What is an IPS Package?

An IPS package is defined as a collection of files, directories, links, drivers and dependencies in a defined format.

Note the following points about IPS packages :

• There is no standard on-disk format for an IPS package. Hence, unlike a .rpm file, an SVR4 package, or a .nbm file, an IPS package cannot be transferred from system to system. The repository where the IPS package is published or mirrored is the only source for the package.

• An IPS package consists of a set of actions. Actions are defined when an IPS package is being created.

  Actions are used for defining the files and directories of the package, setting package attributes, declaring dependencies on other packages, creating users and groups, and installing device drivers. Some actions may optionally have tags that provide meta information about the action such as locale information and debug configuration. See the Actions in IPS section for more information.