically move them (when desired) to locations of your choosing.

Installing PackageAdd Packages

1. Download the PackageAdd file to your machine. Our PackageAdd files have names of the form:

   <package>-<version>-USRPKG.tar.gz (for packages that install to /usr/local/)
   <package>-<version>-OPTPKG.tar.gz (for packages that install to /opt/)

   For example, version 3.1.4 of the program, foo, packaged to install in /opt/ would be named:

   foo-3.1.4-OPTPKG.tar.gz

   (Wouldn't you love to get ahold of the latest version of foo? It must be a terrific program, because everyone talks about it.)

   We generally download to a "holding" area, /pkgtmp/, and unpackage the files from there.

2. Your browser may be configured to automatically unzip compressed files. If this is the case, be aware of the following:
   
   When you start the download of a .gz file, you will probably accept the default file name (foo-3.1.4-OPTPKG.tar.gz) for the saved file. This might cause confusion for you if your browser is configured to automatically unzip the file because you'll end up with a file named foo-3.1.4-OPTPKG.tar.gz that is not a gzipped file at all (because your browser has already unzipped it).
   
   If you are not sure if your browser is configured to automatically unzip compressed files, view the file after it has been downloaded. If you see readable text, then your browser has already unzipped the file. You should rename the file to foo-3.1.4-OPTPKG.tar and go on to the next step.
   
   If, however, viewing the file gives you a screenful of unreadable non-text characters, then the file is still in it's compressed form and you may unzip it now with the command:

   gunzip foo-3.1.4-OPTPKG.tar.gz

   ...which will yield the file:

   foo-3.1.4-OPTPKG.tar

3. Now untar the file using the command:

   tar -xof foo-3.1.4-OPTPKG.tar
   
   

4. We assume that you are installing to either the /opt/ or the /usr/local/ directories, as suggested by the download file name. To do this, you must have root permissions. If you do not have root access to your system, or if you wish to install the software to a directory other than /opt/ or /usr/local/, refer to the Alternative Package Installation Notes at the end of this section. Otherwise, acquire root access on your system now (su, sudo, etc.).

5. Now, install the package using the pkgadd utility. Note that, in using pkgadd, you must be clear about the source of the pgkadd files. If you you have followed the above instructions explicitly, then you have created your package tree in the /pkgtmp/ directory This being the case, you install using pkgadd with with the command:

   # pkgadd -d /pkgtmp foo

6. Below is a summary of the UNIX commands you will enter after the file has been downloaded to the /pkgtmp/ directory:

   % cd /pkgtmp
   % gunzip foo-3.1.4-OPTPKG.tar.gz
   % tar -xof foo-3.1.4-OPTPKG.tar
   % su
   # pkgadd -d /pkgtmp foo
   # exit

   Of course, there is no requirement that you access root permissions (su) or that you exit these permissions (exit) in the precise sequence shown above.
   
   

   Carrying out the above steps will result in the package being installed to the directory /opt/foo-3.1.4/. With very few exceptions (noted on a package-by-package basis), all of our packages install to directory tree rooted from /opt/ or /usr/local/. That is, the files that are written to your file system will NOT be merged into your current files (for example in /opt/bin). Rather, a new directory tree will be created and all new files will be written to the new tree. In this way, you need not worry about keeping track of which files belong to which package.
   
   Note that the actual package name that you'll use with the pkgadd command (foo in the example) is encoded into the pgkinfo file. For each package, refer to our package-specific installation notes (the same page from which you download the file) to identify precisely what package name to use. Or, simply view the pgkinfo file. The package name you will use with the pkgadd command, is that which is specified on the "PKG=" line in the pkginfo file.

7. After the package is installed, you will need to add appropriate search paths to your system search paths. For example, you will need to add /opt/foo-3.1.4/bin/ to your binary search path, and /opt/foo-3.1.4/man/ to your MANPATH. Additionally, depending on the package itself, you may need to add the sub-tree directories for /opt/foo-3.1.4/man/. That is, some packages may use /opt/foo-3.1.4/man/man1/, while others may use /opt/foo-3.1.4/man/man1/ and /opt/foo-3.1.4/man/man5/ and /opt/foo-3.1.4/man/man8/. Refer to our package-specific installation notes (the same page from which you download the file) to identify precisely what man paths are used for each package.
   
   Refer to your system administration documentation for instructions on how to update your search paths with these new binary and man page search paths.

1. Download the source code file to your machine. Our source code files have names of the form:

   <package>-<version>-SOURCE.tar.gz

   For example, the source code for version 3.1.4 of the program foo would be named:

   foo-3.1.4-SOURCE.tar.gz

2. Your browser may be configured to automatically unzip compressed files. If this is the case, be aware of the following:
   
   When you start the download of a .gz file, you will probably accept the default file name (foo-3.1.4-SOURCE.tar.gz) for the saved file. This might cause confusion for you if your browser is configured to automatically unzip the file because you'll end up with a file named foo-3.1.4-SOURCE.tar.gz that is not a gzipped file at all (because your browser has already unzipped it).
   
   If you are not sure if your browser is configured to automatically unzip compressed files, view the file after it has been downloaded. If you see readable text, then your browser has already unzipped the file. You should rename the file to foo-3.1.4-SOURCE.tar and go on to the next step.
   
   If, however, viewing the file gives you a screenful of unreadable non-text characters, then the file is still in it's compressed form and you may unzip it now with the command:

   gunzip foo-3.1.4-SOURCE.tar.gz

   ...which will yield the file:

   foo-3.1.4-SOURCE.tar

3. Now untar the file using the command:

   tar -xof foo-3.1.4-SOURCE.tar

   Note that untarring the file will ALWAYS yield a directory tree rooted in the current directory with the name and version number of the source code. For example, in the above untar operation for our example foo package, assume that you had downloaded the original file to your /usr/local/ directory. Since the tar file was in the /usr/local/ directory before it was untarred, the untar operation will create a directory named /usr/local/foo-3.1.4/. This directory, then, will contain whatever files and/or subdirectories are required by the source code. Aside from the creation of the directory tree, no other alterations or file writes will be made to your file system during the gunzip/untar operations.

   Note also, that the `o' flag in the above example pertains to ownership of the output files. By default, tar will assign, to the output files, the user and group identifier of the user running the tar program, rather than those contained within the tar file itself. However, when running as ROOT, the default action that tar will take is to assign, to the output files, the user and group identifiers that are contained within the tar file. Therefore, using the `o' flag when untarring files assures that a valid user and group identifier are assigned to the output files, regardless of whether you are untarring them under your own personal USERID or as ROOT.

4. The source files are now ready for you to carry out the compile operation. The source files you receive are the same source files that we used in our final compile operation, prior to bundling them into packages. Therefore, you should find that very few alterations to the makefiles and/or source code itself will be necessary in order to successfully compile. However, depending upon the locations of your library files, and other system structures unique to your system, you may need to make alterations to the source code files prior to compiling. Refer to the README files included with the source code for more information.

5. Below is a summary of the UNIX commands you will enter after the source code gzip file has been downloaded. The commands shown below assume that the you have downloaded the gzip file to the /usr/local/ directory, and that you wish the program tree to be rooted at /usr/local/. The example further assumes that no "massages" are necessary in order for the program set to compile successfully:

   % cd /usr/local/
   % gunzip foo-3.1.4-SOURCE.tar.gz
   % tar -xof foo-3.1.4-SOURCE.tar
   % cd /usr/local/foo-3.1.4
   % make

   In carrying out the above steps, if you experience compile error(s), refer to the program documentation to isolate the cause(s) of the error(s).