Table of Contents
[Ref: pkg_add(5) | pkg_info | pkg_delete | FAQ 15 - The OpenBSD packages and port system]
[Config location: /usr/src ]
[Ref: OpenBSD FAQ - Section 8]
The OpenBSD Project provides application binary executables in what are termed ‘packages.’ These packages store the information required to safely install the binaries, documentation, and dependencies such as libraries. Packages are configured for the OpenBSD disk layout and database of installed software. The benefits of packages include someone else figuring out how to install the software ‘correctly,’ including resolving dependencies (such as what else do you need to make sure that this program will run.)
Three Package Administration tools you will most likely come-across are:
For those new to packages (and haven’t read through the FAQ Entries) change your working directory to where the packages are stored before using pkg_add (this is not necessary and is explained later in setting environment variables.)
This guide will give you some simple useage scenarios of using Package Management to install a package. If you wish to gain greater control of you application, then you will need to look at using the ‘ports’ system.
The general format for using pkg_add is:
# pkg_add -v /[path-to-package]/filename # pkg_add -v ftp.site.com/[path-to-package]/filename
The -v option is Verbose, which is real helpful in providing visual feedback of files it is processing. After you figure out how things work, you can leave the “-v” off.
[ Keeping downloaded packages]
We usually make available binary packages on our LAN, when installing a package not already available locally, we cache the package download during the pkg_add process by using the environment variable PKG_CACHE.
# mkdir -p /var/pkg/cache
# export PKG_CACHE=/var/db/cache
# echo "export PKG_CACHE=/var/db/cache" >> ~/.profileTo install packages, the above configuration will keep/cache all downloads in the $PKG_CACHE path.
# export PKG_PATH=${PKG_CACHE}/:http://local-repo/pub/OpenBSD/$(uname -r)/packages/$(uname -m)/:ftp://remote-repo/pub/OpenBSD/$(uname -r)/packages/$(uname -m)/We set $PKG_PATH to point at our new caching location, and our internal repo, then to the external repo.
little editor
[package: pico-4.33.tgz]
If you are uncomfortable with “vi” or the standard text editors found on OpenBSD, then I suggest that you download the pico package and follow the installation process below to simplify some of the editing work that will be required in configuring your OpenBSD server.
# mkdir /usr/packages # cd /usr/packages # mv /[path-to-download]/pico-4.33.tgz . # pkg_info pico-4.33.tgz
Information for pico-4.33.tgz:
Comment: small text editor Description: Pico is a small text editor distributed as part of the pine mail program. It is a separate program that may be installed and used without using pine. WWW: http://www.washington.edu/pine/
In the above example we’re just using a location /usr/packages to keep packages. We go into this directory and copy into it the pico-4.33.tgz file and then query the package to tell us what it contains (by using pkg_info.) To install the package we can simply use pkg_add.
#pkg_add -v pico-4.33.tgz
Requested space: 359604 bytes, free space: 4294905856 bytes in /var/tmp/instmp.ttTyg31193 Package `pico-4.33' conflicts with `pine+pico-*' extract: Package name is pico-4.33 extract: CWD to /usr/local extract: /usr/local/bin/pico extract: /usr/local/man/man1/pico.1 extract: CWD to . Attempting to record package into `/var/db/pkg/pico-4.33' Package `pico-4.33' registered in `/var/db/pkg/pico-4.33'
pkg_add will decompress the file into a temporary location (/var/tmp/## above)
By using the “-v” verbose display, we can tell the binary /usr/local/bin/pico has been installed and the man page placed /usr/local/man/man1/pico.1
If you’ve ever used “pine” as an e-mail manager then pico will be a quick and easy editor to learn and use. Make sure you read the man page for command-line options, especially the “-w” command line option to turn off auto-wordwrap. ‘pico -w file’ is a quick and easy editor for Unix.
[package: bash-2.04-static.tgz | config file: /etc/shells]
This is an example of an installation that requires further work after the binaries have been installed. This example assumes the package file can be found on a mounted OpenBSD cd at /mnt/cdrom.
For your reference: There is a reason we choose the ‘static’ version of bash, as opposed to other versions of bash.
