Solaris Live Upgrade and OpenCSW packages

Is it possible to use Solaris Live Upgrade to update OpenCSW packages?

asked: 2012-02-06 by: automaciej

automaciej answers:

From an email thread on the users mailing list, it's possible to install packages into the ABE using pkgutil. It's not a common practice, but it's possible to mount your ABE and point pkgutil at it.

# pkgutil -Uyu --param=root_path:/lumount

Dagobert commented:

Dagobert answers:

Unfortunately there is a bug in pkgutil that prohibits the proper use of root relocation right now until this is fixed:

• 0004117: RFE: Support installation of packages to alternate root (pkgaddopts not sufficient)

laurent answers:

As noted by Dagobert, pkgutil must not be used on an inactive BE, some critical bits will fail. However, it is still possible to benefit from LU with OpenCSW.

I follow the following steps myself (with sparse zones):

• apply latest LU patches w/ zones up & running
• shutdown zones and detach them
• create the new BE
• apply patches to the bew BE
• luactivate and reboot to the new BE
• attach zones (applying patches to them at this point)
• boot zones
• use pkgutil to upgrade packages in the global zones, upgrading them in the zones at the same time

The zones at that point are using a clone of their dataset created for the new BE, so in case the older BE is reactivated, the pre-upgrade OpenCSW packages will be there.