depend File

Purpose

Describes the format of a software dependencies file.

Description

The depend file is an ASCII file used to specify information concerning software dependencies for a particular package. The file is created by a software developer.

Each entry in the depend file describes a single software package. The instance of the package is described after the entry line by giving the package architecture and/or version. The format of each entry and subsequent instance definition is: 
   type pkg name
The fields are:
Entry Definition
type Defines the dependency type. This must be one of the following:
P
Indicates a prerequisite for installation, for example, the referenced package or versions must be installed.
I
Implies that the existence of the indicated package or version is incompatible. See also the X tag.
X
Implies that the existence of the indicated package or version is incompatible. This tag should be used instead of the I tag.
R
Indicates a reverse dependency. Instead of defining the packages own dependencies, this designates that another package depends on this one. This type should be used only when an old package does not have a depend file but it relies on the newer package nonetheless. Therefore, the present package should not be removed if the designated old package is still on the system since, if it is removed, the old package will no longer work.
S
Indicates a superseding dependency. It should be used when an earlier package has been superseded by the current package.
pkg Indicates the package abbreviation.
name Specifies the full package name.

Dependency checks may be disabled using the admin file.

Examples

Shown below is an example of a depend file (for the NFS package): 
   P  base  Base System
   P  nsu		Networking Support Utilities
   P  inet		Internet Utilities
   P  rpc		Remote Procedure Call Utilities
   P  dfs		Distributed File System Utilities