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ris - remote installation services utility
The ris utility performs remote installation services to install software from a disk area on the server onto a client machine through the TCP/IP local network. Both base system software and optional products can be installed remotely. The client can be any system that uses the setld utility for installing software. (See RESTRICTIONS.)
The ris utility uses the directory /usr/var/adm/ris as a base. As part of installing the first product into /usr/var/adm/ris, the utility creates a remote installation services (RIS) disk area. RIS areas have names of the form risn.arch, where n is a sequentially-assigned number beginning with 0 and arch is a name identifying the client's machine architecture. The first RIS area for Alpha clients would thus be named ris0.alpha. Additional areas for the same or other client architectures can be set up for organizational or performance reasons.
A RIS area contains one or more software products. Each product contains the software subsets that can be installed to clients on a network. Once products are installed into an area, clients registered for that area can install the software over the network using the setld utility.
The ris utility performs the following functions:
a - Add client
d - Delete software
i - Install software
l - List registered clients
m - Modify client
s - Show products in remote installation environments
r - Remove client
The ris utility must be used interactively to set up a RIS area. After a RIS area is set up on the server, the ris utility can be used either interactively or from the command line to manage clients. For command-line use, the desired function is passed to the utility as a flag. See EXAMPLES.
The /usr/var/adm/ris directory also holds a subdirectory, /usr/var/adm/ris/clients. This directory contains a database file, risdb, that is used to manage multiple clients.
Tru64 UNIX remote installation servers cannot install the base operating system on clients that do not support the bootp network bootstrapping protocol.
The following example invokes the ris utility interactively: # /usr/sbin/ris
A menu appears from which you can select options to perform ris functions.
The examples that follow manage a client named vizier using the command line. Backslashes (\) indicate line continuation and are not part of the command syntax.
The command syntax to add a client follows:
/usr/sbin/ris -a <clientname> -h <Ethernet_address> \
-p path,product[,product]
The following command adds client vizier and allows that client
to install a product over the network:
# /usr/sbin/ris -a vizier -h 08-00-2B-03-05-8B \
-p ris0.alpha,product_1
The command syntax to modify a client follows:
/usr/sbin/ris -a <clientname> [-h <Ethernet_address>] \
[-p <path,product,product>]
The following command modifies client vizier and allows that client to install a product over the network: # /usr/sbin/ris -m vizier -p ris0.alpha,product_2
The command syntax to remove a client follows: /usr/sbin/ris -r <clientname>
The following command removes client vizier: # /usr/sbin/ris -r vizier
Commands: setld(8).
Sharing Software on a Local Area Network
Installation Guide
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