platform(4)							   File Formats 						       platform(4)

NAME

       platform - directory of files specifying supported platforms

SYNOPSIS

       .platform

DESCRIPTION

       The  Solaris  operating	environment release includes the .platform directory, a new directory on the Solaris CD image. This directory con-
       tains files (created by Sun and Solaris OEMs) that define platform support. These files are generically referred to as platform	definition
       files. They provide a means to map different platform types into a platform group.

       Platform  definition  files  in	the  .platform directory are used by the installation software to ensure that software appropriate for the
       architecture of the system will be installed.

       Sun provides a platform definition file named .platform/Solaris . This file is the only one that can define platform groups to which  other
       platform  definition files can refer. For example, an OEM platform definition file can refer to any platform group specified in the Solaris
       platform definition file.

       Other platform definition files are delivered by OEMs. To avoid name conflicts, OEMs will name their platform definition file with an  OEM-
       unique  string.	OEMs  should  use whatever string they use to make their package names unique. This unique string is often the OEM's stock
       symbol.

       Comments are allowed in a platform definition file. A "#" begins a comment and can be placed anywhere on a line.

       Platform definition files are composed of keyword-value pairs, and there are two kinds of stanzas in the file: platform	group  definitions
       and platform identifications.

	 o  Platform group definitions:

	    The keywords in a platform group definition stanza are:

	    PLATFORM_GROUP  The  PLATFORM_GROUP  keyword  must be the first keyword in the platform group definition stanza. The value assigned to
			    this keyword is the name of the platform group, for example:

			    PLATFORM_GROUP=sun4c

			    The PLATFORM_GROUP name is an arbitrary name assigned to a	group  of  platforms.  However,  PLATFORM_GROUP  typically
			    equals  the  output  of the uname -m command. PLATFORM_GROUP value cannot have white space and is limited to 256 ASCII
			    characters.

	    INST_ARCH	    The instruction set architecture of all platforms in the platform group, for example:

			    INST_ARCH=sparc

			    The INST_ARCH keyword value must be the value returned by the uname -p command on all platforms in the platform group.

	 o  Platform identifications:

	    The keywords in a platform identification stanza are:

	    PLATFORM_NAME	    The PLATFORM_NAME keyword must be the first keyword in the platform identification stanza.	The  PLATFORM_NAME
				    is the name assigned to the platform, for example:

				    PLATFORM_NAME=SUNW,SPARCstation-5

				    Typically,	this name is the same as the value returned by the uname -icommand on the machine, but it need not
				    be the same.

				    The PLATFORM_NAME value cannot have white space and is limited to 256 ASCII characters. If it contains  paren-
				    theses,  it must contain only balanced parentheses. For example. the string "foo(bar)foo" is a valid value for
				    this keyword, but "foo(bar" is not.

				    The other keywords in the platform identification stanza can be in any order, as  long  as	the  PLATFORM_NAME
				    keyword is first.

	    PLATFORM_ID 	    The value returned by the uname -i command on the machine, for example:

				    PLATFORM_ID=SUNW,SPARCstation-5

	    MACHINE_TYPE	    The value returned by the uname -m command on the machine, for example:

				    MACHINE_TYPE=sun4c

	    IN_PLATFORM_GROUP	    The platform group of which the platform is a member, for example:

				    IN_PLATFORM_GROUP=sun4c

				    The  platform  group  name	must be specified in the same file as the platform identification stanza or in the
				    platform definition file with the name .platform/Solaris .

				    The IN_PLATFORM_GROUP keyword is optional. A platform doesn't have to belong to a platform group. If  a  plat-
				    form  is  not  explicitly assigned to a platform group, it essentially forms its own platform group, where the
				    platform group name is the PLATFORM_NAME value.  The IN_PLATFORM_GROUP value typically equals  the	output	of
				    the uname -m command.  IN_PLATFORM_GROUP value cannot have white space and is limited to 256 ASCII characters.

	    INST_ARCH		    The instruction set architecture of the platform, for example:

				    INST_ARCH=sparc

				    This  field  is only required if the platform does not belong to a platform group. The INST_ARCH keyword value
				    must be the value returned by the uname -i command on all platforms in the platform group.

COMPATIBILITY

       The installation program will remain compatible with the old Solaris CD format. If a Solaris CD image does not contain any platform defini-
       tion  files,  the  installation	and  upgrade  programs	will select the packages to be installed based on machine type, that is, the value
       returned by the uname -p command.

EXAMPLES

       Example 1: Platform Group Definitions

       The following example shows platform group definitions from the .platform/Solaris platform definition file.

       #
       PLATFORM_GROUP=sun4u
       INST_ARCH=sparc

       Example 2: Platform Identification Stanzas

       The following example shows platform identification stanzas, which define systems  that	belong	in  a  platform  group,  from  the  .plat-
       form/Solaris platform definition file.

       #
       PLATFORM_NAME=SUNW,SunFire
       PLATFORM_ID=SUNW,SunFire
       IN_PLATFORM_GROUP=sun4u
       PLATFORM_NAME=SUNW,Ultra-80
       PLATFORM_ID=SUNW,Ultra-80
       IN_PLATFORM_GROUP=sun4u
       #
       PLATFORM_NAME=SUNW,SunFire
       PLATFORM_ID=SUNW,SunFire
       IN_PLATFORM_GROUP=sun4u
       #
       PLATFORM_NAME=SUNW,Ultra-80
       PLATFORM_ID=SUNW,Ultra-80
       IN_PLATFORM_GROUP=sun4u

FILES

       The .platform directory must reside as /cd_image/Solaris_vers/.platform, where

       cd_image        Is the path to the mounted Solaris CD (/cdrom/cdrom0/s0 by default) or the path to a copy of the Solaris CD on a disk.

       Solaris_vers    Is the version of Solaris, for example, Solaris_2.9.

NOTES

       Typically, a platform identification stanza contains either a PLATFORM_ID or a MACHINE_TYPE stanza, but not both.

       If both are specified, both must match for a platform to be identified as this platform type. Each platform identification stanza must con-
       tain either a PLATFORM_ID value or a MACHINE_TYPE value. If a platform matches two different  platform  identification  stanzas--one  which
       matched	on  the  value	of  PLATFORM_ID and one which matched on the value of MACHINE_TYPE , the one that matched on PLATFORM_ID will take
       precedence.

       The .platform directory is part of the Solaris CD image, whether that be the Solaris CD or a copy of the Solaris  CD  on  a  system's  hard
       disk.

SunOS 5.10							    19 Nov 2002 						       platform(4)