# **cd /mnt/cdrom/2.7/packages/i386** # **ls -l bash***
bash-1.14.7-static.tgz bash-2.04-static.tgz
# **pkg_add bash-2.04-static.tgz**
Requested space: 4606268 bytes, free space: 7432482816 bytes in /var/tmp/instmp.eepTB28148 Running install with PRE-INSTALL for `bash-2.04-static' extract: Package name is bash-2.04-static extract: CWD to /usr/local extract: /usr/local/bin/bash extract: /usr/local/bin/bashbug extract: /usr/local/man/man1/bash.1 extract: /usr/local/man/man1/bashbug.1 extract: /usr/local/info/bash.info extract: execute 'install-info /usr/local/info/bash.info /usr/local/info/dir' extract: /usr/local/share/doc/bash/article.ps extract: /usr/local/share/doc/bash/article.txt extract: /usr/local/share/doc/bash/bash.html extract: /usr/local/share/doc/bash/bash.ps extract: /usr/local/share/doc/bash/bashbug.ps extract: /usr/local/share/doc/bash/bashref.html extract: /usr/local/share/doc/bash/bashref.ps extract: /usr/local/share/doc/bash/builtins.ps extract: /usr/local/share/doc/bash/readline.ps extract: CWD to . Running install with POST-INSTALL for `bash-2.04-static' Attempting to record package into `/var/db/pkg/bash-2.04-static' Package `bash-2.04-static' registered in `/var/db/pkg/bash-2.04-static' +--------------- | For proper use of bash-2.04-static you should notify the system | that /usr/local/bin/bash is a valid shell by adding it to the | the file /etc/shells. If you are unfamiliar with this file | consult the shells(5) manual page" +---------------
Notice how binary (./bin), man pages have been installed, together with info files and more documentation at the shown location /usr/local/share/doc/bash.
If a package (like bash) gives you further instructions for completing the installation, make sure you follow the instructions. For example, the bash pkg_add tells us to update the /etc/shells file to include bash as a valid login shell.
# $OpenBSD: shells,v 1.5 1997/05/28 21:42:20 deraadt Exp $ # List of acceptable shells for chpass(1). # Ftpd will not allow users to connect who are not using # one of these shells. /bin/sh /bin/csh /bin/ksh
**/usr/local/bin/bash**
Include the above line (/usr/local/bin/bash) into the /etc/shells file.
For those without the release CDs, performing a pkg_add from an ftp connection is no more difficult than the above, as shown in the below example for installing the same package.
I have downloaded the bash package from the Internet and have it on my intranet ftp site: 192.168.101.77
# **pkg_add ftp://192.168.101.77/OpenBSD/2.7/packages/i386/bash-2.04-static.tgz**
>>> ftp -o - ftp://192.168.101.77/OpenBSD/2.7/packages/i386/bash-2.04-static.tgz #
pkg_add uses ftp to retrieve from my internal ftp site (192.168.101.77) the requested package and then extracts the files as per the same operation above. You can replace 192.168.101.77 with any valid ftp site which holds the package you wish to install.
If you do not know what the package name is, or the specific directory the file is located, you can still perform an ftp pkg_add. Try using the get filename "| command “ sequence as shown in the below example. (note: I am connecting here to an internal site with the OpenBSD files, connect to some other site)
# **ftp 192.168.101.77**
Connected to 192.168.10 1.77. Name (192.168.101.77:root): **anonymous** 331 Anonymous access allowed, send identity (e-mail name) as password. Password:
ftp> **cd pub/OpenBSD/2.7/packages/i386**
250 CWD command successful.
ftp> **ls bash***
227 Entering Passive Mode (192,168,101,77,4,164). 125 Data connection already open; Transfer starting. -r-xr-xr-x 1 owner group 261366 May 10 0:24 bash-1.14.7.tgz -r-xr-xr-x 1 owner group 376068 May 10 0:26 bash-1.14.7-static.tgz -r-xr-xr-x 1 owner group 1000070 Jun 15 3:32 bash-2.04.tgz -r-xr-xr-x 1 owner group 1151567 Jun 15 3:32 bash-2.04-static.tgz 226 Transfer complete.
ftp> **bi**
200 Type set to I.
ftp> **get bash-2.04-static.tgz "| pkg_add -v -"**
local: | pkg_add -v - remote:bash-2.04-static.tgz 227 Entering Passive Mode (192,168,101,77,4,166). 125 Data connection already open; Transfer starting. 226 Transfer complete. 1151567 bytes received in 1.09 seconds (1.01 MB/s)
ftp> **quit**