I got past my earlier problems and UM is now updated to version 1.0. The issue I'm seeing now is that there are a number of patches that I've told the UM to install that indicated a restart is needed. I've restarted my system twice but the patches do not appear to be installed. In /var/sadm/spool I see the .jar files for the patches. Aren't these supposed to be installed automagically when I reboot?
I was using reboot. It would be nice if either reboot did the right thing or the UM instructions were very explicit. I notice in the patch readme for one of the patches it states:
After installing this patch, reboot the system to load the newly installed driver.
Notice it literal uses reboot, not shutdown.
Hi,
Looking through the install documentation shows the following.
If an update you install requires a system reboot to activate it, the update is staged for installation at the next system shutdown. You must use one of the following commands to initiate the system shutdown:
Power down the systeminit 0 or shutdown -i 0
Drop to the firmware promptinit 5 or shutdown -i 5
Reboot the systeminit 6 or shutdown -i 6
NoteDo not use the reboot command, the halt command, the uadmin command, or press the Reset or Power button to initiate the shutdown. Taking any of these actions bypasses the required shutdown processing, and prevents the updates from being staged for later installation.
My issue with this is how many different places does one need to read in order to find out the right thing to do? The patch README indicates that a reboot is required but makes no mention that shutdown must be used. That info is also hard to find via UM. It would be nice if UM provided more hints regarding this. Isn't one of the points of UM easy of use?
I feel I should defend UM on this issue because I do find that it is user-friendly and is quite clear about the restart patches instructions.
We can't blame Sun if users don't read the product administration guide or ignore the application pop-up dialogs! I doubt anyone can be that busy that they are unable make time to read the guide for the product they are going to use, or even read the dialogs.
Where would you suggest the instructions be placed? Whatever your answer to this, the question has to be asked - what if the user doesn't read it or see it in that place?!
It can't be added in the README's because they will not be written by UM (unless the patch itself is for the UM product).
Well, to make things absolutely simple for users, UM provides a means to restart your system directly from the Installation Summary dialog. But should you choose to not do it this way, UM clearly provides instructions on what is necessary should you decide to restart the system yourself. These instructions are provided in at least three places - the Installation Summary dialog, the users guide, and the FAQ. I don't know how we could have made this clearer. We are certainly open to your suggestions.
-Dave
Okay, how does one bring up older Installation Summary logs from within UM? Why doesn't the patch README have the same info regarding use of shutdown versus reboot?
All I can say as a user is that my experience left me puzzled as to why certain patches were not getting installed. Of course, now that I know why it won't happen again but I brought this up so that the UM developers would be aware that this could be an issue for some users.
Including this info in the patch readmes is a good idea and something we should work towards. Unfortunately this is not a simple task because we (the creators and supporters of Sun Update Connection) do not own or author the patch readmes. The patch readmes are accurate for the method of patch installation that they document which is patchadd.
I will investigate to see how we can update readmes to provide info for users who apply patches with our new tools. Perhaps its as simple as updating whatever template is used.
thanks
Dave
BTW, I just installed a restart patch and what I notice is that:
1. the install log window does have the warning about reboot but it is in small font at the top of the window and that my focus is drawn towards the success status of the patches.
2. after I close the install log window another window pops up warning me that some patches require restart but this message does not indicate that shutdown or init must be used and that reboot will not work. This should certainly be fixed.
