Remote Software Updates

RSU Updates

Netscape users please read this: netscape.htm.

WarpSpeed Computers supports the OS/2 Warp 3.x method of installing updates using the "Retrieve Software Updates" program. However, IBM chose not to include this program with OS/2 Warp 4.

IBM has implemented a new method for the downloading and automatic installation of updates, CSD's and other fixes. WarpSpeed Computers also supports this new method. For this method to work, please follow this link to the IBM Personal System Products Software Updates (http://ps.software.ibm.com/softupd.html) and follow the instructions on this page to install it.

How Does It Work?

Simple really. The RSU file is returned by your web server as a file with a specified application type of 'application/rsu'. This is recognised as an application from within your browser (once you have updated it). The small (typically only a few Kb) RSU file is downloaded and passed onto the RSUINST program. The RSUINST program goes and downloads the files from a FTP server, unpacks them and runs any specified install program.

If you click on a RSU file and get an unrecognised file type, then you have not installed the RSU updates correctly.

This is a sample RSU file for those of you who wish to understand a little more about this process:

INSTALL_TYPE=R
INSTALL_PGM=updinst.cmd
FTP_SITE=ftp.warpspeed.com.au Updates Updates
PKG_FILE={
  NAME=GU327057.ZIP
  UNZIP=Y
  FILE_SIZE=82202
  UNZIPPED_SIZE=198178
  MODE=B
}

Details
INSTALL_TYPE	May be L (Local), R (Remote) or G (Getfiles).
INSTALL_PGM	This is the install program to be run from the extracted ZIP file.
FTP_SITE	This is site of the zip file to be obtained. It is in the format of: <Host> <User ID> <Password>
PKG_FILE	The start of a definition of a package to be retrieved.
NAME	This is the name of the file to be downloaded.
UNZIP	Unzip the archive (Y or N).
FILE_SIZE	This is the size of the ZIP file.
UNZIPPED_SIZE	This is the size of all of the files when unzipped.
MODE	This is the mode of the FTP transfer. It is A (ASCII) or B (BINARY).

The file is downloaded into a directory called "\$RSUTMP$. If the drive can not fit the unpacked files, then you will be prompted to supply a new drive letter. So, the install program must be able to install across drives and not assume where is being being run from.

A logfile of \OS2\INSTALL\RSUINST.LOG is produced. You may use this log file to examine what happened in the event of errors.