Software Distributor Administration Guide HP-UX 11i v1, 11i v2, and 11i v3 (5900-2561, March 2013)

1 Introduction to Software Distributor
This chapter contains overview information and explains important concepts that will help you use
the Software Distributor (SD-UX) commands most effectively.
Table 2 Chapter Topics
Topics:
“SD-UX Overview” (page 17)
“SD-UX Concepts” (page 19)
“Using the GUI and TUI Commands” (page 23)
“Working from the Command Line” (page 34)
1.1 SD-UX Overview
Software Distributor for HP-UX (SD-UX) provides you with a powerful set of tools for centralized
HP-UX software management. When connected by a LAN or WAN, each computer running SD-UX
can act as a server, allowing its resources to be managed or accessed by other machines, or as
a client, managing or using the resources of other machines.
Software Distributor commands are included with the HP-UX operating system and, by default,
manage software on a local host only. You can also enable remote operations, which let you install
and manage software simultaneously on multiple remote hosts connected to a central controller.
Note that SD-UX running under HP-UX 11.00 and higher versions does not support NFS diskless
clusters.
1.1.1 Network Requirements
• Networked systems must support TCP/IP.
• Because Software Distributor is based on distributed, client/server technology, it requires some
networking functionality on the host system for proper execution. These networking services
are only available in UNIX Run Level 2 (Multi-User mode) and above. Software Distributor
cannot run in Single-User mode.
1.1.2 SD-UX Programs and Commands
The following list provides a brief description of each command and references for more detailed
information.
Table 3 SD Commands
More InformationDescription/FeaturesCommand & Manpage
• “Installation with swinstall” (page 41)• Installs or updates software
• Optional GUI
swinstall(1M)
• “Listing Your Software (swlist)” (page 63)
• “Listing Registered Depots” (page 100)
• Lists installed software or software in
depots or on media
• Optional GUI
swlist(1M)
1.1 SD-UX Overview 17