PKG_ADD(1) OpenBSD Reference Manual PKG_ADD(1)
NAME
pkg_add - install software package distributions
SYNOPSIS
pkg_add [-acIimnqrsUuvxz] [-A arch] [-B pkg-destdir] [-D name[=value]]
[-L localbase] [-l file] [-P type] [-Q quick-destdir]
pkg-name [...]
DESCRIPTION
The pkg_add command is used to install packages created with the
pkg_create(1) command. Selected packages containing pre-compiled
applications from the /usr/ports tree can be found on the OpenBSD FTP
site or on the official OpenBSD CD.
Note: System distribution files, e.g., base28.tgz, comp28.tgz, are
not packages and may not be installed using pkg_add.
pkg_add can be used to install new packages, to replace existing packages
with other flavors (option -r) or to update packages to newer versions
(option -u).
Details of packing-list internals are documented in pkg_create(1).
If a package is digitally signed:
o pkg_add checks that its packing-list is not corrupted and matches the
cryptographic signature stored within.
o pkg_add verifies that the signature was emitted by a valid user
certificate, signed by one of the authorities in /etc/ssl/pkgca.pem
o pkg_add verifies that each file matches its sha256 checksum right
after extraction, before doing anything with it.
o pkg_add verifies that any dangerous mode or owner is registered in
the packing-list.
In normal mode, the package names given on the command lines are names of
new packages that pkg_add should install, without ever deinstalling
existing packages.
In replacement mode, the package names given on the command lines are
names of new packages that pkg_add should install, possibly replacing
existing installed packages.
In update mode, the package names given on the command lines are names of
installed packages, and pkg_add should figure out newer package names for
these, then replace the old packages with the new.
Each package name may be specified as a filename (which normally consists
of the package name itself plus the ``.tgz'' suffix) or a URL referring
to FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, or SCP locations. The following examples are valid:
pkg_add -v ftp://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/2.7/packages/i386/m4-1.4.tgz
pkg_add -v scp://login@host/usr/ports/packages/sparc/all/tcl-8.4.7.tgz
If the given package names are not found in the current working
directory, pkg_add will search for them in each directory named by the
PKG_PATH environment variable. Specifying `-' as a package name causes
pkg_add to read from the standard input.
pkg_add also understands `stems', that is, package names without any
version specification. For instance, with pkg_add kdelibs, pkg_add will
look in the current directory (or the PKG_PATH) for a kdelibs package.
In case of ambiguities, for instance: pkg_add screen (matches screen-4.02
and screen-4.02-static), pkg_add will error out, unless it is invoked in
interactive mode (option -i).
To avoid ambiguities, pkg_add supports `stems with flavors', that is, a
stem separated from flavors with a double dash. For instance, the
previous ambiguity could be resolved by using pkg_add screen-- (matches
only the normal flavor) or pkg_add screen--static (matches only the
static flavor).
If the environment variable PKG_CACHE is set, every package retrieved
from a distant location will also be copied here.
Some packages may depend on other packages. When resolving dependencies
pkg_add will first look at already installed packages, then match
dependencies with the list of packages left to install, then ask the
user's opinion in interactive mode, then install default packages that
satisfy the dependencies.
Alternatively, it is possible to add packages interactively from within
the ftp(1) client, in which case setting PKG_PATH correctly will be
necessary for any dependency to be found out and retrieved the same way.
For example, the following works:
$ ftp ftp://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/2.7/packages/i386/
250 CWD command successful
ftp> ls m*
227 Entering Passive Mode (129,128,5,191,164,73)
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for m*.
m4-1.4.tgz
metamail-2.7.tgz
mh-6.8.4.tgz
mm-1.0.12.tgz
mpeg_lib-1.2.1.tgz
mpeg_play-2.4.tgz
mpg123-0.59q.tgz
mutt-0.95.7i.tgz
226 Transfer complete.
ftp> get m4-1.4.tgz "|pkg_add -v -"
Warning: Since the pkg_add command may execute scripts or programs
contained within a package file, your system may be susceptible to
``trojan horses'' or other subtle attacks from miscreants who create
dangerous packages. Be sure the specified package(s) are from trusted
sources.
The options are as follows:
-A arch Assume arch as current machine architecture for any package
tests.
-a Automated package installation; do not record packages as
installed manually.
-B pkg-destdir
Set pkg-destdir as the prefix to prepend to any object extracted
from the package.
-c While replacing packages, delete extra configuration file in the
old package, mentioned as
@extra file
in the packing-list.
-D name[=value]
Force installation of the package. name is a keyword that
states what failsafe should be waived. Recognized keywords
include:
allversions do not trim older p* variants of packages for
updates.
arch architecture recorded in package may not match.
dontmerge by default, if dependencies are too strict,
pkg_add will merge updates together to make
sure everything stays in synch. -D dontmerge
disables that behavior.
downgrade don't filter out package versions older than
what's currently installed.
installed in update mode, reinstall an existing package
with the same signature.
libdepends library specifications may not be fulfilled.
nonroot install even if not running as root.
nosig do not check digital signatures. Still
displays a very prominent message if a
signature is found.
repair attempt to repair installed packages with
missing registration data.
scripts external scripts may fail.
update unsafe update: old packing-list will run
scripts that may fail.
updatedepends force update even if forward dependencies no
longer match.
