ludesc(1M) ludesc(1M)
NAME
ludesc - display or set boot environment description
SYNOPSIS
/usr/sbin/ludesc -A BE_description | -f {filename | -} [-l error_log] [-o outfile] [-X]
/usr/sbin/ludesc -n BE_name [-f filename | -] [-l error_log] [-o outfile] [-X]
/usr/sbin/ludesc -n BE_name [-l error_log] [-o outfile] [-X] BE_description
DESCRIPTION
The ludesc command is part of a suite of commands that make up the Live Upgrade feature of the Solaris operating environment. See
live_upgrade(5) for a description of the Live Upgrade feature.
The ludesc command allows you to manipulate boot environment (BE) descriptions. A BE description is an optional attribute of a BE. It can
be text or binary data. For example, it might be a string such as "S9 beta test BE" or it be a file that contains 8-bit multi-byte charac-
ters. The ludesc command in general and the options to manipulate binary-format descriptions in particular are suitable for use in pro-
grams.
You create a BE description using ludesc or lucreate(1M). Only ludesc allows you to change a BE description or add a description following
BE creation.
While a BE description is associated with a BE name, it is not interchangeable with that name. No Live Upgrade command allows you to spec-
ify a BE description instead of a BE name when performing an operation on a BE.
A shell might restrict what you enter for a BE description (in both ludesc and lucreate(1M)). In entering a description, use the following
guidelines:
o Always enclose a description in single quotes ('), unless the description includes a single quote.
o If your description includes a single quote, enclose the description in double quotes ("). You then must use an escape sequence (usu-
ally a backslash []) to enter a character that is special to the shell. See sh(1) for a list of special characters and a description
of the escape sequence mechanism.
Descriptions that include many special characters might be more conveniently inserted in a file (-f option) than entered on a command line
(-A option).
When ludesc outputs a BE description, it does so exactly as the description was entered. Because of this feature, a description that is a
text string does not have a concluding newline, which means the system prompt immediately follows the last character of the description.
The ludesc command requires root privileges.
OPTIONS
The ludesc command has the following options:
-A BE_description
Displays the BE name associated with BE_description.
-f {filename | -}
Specify the BE description contained in filename or read from stdin. When used without -n, displays the BE name associated with the
specified BE description. Used with -n, changes the description for the specified BE to the description specified with -f.
-l error_log
Error and status messages are sent to error_log, in addition to where they are sent in your current environment.
-n BE_name
With no other arguments, displays the BE description for the specified BE. With the -f option or the BE_description operand, changes
the description for the specified BE to that specified with -f or BE_description.
-o outfile
All command output is sent to outfile, in addition to where it is sent in your current environment.
-X
Enable XML output. Characteristics of XML are defined in DTD, in /usr/share/lib/xml/dtd/lu_cli.dtd.<num>, where <num> is the version
number of the DTD file.
OPERANDS
BE_description
Used only with the -n option. BE_description replaces the current BE description for the specified BE.
EXAMPLES
The following are examples of the use of ludesc.
Example 1: Basic Use
The first command, below, assigns a description to a BE. The second command returns the name of the BE associated with the specified
description. The last command returns the description associated with a specified BE.
# ludesc -n first_disk 'Test disk'
Setting description for boot environment <first_disk>.
Propagating the change of BE description to all BEs.
# ludesc -A 'Test disk'
first_disk
#
# ludesc -n first_disk
Test disk#
As seen above and noted in the DESCRIPTION, ludesc does not append a newline to the display of BE description that is a text string.
Example 2: Using Binary Files
The following commands are analogs of the preceding examples, substituting a binary file-here, a file containing a description in Russian,
using the Cyrillic alphabet--for a text string. In the third command, note the use of a file to capture output. Sending output of a binary
file to the console can produce erratic results.
# ludesc -n first_disk -f arrayBE.ru
Setting description for boot environment <first_disk>.
Propagating the change of BE description to all BEs.
# ludesc -f arrayBE.ru
first_disk
# ludesc -n first_disk > /tmp/arrayBE.out
EXIT STATUS
The following exit values are returned:
0 Successful completion.
>0 An error occurred.
FILES
/etc/lutab
list of BEs on the system
/usr/share/lib/xml/dtd/lu_cli.dtd.<num>
Live Upgrade DTD (see -X option)
ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
| ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
|Availability |SUNWluu |
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
SEE ALSO
lu(1M), luactivate(1M), lucancel(1M), lucompare(1M), lucreate(1M), ludelete(1M), lufslist(1M), lumake(1M), lumount(1M), lurename(1M), lus-
tatus(1M), luupgrade(1M), lutab(4), attributes(5), live_upgrade(5)
SunOS 5.10 24 Jan 2002 ludesc(1M)