Solaris 11 x86: upgrade Splunk Enterprise from 6.1.1 to 6.1.2 - should I use pkgadd or untar process?

[acsplunkuser]

Our original install of 6.1.1 used the pkgadd based installation process (pkgadd -d splunk-6.1.1-207789-solaris-10-intel.pkg) and now I want to upgrade to 6.1.2.

Is it true I want or need to use the same pkgadd process (ie. pkgadd -d splunk-6.1.2-213098-solaris-10-intel.pkg)?

I'm assuming if I used the untar process the Solaris pkg utilities will still think 6.1.1 is installed.
And related question, for a completely new install on Solaris, x86 or Sparc, is the pkgadd or untar process better suited for future upgrades?

Thanks
Jim

[malmoore · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Like RPM, pkgadd expects you to use it to install/update files and packages consistently. If you used pkgadd to install the product initially, you should continue to use it to install updates.

To answer your question about new installation, it really depends on what you want. pkgadd allows for smoother updates as long as you have access to updated .pkg files. I personally would use a tarball because it gives me more control over the installation process. But then, I'm old school and that route is significantly less automated. 😉