On Wed, 2 Jul 2003, Chris Stromsoe wrote: > Is it possible to install Cygwin packages from inside the Cygwin shell? > I've got a remote machine that is running ssh. I need to add some > packages to it, but don't want to make the trek up to the console. Is > there a way to install individual packages from the shell, without having > console access? (Really from the shell, not using VNC, or some other > remote controlling application.) > -Chris
Chris, Well, the good news is that Cygwin setup has some command-line options and rudimentary unattended mode capability. The bad news is that these options are not documented anywhere except in setup's source code (which can be found through <http://sources.redhat.com/cygwin-apps/setup.html>). You will also need to give the ssh service permission to access the desktop, as setup.exe will still have to display a window, even in unattended mode, although you won't have to actually press buttons. I don't think you'll get any feedback on the console, either -- the unattended mode is still work in progress. Plus, use at your own risk, since if there is an error, Windows will pop up a dialog box... One more hurdle you'll have to overcome is upgrading the Cygwin package itself. Since you'll be running at least sshd and your favorite shell, cygwin1.dll will be locked and won't be replaced until reboot. You could get around it by having sshd start automatically on reboot, and using the "shutdown" package, but beware that you can't run most of the newer commands with the older cygwin1.dll in memory -- you'll get all those "can't find entry point" errors. So, the recommended procedure is: 1) upgrade the "cygwin" package; 2) reboot; 3) log in again and upgrade the rest of the packages (if you're upgrading the openssh package, or your shell, you may have to reboot again). This is not foolproof, but if you feel adventurous, you might give it a try. No guarantees, though -- be prepared to make the trip to the console if need be. Igor P.S. It might be very useful for the setup.exe developers and package maintainers if you shared your experience on this should you decide to take the plunge. -- http://cs.nyu.edu/~pechtcha/ |\ _,,,---,,_ [EMAIL PROTECTED] ZZZzz /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ [EMAIL PROTECTED] |,4- ) )-,_. ,\ ( `'-' Igor Pechtchanski, Ph.D. '---''(_/--' `-'\_) fL a.k.a JaguaR-R-R-r-r-r-.-.-. Meow! "I have since come to realize that being between your mentor and his route to the bathroom is a major career booster." -- Patrick Naughton -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
