Almost all operating systems use a package mechanism for software installation. AIX uses the installp format for Licensed Program Products (LPP) and also supports RPM packages. installp packages are in Backup File Format (BFF). The name installp comes from the command “/usr/sbin/installp“, which is used to install packages. A package contains, in addition to the files to be installed, control files for the installation and other files for system customization (e.g., ODM entries).

To truly understand packages and filesets under AIX, one must examine their structure in detail, and ideally also the process of creating packages. The understanding gained in this way is not only helpful for installing and managing packages, but especially when troubleshooting installation errors.