pkg_delete(1)

NAME

pkg_delete - a utility for deleting previously installed

software package
distributions

SYNOPSIS

pkg_delete [-dDfGinrvxX] [-p prefix] pkg-name ...
pkg_delete -a [flags]

DESCRIPTION

The pkg_delete command is used to delete packages that have

been previously installed with the pkg_add(1) command.

WARNING

Since the pkg_delete command may execute scripts or programs

provided by
a package file, your system may be susceptible to ``trojan

horses'' or
other subtle attacks from miscreants who create dangerous

package files.

You are advised to verify the competence and identity of

those who provide installable package files. For extra protection,

examine all the
package control files in the package record directory (/var/db/pkg/<pkg-name>/). Pay particular attention to any

+INSTALL,
+POST-INSTALL, +DEINSTALL, +POST-DEINSTALL, +REQUIRE or

+MTREE_DIRS
files, and inspect the +CONTENTS file for @cwd, @mode (check

for setuid),
@dirrm, @exec, and @unexec directives, and/or use the

pkg_info(1) command
to examine the installed package control files.

OPTIONS

The following command line options are supported:

pkg-name ...

The named packages are deinstalled.

-a Unconditionally delete all currently installed pack

ages.

-i Request confirmation before attempting to delete

each package,

regardless whether or not the standard input device

is a terminal.

-v Turn on verbose output.

-D If a deinstallation script exists for a given pack

age, do not

execute it.

-n Do not actually deinstall a package, just report the

steps that

would be taken if it were.

-p prefix

Set prefix as the directory in which to delete files

from any
installed packages which do not explicitly set

theirs. For most
packages, the prefix will be set automatically to

the installed
location by pkg_add(1).

-d Remove empty directories created by file cleanup.

By default,

only files/directories explicitly listed in a pack

age's contents
(either as normal files/directories or with the

@dirrm directive)
will be removed at deinstallation time. This option

tells
pkg_delete to also remove any directories that were

emptied as a
result of removing the package.

-f Force removal of the package, even if a dependency

is recorded or

the deinstall or require script fails.

-G Do not try to expand shell glob patterns in the

pkg-name when

selecting packages to be deleted (by default

pkg_delete automatically expands shell glob patterns in the pkg-name).

-x Treat the pkg-name as a regular expression and

delete all pack

ages whose names match that regular expression.

Multiple regular
expressions could be provided, in that case

pkg_delete deletes
all packages that match at least one regular expres

sion from the
list.

-X Like -x, but treats the pkg-name as an extended reg

ular expres

sion.

-r Recursive removal. In addition to specified pack

ages, delete all

packages that depend on those packages as well.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

The pkg_delete utility does pretty much what it says. It

examines
installed package records in /var/db/pkg/<pkg-name>, deletes

the package
contents, and finally removes the package records. If the

environment
variable PKG_DBDIR is set, this overrides the /var/db/pkg/

path shown
above.

If a package is required by other installed packages,

pkg_delete will
list those dependent packages and refuse to delete the pack

age (unless
the -f option is given).

If the package contains a require file (see pkg_create(1)),

then this is
executed first as

require <pkg-name> DEINSTALL

(where pkg-name is the name of the package in question and

DEINSTALL is a
keyword denoting that this is a deinstallation) to see

whether or not
deinstallation should continue. A non-zero exit status

means no, unless
the -f option is specified.

If a deinstall script exists for the package, it is executed

before any
files are removed. It is this script's responsibility to

clean up any
additional messy details around the package's installation,

since all
pkg_delete knows how to do is delete the files created in

the original
distribution. The deinstall script is called as:

script <pkg-name> DEINSTALL

where pkg-name is the name of the package in question and

DEINSTALL is a
keyword denoting this as the pre-deinstallation phase.

Note: The DEINSTALL keyword will not appear if separate

scripts for deinstall and post-deinstall are given during package creation

time (using
the -k and -K flags to pkg_create(1)).

If a post-deinstall script exists for the package, it is ex

ecuted after
all files are removed. It is this script's responsibility

to clean up
any additional messy details around the package's installa

tion, and leave
the system (hopefully) in the same state that it was prior

to the installation of the package.

The post-deinstall script is called as:

script <pkg-name> POST-DEINSTALL

where pkg-name is the name of the package in question and

POST-DEINSTALL
is a keyword denoting this as the post-deinstallation phase.

Note: The POST-DEINSTALL keyword will not appear if separate

scripts for
deinstall and post-deinstall are given during package cre

ation time
(using the -k and -K flags to pkg_create(1)).

Reasoning behind passing keywords such as DEINSTALL and

POST-DEINSTALL is
that it lets you potentially write only one program/script

that handles
all aspects of installation and deletion.

But experience has proved that this is a lot more difficult

to maintain
and is not as advantageous as having separate scripts that

handle each
aspect of installation and deinstallation.

All scripts are called with the environment variable

PKG_PREFIX set to
the installation prefix (see the -p option above). This al

lows a package
author to write a script that reliably performs some action

on the directory where the package is installed, even if the user might

have changed
it by specifying the -p option when running pkg_delete or

pkg_add.

ENVIRONMENT

The environment variable PKG_DBDIR specifies an alternative

location for
the installed package database.

FILES

/var/db/pkg Default location of the installed package

database.

SEE ALSO

pkg_add(1), pkg_create(1), pkg_info(1), pkg_version(1), mk

temp(3),
mtree(8)

AUTHORS

Jordan Hubbard

CONTRIBUTORS

John Kohl <jtk@rational.com>, Oliver Eikemeier <eik@FreeB

SD.org>

BUGS

Sure to be some.

BSD June 29, 2004

BSD