Packages
As stated above, a package is a collection of files. One of these is a compressed files that contains the software to be installed. The other files facilitate the installation process. The file contained in a package are:
| Package file | What the files does |
| product.pax.gz | The files to be installed, compressed with gzip and archived with pax (see the man pages for more info) |
| product.bom | Bill Of Materials: a record of where files are to be installed. This is used in the verification and uninstall processes |
| product.info | Contains information to be displayed while installing |
| product.sizes | Text file containing the number of files in the package |
| product.tiff | Custom icon for the package |
| product.status | Created during the installation, it will either say installed or compressed |
| product.location | The location where the package will be installed |
| software_version | May or may not be present. contains the version of the package to be installed |
The contents of a package can be viewed by selecting the package and holding down the command, shift, and "o" key. This opens a new viewer window in which the contents of the package are displayed.
Receipts
The Installer.app creates a receipt after a package has been installed. All receipts are stored in the /Local/Library/Receipts directory.
Note: all receipts have the .pkg or .mpkg extension so that the Installer.app opens them.
A receipt is very similar to a package. Most of the files explained above are part of the receipt with one major exception: the product.pax.gz file is not contained in the receipt.
The files that make up the receipt allow the Installer.app to remove the package at a later date, or to display the location of the installed files.
The contents of a receipt can be viewed by selecting the receipt and holding down the command, shift, and "o" key. This opens a new viewer window in which the contents of the package are displayed.
The Installer.app
To install a package, open the directory that contains the package and double-click the package to be installed. The Installer.app opens and the "Install" button and the "List" button is active. The Install button starts the install process, while the List button lists the files to be installed and where they are to be placed.
Deleting a package is accomplished by double-clicking on its receipt located in the /Local/Library/Receipts directory. When the Installer is done opening the receipt, the "Delete" button and the "List" button will be active. The "Delete" button removes the files installed by the package and also the package receipt itself.
Also, in the Installer.app window is a pull down menu. This menu has three selections, info, progress, and log. The info option is what the Installer.app shows by default. It shows some basic information about the package or receipt. The progress option shows the user the progress of the operation that is currently taking place (installation, uninstall, or listing). Finally, errors will sometimes be reported during an installation. When this happens the Installer.app will refer the user to the log for a description of the issue.
OpenUp and the Installer
There is a very useful third party program called OpenUp that uncompresses files in Mac OS X Server. This program sometimes tries to open packages or receipts when they are double-clicked. See the following article under the Tools heading for instructions on solving this problem:
Article 60030: "
Mac OS X Server: The Inspector."