Avamar: Solaris Client Plug‑In installation fails with pkgadd request script error

Summary: Avamar client plug‑in installation on Solaris fails with "pkgadd: ERROR: request script did not complete successfully." Cause: missing /tmp permission or corrupted package. Check SHA‑256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256) .pkg, run chmod 1777 /tmp and reinstall. ...

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Symptoms

Avamar client plug‑in installation failure on Solaris

Observed behavior

The Avamar client plug‑in installation does not complete on Solaris 10. The installer stops and reports that no changes were made to the system.

 
/var/tmp/installXqaG5J/checkinstall0qaG5J: /tmp/sh183840: cannot create
pkgadd: ERROR: request script did not complete successfully

Installation of <AVMRclnt> failed.
No changes were made to the system.

Cause

Insufficient permissions on the temporary directory

The installation script attempts to create temporary files under /tmp. If the user lacks write or sticky‑bit permissions on this directory, the pkgadd request script cannot complete, resulting in the error:

/var/tmp/installXqaG5J/checkinstall0qaG5J: /tmp/sh183840: cannot create
pkgadd: ERROR: request script did not complete successfully
Installation of  failed. No changes were made to the system.

Typical indicators include a directory listing that shows restrictive permissions, for example:

drwxr-xr-x 16 root root 184 Nov 8 12:40 tmp

When the directory is not world‑writable with the sticky bit (mode 1777), the installer cannot write the required files, causing the failure.
 

Corrupted Avamar client installer package

If the .pkg file used for the Solaris client plug‑in is altered or incomplete, the checksum verification fails to match the expected value. A mismatched SHA‑256 hash indicates corruption, which leads pkgadd to stop with the same error message.

Example checksum verification command:

sha256sum /tmp/AvamarClient-solaris10-sparc-19.1.100-38.pkg

Expected output (example):

126ac94d5967480edeea3c6684db12db7ae256afd89370120d65717ed493aa8e  AvamarClient-solaris10-sparc-19.1.100-38.pkg

If the computed hash differs from the known good value, the installer is considered corrupted, and the installation fails with the reported pkgadd error.

Resolution

Fixing Avamar Solaris Client Plug‑in Installation Errors

Step‑by‑Step Resolution

Follow these steps to resolve the pkgadd: ERROR: request script did not complete successfully error during Avamar client plug‑in installation on Solaris 10.

  • Identify the user account that is running the installer.
  • Validate the integrity of the installer package.
  • Check and correct permissions on the /tmp directory.
  • Rerun the installation.

1. Verify the Installing User.

Run the following command to display the current user:

whoami

 Make a note of the username. The user must have read access to the installer file and write access to /tmp.
 

2. Confirm Package Integrity.

Calculate the SHA‑256 checksum of the installer file on the Solaris client and compare it with the checksum stored on the Avamar server.

On the Solaris client (replace placeholders with the file name):

sha256sum /tmp/AvamarClient-solaris10--.pkg

 Example:

sha256sum /tmp/AvamarClient-solaris10-sparc-19.1.100-38.pkg

 Expected output (example):

126ac94d5967480edeea3c6684db12db7ae256afd89370120d65717ed493aa8e  AvamarClient-solaris10-sparc-19.1.100-38.pkg

 On the Avamar server, run the same command against the source package:

sha256sum /data01/avamar/src/downloads/SOL_/AvamarClient-solaris--.pkg

 Example:

sha256sum /data01/avamar/src/downloads/SOL5.10_SPARC/AvamarClient-solaris10-sparc-19.1.100-38.pkg

 If the two checksums differ, redownload the package from the Avamar server before proceeding.
 

3. Verify /tmp Permissions.

List the permissions of the /tmp directory:

ls -ld /tmp

 Typical correct output:

drwxrwxrwt 16 root root 184 Nov 8 12:40 /tmp

 If the permissions are missing the sticky bit ( t ) or are more restrictive, correct them:

chmod 1777 /tmp

 

CAUTION: Changing /tmp permissions affects all users on the system. Ensure that administrative rights are in place and the security implications are understood before applying chmod 1777.

 

4. Rerun the Installer.

After confirming user access, package integrity, and /tmp permissions, run the installer again using the same command originally used.
 

5. Verify Successful Installation.

Check that the Avamar client plug‑in is installed without errors:

pkginfo -l AVMRclnt

 Successful output lists the package details and shows a status of installed. Also, it confirms that no error messages appear in the installer log.

 Additional Notes

  • If the problem persists after following the steps above, the installer package may be corrupted beyond checksum verification. Request a fresh copy from Dell Support.
  • Always run these commands as a user with sufficient privileges (typically root or a user with sudo rights).
  • Contact Dell Support if unexpected behavior occurs or additional assistance is needed.

Affected Products

Avamar Client
Article Properties
Article Number: 000193395
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 23 Oct 2025
Version:  3
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