Werk #22164: Customize agent package: Mark Solaris and AIX as experimental
| Component | Agent bakery | ||||
| Title | Customize agent package: Mark Solaris and AIX as experimental | ||||
| Date | Sep 30, 2026 | ||||
| Level | Trivial Change | ||||
| Class | Bug Fix | ||||
| Compatibility | Compatible - no manual interaction needed | ||||
| Checkmk versions & editions |
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The ruleset Customize agent package (Linux) activates the single directory deployment from Werk #17900 and the non-root deployment from Werk #17901. Despite its title, the ruleset also changes the agent packages for Solaris and AIX. Werk #17900 already mentioned this, but declared the feature as Linux-only.
The ruleset is now titled Customize agent package (Linux; Solaris and AIX: experimental). The entries Customize user and Architecture of the systems where the agent will be deployed are now marked as (Linux only).
What takes effect on Solaris and AIX
On Solaris and AIX, only the entry Installation directories takes effect. The Checkmk agent gets installed below the configured directory, like on Linux.
The entry Customize user has no effect on these systems. The agent always runs as root on Solaris,
and AIX packages don't come with a service dispatcher at all, so the non-root deployment from
Werk #17901 is not available. As already stated in
Werk #17901, the sudo mechanism is still deployed to all UNIX-like
systems, including the sudoers template.
The Agent Controller doesn't apply on Solaris and AIX. Hence, the entry Architecture of the systems where the agent will be deployed has no effect there either.
Switching the directory layout
On Linux, the agent package migrates the runtime files of an existing installation when you switch
to the single directory deployment. On Solaris, this migration doesn't exist. After an automatic
agent update into the single directory deployment, the agent updater misses its registration.
Register it again with cmk-update-agent register.
Switching back to the classic directory layout by an automatic agent update is not supported, neither on Linux nor on Solaris. The agent updater loses its registration, and the old installation directory stays behind. Instead, remove the Checkmk agent package, install the package with the classic layout manually, and register the agent updater again.
On AIX, the agent package is a plain .tgz archive without installation scripts, and automatic
agent updates are not available. A change of the directory layout is therefore always a manual step
on AIX.
If your Solaris or AIX hosts shall keep the classic directory layout, exclude them from Customize agent package rules via rule conditions.
The removal of Solaris agent packages with single directory deployment is fixed with Werk #22163.