[pca] patch install fail

[Brookins, Neil (Philadelphia)]

I just built a new T2000 using Solaris10 U11.
I then patched it with "pca --install --minimal missingr"
The following six patches failed to install:

# ./pca -l --minimal missingr
Using /var/tmp/patches/./patchdiag.xref from Feb/26/13
Host: xxxxxx (SunOS 5.10/Generic_147147-26/sparc/sun4v)
List: missingr-minimal (6/3818)

Patch  IR   CR RSB Age Synopsis
------ -- - -- --- --- -------------------------------------------------------
138876 -- < 01 RS- 999 Obsoleted by: 138876-02 SunOS 5.10: usr/lib/inet/in.dhcpd patch
145929 -- < 05 R-- 573 Obsoleted by: 145929-06 SunOS 5.10: igb driver Patch
145953 -- < 06 R-- 573 Obsoleted by: 145953-07 SunOS 5.10: emlxs driver Patch
146232 -- < 21 RS- 149 Obsoleted by: 146232-22 SunOS 5.10: iSCSI patch
146954 -- < 03 R-- 573 Obsoleted by: 146954-04 SunOS 5.10: routed patch
148169 -- < 03 R-- 376 Obsoleted by: 148169-04 SunOS 5.10: ixgbe patch

I picked "emlxs driver Patch" to trace the trail of "Obsoleted by...:" to confirm that a newer patch was already installed.
The xref file shows 145953-06 is Obsoleted by: 145953-07
The xref file shows 145953-07 is Obsoleted by: 149173-03
The "showrev -p" shows that Patch: 149173-03 is installed.
Therefore, 145953-06 is not needed.

Next I look at "igb driver Patch" to trace the trail...
The xref shows 145929-05 is Obsoleted by: 145929-06
The xref does not have 145929-06 listed.
But the xref does list 145929-09 so we know -06 is obsoleted by -09 which in turn is Obsoleted by: 148035-06
The "showrev -p" shows that Patch: 148035-06 is installed.
Therefore, 145929-05 is not needed.

In the above 2 cases, we can easily trace the trail using only the xref file. I assume that the other 4 cases are similar.
We do not have to download any additional data to derive the path of obsolescence.
I'd like to automate this process in such a way that the tool would automatically know that these patches are not needed to be installed and avoid having the failures. The goal would be that patches are not attempted to be installed if they are already obsoleted by any newer patch. Would this new functionality be something that PCA could be enhanced to perform?

Neil G. Brookins
Identity and Authentication Solutions - IT Global Solutions
Towers Watson
1500 Market Street | Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: +1 215 246 6046
neil.brookins at towerswatson.com<mailto:neil.brookins at towerswatson.com>

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