-I If scripts exist for a given package, do not execute them.
-i Switch on interactive mode. pkg_add may ask questions to the
user if faced with difficult decisions.
-L localbase
Install a package under localbase. By default, localbase equals
/usr/local, and specifying it is not necessary. However,
packages can be created using a different localbase (see
pkg_create(1)), and those packages can only be installed by
using the same localbase. See bsd.port.mk(5) for a description
of LOCALBASE.
-l file Installs packages from the raw output of pkg_info(1), as saved
in file. Generally, use with pkg_info >file, to reproduce an
installation from machine to machine. With -z and -l pkg_add
will try its best to reproduce the installation, even if the
version numbers don't quite match and even if some packages
cannot be found.
-m Causes pkg_add to always display the progress meter in cases it
would not do so by default.
-n Don't actually install a package, just report the steps that
would be taken if it was.
-P type Check permissions for distribution, where type can be `cdrom' or
`ftp'.
-Q quick-destdir
Quick and dirty installation under quick-destdir. Contrary to
-B pkg-destdir, symbolic links are resolved, and package
installation stops at @endfake marker.
-q Replace package quickly; do not bother with checksums before
removing normal files. If used twice, it will not bother with
checksums for configuration files either.
-r Replace existing packages. pkg_add will try to take every
precaution to make sure the replacement can proceed before
removing the old package and adding the new one, and it should
also handle shared libraries correctly. Among other things,
pkg_add will refuse to replace packages as soon as it needs to
run scripts that might fail (use -D update to force the
replacement); pkg_add will also refuse to replace packages when
the dependencies don't quite match (use -D updatedepends to
force the replacement).
-s Don't actually install packages, skip as many steps as needed
and report only the disk size changes that would happen.
Similar to -n, except it also skips fetching full packages and
stops at getting the information it needs.
-U Update dependencies if required before installing the new
package(s).
-u Update the given installed pkgname(s), and anything it depends
upon. If no pkgname is given, pkg_add will update all installed
packages. This relies on PKG_PATH to figure out the new package
names.
-v Turn on verbose output. Several -v turn on more verbose output.
By default, pkg_add is almost completely silent, but it reacts
to keyboard status requests (see stty(1)). -v turns on basic
messages, -vv adds relevant system operations, -vvv shows most
internal computations apart from individual file/directory
additions, -vvvv also shows dependencies adjustments, and -vvvvv
shows everything.
-x Disable progress meter.
-z Fuzzy package addition: pkg_add should do its best to match
package names passed on the command line, even if the versions
don't match and it will proceed even if some packages can't be
found.
By default, when adding packages via FTP, the ftp(1) program operates in
``passive'' mode. If you wish to use active mode instead, set the
FTPMODE environment variable to ``active''. If pkg_add consistently
fails to fetch a package from a site known to work, it may be because the
site does not support passive mode FTP correctly. This is very rare
since pkg_add will try active mode FTP if the server refuses a passive
mode connection.
Technical details
pkg_add deals with `updatesets' internally. An updateset is a collection
of old package(s) to delete, and new package(s) to install, as an atomic
operation. Under normal circumstances, an updateset contains at most one
old package and one new package, but some situations may require pkg_add
to perform several installations/deletions at once.
For each new package in an updateset, pkg_add extracts the package's
``packing information'' (the packing-list, description, and
installation/deinstallation scripts) into a special staging directory in
/var/tmp (or PKG_TMPDIR if set - see CAVEATS, below) and then runs
through the following sequence to fully extract the contents of the
package:
1. A check is made to determine if the package is already recorded as
installed. If it is, the installation is terminated.
2. A check is made to determine if the package conflicts (from
@conflict directives; see pkg_create(1)) with a package already
recorded as installed. In non-replacement mode, its installation is
terminated.
3. For packages tagged with architecture constraints, pkg_add verifies
that the current machine architecture agrees with the constraints.
4. All package dependencies (from @depend and @wantlib directives; see
pkg_create(1)) are read from the packing-list. If any of these
dependencies are not currently fulfilled, an attempt is made to find
a package that meets them and install it, looking first in the
current updateset, then in the list of packages to install passed to
pkg_add; if no adequate package can be found and installed, the
installation is terminated.
5. pkg_add checks for collisions with installed file names, read-only
file systems, and enough space to store files.
6. If the package contains an install script (deprecated, @exec is more
versatile), it is executed with the following arguments:
pkg-name The name of the package being installed.
PRE-INSTALL Keyword denoting that the script is to perform any
actions needed before the package is installed.
If the install script exits with a non-zero status code, the
installation is terminated.
7. The packing-list is used as a guide for extracting files from the
package into their final locations.
8. If an install script exists for the package (deprecated), it is
executed with the following arguments:
pkg_name The name of the package being installed.
