Driver Update Heads Up

Driver Update Heads-up announcement

Note: This is the complete version, including options on how to build images before DDU packages are delivered to a public repository.

This email may be of interest to you if you:

• Use one of the live installer images (live CD, text installer, or automated installer whether booted from net or media (AI))
• Are interested in adding additional drivers to a booted live environment before performing a target disk installation, to allow that installation to proceed
• Build live installer images

The Driver Update project, along with enhancements to the Device Driver Utility (DDU), now allows you to add additional drivers to a booted live installer image so that installations to third party or other devices can be completed. The installers of those images will also install those additional drivers to the target as well.  Driver Update and the DDU will attempt to locate packages containing missing drivers in the system's configured repository and install them.  Specific driver packages can also be specified explicitly;  IPS packages, SVR4 packages and DU/ITU images are supported.

Features/Changes to live environments:

Live CD:

When the "jack" user logs in (including when Live CD boots), the DDU will be invoked in the background to check for devices which are missing their drivers and will pop up a notification if such devices are found.  Clicking on the DDU icon in the screen's side tray will bring up the DDU GUI which will attempt to install the missing drivers
it finds automatically.  Use the GUI to install explicitly-requested driver packages as well.

Text installer:

The installation menu now has a selection (2) for "Installing Additional Drivers".  Selecting this will bring up a text-mode version of the DDU.  The DDU will search for devices missing drivers when it starts.  To install a driver for a device it finds, select that device, press <return> and then F2 to install.  Install drivers manually by filling out the bottom of the screen and selecting F2.

Automated installer:

A new section has been added to AI client manifests.  This section is optional, and is enveloped by <ai_add_drivers> tags.  By default, AI will search for missing drivers so that all system devices are active.  AI, however, is capable of accepting manual requests for driver packages.  Please see the amply-commented sample AI manifest at
    /usr/share/auto_install/ai_manifest.xml
for details.

Caveats:

• Driver Update and the DDU on live images will not work with packages that install files into /usr, /opt or other areas mounted read-only.
• Drivers being installed must be immediately usable without a reboot.
• Overlaying a new version of a driver on top of an already-operational version is not supported.

Note: you can work around any of these issues by building your own live image using the Distribution Constructor (DC).  Some links for your reference are:
   http://blogs.sun.com/nadkarni/entry/using_distro_constructor_to_add
   http://hub.opensolaris.org/bin/download/Project+caiman/files/DistroConst.pdf
 

Building live / installer images:

Building to get full functionality before new DDU is delivered to a repository

The installer and live-image enhancements have gone back to slim_source, but new DDU packages are also needed for building images and these will be made available later.  If you build images using slim_source packages directly, (i.e. you DON'T get them from ipkg.sfbay), please modify your image build manifests (those input to DC) to temporarily fetch the new DDU packages from indiana-build.central. (Apologies to external users.)

Live CD:

• Uncomment the pkg_repo_addl_authority.  Set url and name to your normal pkg_repo_default_authority url and name.
• Change the pkg_repo_default_authority:  Set url to http://indiana-build.central:8100 and authname to ddu.opensolaris.org
• Delete mirror subelement of pkg_repo_addl_authority

Text installer and automated installer:

• Add url=indiana-build.central:8100 / authname=ddu.opensolaris.org as the pkg_repo_addl_authority (for X86) 
• Add url=indiana-build.central:8101 / authname=ddu.opensolaris.org as the pkg_repo_addl_authority (for SPARC) 
• Delete the mirror subelement of pkg_repo_addl_authority

This workaround is required until both slim_source package changes and new DDU packages are available in the same repository, probably build 140.

Building without DDU until new DDU is delivered

You can also build a live image without the new DDU packages, and some functionality will be missing.  Edit the build manifest and remove references to all diagnostic/ddu* packages.  Here's what to expect:

Live CD:

An older version of the DDU will be invoked upon startup or login of the "jack" user.  It's functionality is similar to the new DDU.

Text installer:

Option 2 in the installation menu will flash an error that the DDU is not present and return to the menu.

Automated installer:

If the <ai_add_driver> tags exist in an AI client manifest, you will see the following message in the /tmp/install_log:

  ai_ddu_lib_init: error accessing DDU library or ICT
  ai_du_get_and_install: Error initializing auto_ddu_lib
  Warning: some additional driver packages could not be installed to booted environment.

... and the install will proceed as before.

Bugs

Please log bugs found to defect.opensolaris.org:

• File bugs found regarding startup of the new functionality, or manifest parsing to:
     product:installer
     component: autoinstall, gui or textui as appropriate.
• File all other bugs to:
     product:opensolaris,
     component: device-utility.
• Please add "Driver-Update" to the bug's Whiteboard field.

        Thank you and enjoy,
        Jack Schwartz, Solaris Install
        Xue-Yang Yan, Zhongyuan Sun, Tony Hu, DDU team