Setup overview – Apple Mac OS X Server (Administrator’s Guide) User Manual

Page 510

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Chapter 13

A package is a collection of compressed files and other information used to install software
onto a computer. The contents of a package are contained within a single file, which has the
extension .pkg. The following table shows the components of a package file.

The contents of a package can be viewed by selecting the package and holding down the
Command, Shift, and O keys. This opens a viewer window in which the contents of the
package are displayed.

You use Package Maker, available on the Mac OS X Server Administration Tools CD, to create
application software packages to use with Network Install. Additional information about
Package Maker is available at the following Web site:

http://developer.apple.com/techpubs/macosx/DeveloperTools/PackageMaker/
PackageMaker.help/Contents/Resources/English.Iproj/

Setup Overview

Here are the basic steps for creating installer disk images.

Step 1:

Read the NetBoot chapter and enable NetBoot on your server

Chapter 12, “NetBoot,” provides important information, such as system requirements and
configuration procedures that you’ll need to know to use Network Install. Follow the
instructions in “Starting NetBoot on Your Server” on page 501 to turn on NetBoot and
Network Install.

File

Description

product.pax.gz

The files to be installed, compressed with gzip and archived with
pax. (See man pages for more information about gzip and pax.)

product.bom

Bill of Materials: a record of where files are to be installed. This is
used in the verification and uninstall processes.

product.info

Contains information to be displayed during installation.

product.sizes

Text file; contains the number of files in the package.

product.tiff

Contains custom icon for the package.

product.status

Created during the installation, this file will either say “installed”
or “compressed.”

product.location

Shows location where the package will be installed.

software_version

(Optional) Contains the version of the package to be installed.

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