Installing the AIX Documentation

Installation Guide

Installing the AIX Documentation

Installing Documentation from the AIX Documentation CDs

The AIX Version 4.3 documentation is contained on two compact discs:

AIX Version 4.3 Base Documentation CD, contains the following types of documentation:
- User guides
- System management guides
- Application programmer guides
- All commands reference volumes
- Files reference
- Technical reference volumes used by application programmers
AIX Version 4.3 Extended Documentation CD, contains the following types of documentation:
- Adapter guide and reference books
- Technical specifications describing industry standard functions
- Technical reference volumes used by system programmers

Note: The AIX Version 4.3 Base Documentation CD and the AIX Version 4.3 Extended Documentation CD can be either installed or mounted. If you mount the CD, the entire CD is mounted. You cannot install part of the CD and mount the remainder.

These CDs contain AIX and related products documentation designed for use with an HTML 3.2 web browser, such as the Netscape browser that is shipped with the AIX Version 4.3 Bonus Pack. The discs require a CD-ROM drive.

The documentation information is made accessible by loading it onto the hard disk or by mounting the documentation CD in the CD-ROM drive. While mounting the CD saves on the amount of hard disk space used, it requires the CD be kept in the CD-ROM drive at all times. Also, searching the documentation from the CD-ROM drive can be significantly slower (in some cases up to ten times slower) than searching the information if it is installed on a harddisk.

If you want to install the documentation on your harddisk, go to Installing Documentation from the AIX Documentation CDs. If you want to mount the documentation CD, go to Mounting a Documentation CD.

You can install all of the AIX documentation from the AIX Version 4.3 Base Documentation CD and the AIX Version 4.3 Extended Documentation CD or you can selectively install pieces of the documentation. Some documentation may have previously been installed with the operating system or other licensed products. Run the lslpp command to find out which packages and filesets are already installed on your system.

The installation application you use, either Web-based System Manager or SMIT, will create a temporary mount point for the CD.

Note: For additional information on installing the documentation, see Installing Optional Software and Service Updates.

Mounting a Documentation CD

The first time you access the documentation from your CD, you must:

Create a CD file system
Mount the CD file system
Run the link script.

Note: You must have root user authority or be a member of the system group to perform these tasks.

Create a CD File System

These steps describe how to create a file system where you can mount your CD:

Insert the CD in the drive, following the instructions in your operator guide, and run the following SMIT command: smit crcdrfs.
On the Add a CD-ROM File System screen, list all available devices.
Highlight the CD-ROM device you plan to use and press Enter.
Highlight the MOUNT POINT entry field.
If you are creating a file system for the AIX Version 4.3 Base Documentation CD, type the following, but do not press Enter until you get to Step 7:
```
/infocd
```
If you are creating a file system for the AIX Version 4.3 Extended Documentation CD, type the following, but do not press Enter until you get to Step 7:
```
/exinfocd
```
Highlight the Mount AUTOMATICALLY at system restart? field. You have two choices:
1. Yes - Mount the documentation CD every time you start the system.
2. No - Mount manually when you need the documentation CD.
When you have finished making all changes to all the entry fields, press Enter and exit SMIT.

Mount the CD File System

These steps describe how to mount your CD to the file system you just created:

At the system prompt, enter the following smit command: smit mountfs. The Mount a File System screen appears, highlighting the FILESYSTEM name field.
Note: Select yes to mount the CD as READ-ONLY.
Click the List button next to the FILE SYSTEM names field. Click on the file system name that contains /infocd if you are mounting the base CD, or click on the line that contains /exinfocd if you are mounting the extended CD.
Press Enter, and when the Command: status field changes to OK, exit SMIT.
Note: If the CD is ejected from the system while it is still mounted, the connection is broken and you cannot access the information. To remove the CD from the system, run the unlink script and then unmount the file system using the unmount command before ejecting the CD. To access the CD again, you must remount the CD file system, using the mount or smit command.

Run the Link Script

To mount the AIX Version 4.3 Base Documentation CD, type the following two commands:
```
cd /infocd

./linkbasecd
```
To mount the AIX Version 4.3 Extended Documentation CD, type the following two commands:
```
cd /exinfocd

./linkextcd
```

Unmounting a Documentation CD

To unmount the CD, you must first run the unlink script and then unmount the CD:

To unmount the AIX Version 4.3 Base Documentation CD, type the following three commands:
```
cd /infocd

./unlinkbasecd

umount /infocd
```
To unmount the AIX Version 4.3 Extended Documentation CD, type the following three commands:
```
cd /exinfocd

./unlinkextcd

umount /exinfocd
```

Removing Book Links

To save disk space, your system administrator may have omitted some of the AIX documentation. Some of the installed documentation may still contain links to these books. If you click on a link to one of the missing books, you will receive an error message. It is possible to remove these links to resolve this problem by running the following command as root:

resolve_links

This command will determine the books that are installed, and then remove all links to the missing documentation.

Note: Thousands of pages of documentation are searched through and modified by the command, so it may run for a long period of time. However, the documentation may still by accessed by users while the resolve_links command is running.

Where Do I Go Next?

At this point, you may want to do one or more additional tasks before using your system:

The software you installed may contain README files with late-breaking news. For information on how to view README files, refer to Viewing README Files.
You might want to create a new backup of your system at this point. Go to Backing Up Your System.
For information on how to view the AIX documentation, go to Accessing Online Information in AIX Version 4.3 Quick Beginnings.
For further information about the Documentation Library Service, go to Documentation Library Service in AIX Version 4.3 System Management Guide: Operating System and Devices.