POST-INSTALL Keyword denoting that the script is to perform any
actions needed after the package has been installed.
9. After installation is complete, a copy of all package files such as
the packing-list, the install and deinstall scripts, the description
file is made into /var/db/pkg/<pkg-name> for subsequent possible use
by pkg_delete(1) and pkg_info(1). Any package dependencies are
recorded in the other packages' /var/db/pkg/<other-pkg>/+REQUIRED_BY
file (if the environment variable PKG_DBDIR is set, this overrides
the /var/db/pkg/ path shown above).
10. Finally, the staging area is deleted and the program terminates.
Note that it is safe to interrupt pkg_add through SIGINT, SIGHUP, and
other signals, as it will safely record an interrupted install as
partial-<pkgname>[.n].
When replacing packages, the procedure is slightly different.
1. A check is made to determine if a similar package is already
installed. If its signature is identical to that of the new
package, no replacement is performed (unless -D installed is
specified).
2. A check is made to determine what old package(s) the new package(s)
should replace, using conflicts. pkg_add will attempt to update
those packages. If they update to the new package(s), nothing needs
to be done. If they're part of the list of updatesets to install,
the corresponding updatesets will be merged. Otherwise, pkg_add
will add them to the current updateset, and rerun update to find
suitable update to those packages.
3. A check is made to determine whether the old packages will be
deleted without issue, and whether the new packages will install
correctly. This includes refusing to run any code (unless -D
update), and verifying that the new package still matches
dependencies (unless -D updatedepends).
4. Shared libraries deserve special treatment: each shared library from
the old packages that does no longer exist in the new packages, but
that is required from a wantlib of another package is kept along in
a stub package named .libs-<pkgname>.
5. The new packages are extracted to the filesystem, using temporary
filenames of the form pkg.XXXXXXX since the old packages are still
there. The packing-list is amended to record these names as @temp
annotations, in cases the installation fails.
6. The old packages are deleted as usual, except that some packages may
still depend on them. Note also that @unexec-delete commands are
not executed.
7. The new packages are installed as usual, except that the files are
already present and only need to be renamed. Note also that
@exec-add commands are not executed.
8. Dependencies from the old packages are adjusted to point to the
correct new package.
To update packages in -u mode, pkg_add performs the following steps.
1. Each package name is reduced to its stem, and every package name
with matching stem available through PKG_PATH is considered as an
update candidate.
2. pkg_add searches for a `quirks' package first, which may contain
exceptions to these rules. This special package contains global
information, such as packages that can be deleted because they're
now part of base, or stem changes.
3. Version matching occurs: unless -D downgrade, only packages with
newer versions will be considered as update candidates. Note that
version matching is costly, thus PKG_PATH should point to a snapshot
of packages for a given version of OpenBSD, similar to the
organization on the FTP sites.
4. Candidates are then matched according to their source paths (the
subdirectory of the ports dir, plus flavors and multi-packages
modifiers), in order to weed out similar packages with distinct
options.
5. The signature of the candidate is compared to the signature of the
already installed package: identical signatures mean no update
needed.
6. If several candidates are left, pkg_add will ask the user in
interactive mode, and not perform the update in non-interactive
mode.
7. Once a suitable update candidate has been found, pkg_add checks the
package dependencies. If necessary, it will install or update them
first. Once all dependencies are up-to-date, pkg_add will update
the package.
ENVIRONMENT
FTPMODE Specifies whether ftp(1) should operate in ``active'' or
``passive'' mode. The default is ``passive''.
FETCH_CMD Override use of ftp(1). Must point to a command that
understands ${FETCH_CMD} -o - url.
FTP_KEEPALIVE
Have ftp(1) send a byte after every FTP_KEEPALIVE seconds,
so that incorrectly configured network equipment won't
aggressively drop it. See ``ftp -k'' for more information.
PKG_DBDIR Where to register packages instead of /var/db/pkg.
PKG_DESTDIR Value for pkg-destdir, if no -B option is specified; value
passed to any INSTALL or REQUIRE script invoked from the
package.
PKG_CACHE If set, any package retrieved from a distant location will
be copied to that directory as well.
PKG_PATH If a given package name cannot be found, the directories
named by PKG_PATH are searched. It should contain a series
of entries separated by colons. Each entry consists of a
directory name. URL schemes such as FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, or
SCP are also appropriate. The current directory may be
indicated implicitly by an empty directory name, or
explicitly by a single period (`./').
PKG_TMPDIR Temporary area where package information files will be
extracted, instead of /var/tmp.
SEE ALSO
ftp(1), pkg_create(1), pkg_delete(1), pkg_info(1), OpenBSD::Intro(3p),
bsd.port.mk(5), package(5)
AUTHORS
Jordan Hubbard
Initial design.
Marc Espie
Complete rewrite.
CAVEATS
Package extraction does need a temporary area that can hold executable
scripts.
If /var/tmp is mounted noexec, you must currently set PKG_TMPDIR to a
suitable area, as pkg_add will refuse to install any package that
contains executable scripts.
OpenBSD 4.8 August 1, 2010 OpenBSD 4.8