Patch Management User Guide for HP-UX 11.x Systems (5900-3011, March 2013)

• supersedes
◦ Applies to patch filesets.
◦ Lists all prior filesets that a patch fileset supersedes.
◦ See “Ancestors and supersession” (page 26).
• superseded_by
◦ Applies to patch filesets.
◦ Records the software specification of the fileset that superseded the fileset on a given
system. This attribute is set only for installed patch filesets, and never in software depots.
◦ See “Ancestors and supersession” (page 26).
You can show these attributes with the swlist command using the -a attribute argument,
replacing attribute with one of the previously listed attributes. For more information about the
swlist command, see “Which patches are on a system?” (page 22).
Patch dependencies
A patch that depends on other software in order to install or run correctly is said to have a
dependency on that other software. In order to become fully active, a patch might require changes
to areas of the system other than those it modifies. Such a patch might have a documented
dependency on one or more patches or nonpatch software products that are responsible for the
changes in these other areas.
For example, in Figure 3: “Patch Supersession Chains and Patch Dependencies” (page 32),
PHXX_31967 and PHXX_31937 depend on each other (mutual dependency). At a later time,
PHXX_32384 supersedes PHXX_31937, and PHXX_31967 can be successfully installed with
either patch. (PHXX_32384, as a cumulative patch, will satisfy the entire dependency.)
Figure 3 Patch Supersession Chains and Patch Dependencies
However, a superseded (older) patch does not satisfy a dependency on a superseding (newer)
patch. Figure 3: “Patch Supersession Chains and Patch Dependencies” (page 32) provides an
example. PHXX_33662 supersedes PHXX_31967, but PHXX_33662 has an updated dependency
on the superseding patch PHXX_32384. In this case, the older patch (PHXX_31937) doesn't satisfy
the new dependency
For more information about supersession, see “Ancestors and supersession” (page 26).
32 HP-UX patch overview