BASIC INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR .exe FILES ON AIX

This file describes how to install freeware and shareware utilities
for AIX v4 delivered in ".exe" files. These installation instructions
will use the example of the package lsof-3.68.0.0.exe.


     1) Download the package required (check the README.txt for a
	description of what each package contains).

     2) Change the file modes so that the package is executable and,
	as a non-root user, execute the package as shown in the
	following example:
		$ chmod +x lsof-3.68.0.0.exe
		$ ./lsof-3.68.0.0.exe
		Archive:  ./lsof-3.68.0.0.exe
		  inflating: lsof-3.68.0.0.bff

     3) Log in as root and use the following commands to install the bff file
		# rm -f .toc
		# smit install_latest

     4) When smit asks for the "INPUT device / directory for software", type
	in the name of the directory where the file is stored (or just
	answer with . if the file is in the current directory), and then
	type RETURN.

     5) When the next set of menus are displayed, use F4 to generate a list
	of packagesin the directory. Use F7 to select the LPP to install and
	press RETURN to finish choosing. Keep the default values for all the
	other choices, and press RETURN twice to start the install.

The LPP is now installed.
To use the utility the directory '/usr/local/bin' should be in your $PATH,
which can be changed for all the users in the file /etc/environment
The environmental variable "MANPATH" should also be created for all the
users by adding the following line to /etc/profile:

	export MANPATH=/usr/share/man:/usr/local/man:/usr/dt/man:


Some LPPs require additional modifications to the machine or to the
environment. Please refer to the README or INSTALL files delivered with the
LPPs.

To list all the files installed by the LPP, use the command
        lslpp -f "freeware.lsof.*"

For example to find all the README files delivered by all the freeware
and shareware LPPs on the machine, use the command
        lslpp -f "freeware*" "shareware*" | grep -i readme



WHAT ARE .exe FILES AND HOW ARE THEY GENERATED?

	The packages on this server have been compressed using "zip", a
	powerful freeware compression tool that uses the same compression
	algorithm as "gzip", but uses the file format of PK-ZIP (a PC
	compression tool).

	The zip-files generated by the Unix tool "zip" are compatible with
	pkzip zip-files.

	To decompress (unzip) the .exe files on this server, no additional
	tools are required. All the files are packaged as self-decompressing
	zip-files. Simply copy the ".exe" file to your disk, set the file
	modes to allow execution, and then execute the file to extract the
	".bff" file it contains. This can (should?) be done without being
	"root".

	These .exe files are generated by concatenating a tool delivered in
	the "unzip" package with the zip-file containing the .bff archive,
	as follows
$ cat /usr/local/bin/unzipsfx lsof-3.68.0.0.zip > lsof-3.68.0.0.exe


WHAT ARE .bff FILES?

	"bff" stands for "Backup File Format", which just means that the
	file was created using the AIX "backup" tool and can be read using
	AIX tool "restore".

	Under AIX, the standard product packaging system uses the BFF
	format. However additional information about the individual files
	delivered in the product are included inside the BFF package. This
	packaging is said to be an LPP. LPP means "Licensed Product Package",
	but in the case of freeware the concepts of "license" and "product"
	very different from what IBM planned in the beginning.

	The freeware and shareware on the server http://www-frec.bull.com/
	and its mirrors http://www.bull.de/, http://ftp.univie.ac.at/aix/
	and ftp://ftp.TU-Cottbus.De/aix/bull.mirror are packaged as LPPs.
	Once the file on the server has been decompressed, it can be
	installed using the standard AIX installation techniques.
	The tool used to generate these LPPs is called "mklpp". It is
	a collection of simple shell scripts plus a makefile, which can
	be used to make an LPP with any name, but it is "optimized" to
	package freeware and shareware tools.


HOW CAN I BE SURE THAT THE .bff FILE HAS NOT BEEN MODIFIED?

	AIX LPPs contain checksums for all files delivered in the LPP. These
	checksums are automatically verified during the install. These
	checksums are delivered with the LPP so it is possible, though
	relatively complicated, to change the checksum to fit the a modified
	LPP.

	The best way to ensure that the LPP has not been modified would
	be to generate a PGP fingerprint for each file and deliver it with
	the LPP. Unfortunately this is not possible since the LPPs were
	developed in France where PGP is illegal (still).

	The next best way to verify that nothing has been modified is to
	check the MD5 checksum. The MD5 checksums for all the EXE files
	is in the file MD5.txt. These checksums were generated using the
	"siggen" tool in the "tripwire" package.



Good Luck
Ciaran.Deignan@bull.net