Swbis 0.499

Swbis provides a POSIX packaging implementation with useful extensions.
Swbis aims to implement the POSIX packaging standard with useful extensions. Working utilities include swpackage(8), swverify(8), swcopy(8), and swinstall(8).
GPG/PGP signing and verification of tar archives is supported as well as an installed software catalog form that allows direct use of gpg(1) for verification of the GPG signature in the package database. s
wcopy and swinstall are network transparent by direct use of SSH and support multiple SSH hops for easy access to hosts behind a firewall. Neither has to be installed on the remote target host.
Enhancements:
- swcopy - Distribution copying utility.
- Supports multiple ssh-hops to remote target or source.
- Uses ssh, sh, dd, and choice of pax, tar, star, or gtar.
- Does not have to be installed on the target host.
- target or source host may be any POSIX.2 conforming host.
- Supports remote-source to remote-target copies.
- swpackage - Packages files according to a PSF file.
- Complete implementation of Extended Definitions.
- Stand-alone operation, no use of temporary files.
- Output format is bit-for-bit identical to GNU tar.
- Supports creation of GPG embedded signature, and sha1, md5sum digests of the package payload section.
- swverify - Authenticates a signed package.
- Authenticates packages signed by swpackage.
- Verifies installed software (partially implemented).
- Authenticates the GPG signature in the installed software.
- swinstall - Install a posix package. (alpha as of 2004-02-15)
- swinstall does not have to be installed on the target host.
- The target or source host may be any POSIX.2 conforming host.
- creates an installed software catalog where the GPG signature can be verified using gpg
- Uses ssh for remote connections.
- Supports multiple ssh-hops to remote target or source.
- Uses tar (or pax) to install the files.
- Supports full error monitoring during control script execution and records exit status and installation states.
Enhancements:
- This release adds features to swpackage for using gpg-agent when signing packages.
- Also features were added to enable use of swign in an Automake rule.
- Enhancements to swverify were made to allow verification of a signed directory exported from a SCM repository such as CVS.
- The distribution package is now a self-hosting example of using the swign utility along with automake to create tar archive distributions with an embedded GPG signature.
- An unsafe use of gpgs exit status by swverify was fixed.