Binary files for DFS server processes are stored on the local disk of each server machine. By default, the files are stored in the dcelocal/bin directory. The Binary Distribution machine for each CPU/OS type in a cell houses the master versions of the binary files for its machine and operating system type in this same local directory. The files can be stored in a different directory on any machine, but it avoids potential confusion if they are stored in the default directory on all machines.
The bos install command can be used to install a new process binary file on a server machine. It should be used to install new binary files only on Binary Distribution machines. The files are then distributed from each Binary Distribution machine to other server machines of the same CPU/OS type via the Update Server. By default, the upclient process on each server machine checks the Binary Distribution machine of its CPU/OS type for new (or different) versions of binary files every 5 minutes; if it finds that versions of files installed on the Binary Distribution machine are different from those on the local machine, it automatically copies the files to its local machine via the upserver process on the Binary Distribution machine.
Do not install new binary files on a server machine other than the Binary Distribution machine. The binary files are overwritten the next time the upclient process on the machine copies versions of files from the Binary Distribution machine of its CPU/OS type.
The bos install command preserves former versions of files in the installation directory by assigning .BAK and .OLD extensions as follows:
· If a current version of the file exists, the command adds a .BAK extension to its name.
· If a .BAK version of the file exists, the command changes its extension to .OLD before giving the current version a .BAK extension.
· If .BAK and .OLD versions of the file exist and the current .BAK version is less than 7 days old, the current version of the file overwrites the current .BAK version, but the .OLD version remains unchanged.
· If .BAK and .OLD versions of the file exist and the current .BAK version is at least 7 days old, the current .BAK version overwrites the current .OLD version, and the current version of the file overwrites the current .BAK version. Use the bos getdates command to examine the time stamps of current, .BAK, and .OLD versions of binary files to determine when they were installed.
The bos install command installs all files with the UNIX mode bits set to 755, regardless of the mode bits associated with a version of the file that currently exists in the installation directory. These permissions are subject to the umask associated with the BOS Server on the machine on which the files are installed. The mode bits associated with the current version of the file are preserved when it becomes the .BAK version. The bos install command neither preserves nor manipulates the access control list, or ACL, permissions of a file installed from or to a DCE LFS fileset.
The bos uninstall command replaces the current version of a binary file with the next-oldest version of the file: the .BAK version, if it exists; otherwise, the .OLD version. If both the .BAK and .OLD versions exist, the .OLD version replaces the .BAK version when the latter becomes the current version. The bos uninstall command's -all option can be used to remove all versions of a binary file.
The bos prune command can be used to remove only the .BAK and .OLD versions of binary files from the dcelocal/bin directory. The bos prune command can also be used to remove core files, which are generated when processes monitored by the BOS Server go down, from the dcelocal/var/dfs/adm directory.
After new versions of binary files for processes controlled by the BOS Server are installed on a machine, you can use the bos restart command to begin using them immediately. Otherwise, the new versions are not used until the next new binary restart time (specified in the dcelocal/var/dfs/BosConfig file) of the BOS Server on the machine. (See Setting Scheduled Restart Times for detailed information about checking and setting scheduled restart times.)
More:
Replacing Binary Files with Older Versions
Checking the Time Stamps on Binary Files
Removing Old Binary and Core Files
Removing All Versions of Binary Files