Indicates whether you want to commit the software updates you are installing. When you commit software, you are making a commitment that previous versions of this product are NOT needed. ALL VERSIONS PRIOR TO THE ONE YOU ARE COMMITTING ARE DELETED. Committing software has two effects. It frees up disk space that was used to store older versions of that software. It eliminates the possibility of being able to reject the update and go back to the previous version.
YES instructs the system to commit the software updates you are installing. All versions prior to the one you are committing are deleted. In general, it is not recommended to commit software updates you are installing for the first time. For example, after using a new version, you may decide you prefer to use an earlier version of the software. Once you commit the software updates you are installing, you will have no way to retrieve previous versions. You must reinstall previous versions in order to use them.
NO instructs the system not to commit the software updates you are installing. The software you are installing will be applied. When software is applied to the system, it becomes the active version of the software. If it is replacing a previous version of the software, the previous version is saved in a special directory on the disk. The previous version can be retrieved, if necessary, by rejecting the current version. Once you are satisfied with the updates, you should commit them to free up disk space used by the saved files.
If you choose NO for "COMMIT software updates", then you must choose YES to "SAVE replaced files".
Whether it is desirable for you to commit software updates or not depends on the circumstances. You should consider the following in making your decision.
o If you are installing individual updates to fix a reported problem, it is recommended that you answer NO. You can then verify that the fix corrects your problem and does not cause other problems before committing to it.
o If you have very limited hard disk space, it may be necessary to answer YES to commit software or to use an alternate save directory with an NFS mounted file system.
o Choosing NO when updating all your products to a new maintenance level can use a significant amount of disk space and will cause the installation to take longer. You must weigh these factors with whether you need the ability to back out the changes if you have problems with the new level.
o If you are doing a new install of a product and its updates, there may be no advantage to you in choosing NO.
This is NOT your only opportunity to commit software. After you have installed the software and used it for awhile, you can commit it. Go to the Software Installation & Maintenance menu on SMIT, select Maintain Installed Software and then select Commit Applied Software (Remove Saved Files).