Chapter 15. Admintool: Software Manager

Admintool is a graphical user interface to the package commands. You can use Admintool: Software Manager to install and remove unbundled software packages on a Solaris system.

Starting with the Solaris 2.5 release, the Admintool: Software functionality replaces Software Manager (swmtool). The swmtool command is a link to the admintool command and displays the Admintool: Software portion of Admintool.

Software that is designed to be managed with Admintool groups the packages into a set of clusters to make software management easier. Admintool calls the package commands. You can use the package commands and Admintool interchangeably. For example, you can install software with Admintool and remove the software with the pkgrm command. Alternatively, you can install software with the pkgadd command and remove that software with Admintool. Admintool displays all packages installed on a system, regardless of how they were installed.

Admintool: Software provides the following functionality.

• Displays a list of the software packages installed on a local system, showing the full title, package names, icons, and the size of each package.

• Installs and removes software on a local Solaris system.

• Enables you to specify the directory from which to install the software.

It is easy to use Admintool to add and remove software from a local system. Admintool provides a graphical user interface to the pkgadd and pkgrm commands. It also includes online help that provides general information on using the tool. Admintool enables you to view a descriptive list of software that is already installed on a system or to list the software on the installation media. It also enables you to view detailed information about each package, including the package name.

Admintool does not enable you to add packages to a spool directory or to eliminate user interaction with an administration file. You must use pkgadd command for those tasks.