HP Labs Technical Reports

Mkpkg - A Software Packaging Tool

Staelin, Carl

HPL-97-125R1

Keyword(s): software packaging; software distribution; software publishing

Abstract: Mkpkg is a tool that helps software publishers create installation packages. Given software that is ready for distribution, mkpkg helps the publisher develop a description of the software package, including manifests, dependencies, and post-install customizations. Mkpkg automates many of the painstaking tasks required of the publisher, such as determining the complete package manifest and dependencies of the executables on shared libraries. Using mkpkg, a publisher can generate software packages for complex software such as TeX with only three minutes effort. Mkpkg has been implemented on HP-UX using Tcl/Tk and provides both a graphical and command line interface. It builds product-level packages for Software Distributor (SD-UX).

12 Pages

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