Apply a patch package.

The command-line utility apply can be used to apply update packages.

It can also be used to display information about a package.

The utility prints progress messages to standard output while it is applying or undoing a package. No progress messages will appear during the initial phase of application, while the validity of the package for the target environment is being assessed.

The parameters for this utility are divided into three categories: operations, files, and options. Each parameter consists of a dashed letter, some of which must be immediately followed by an additional, un-dashed parameter. The dashed parameters may be given in any order.

The operations are:

-a	Apply package
-u	Undo a previous application of package
-v	Show package information
-h	Show usage message

The file parameters are:

-f	Undo file
-i	Installation directory (If this parameter is missing, the files will be installed in the default installation directory on the target system.)
-p	Package file

• If -h (show usage message) is specified, then all other parameters will be ignored.
• -a (apply package file) and -u (undo) may not both be specified.
• -v (show information) may be specified with either -a or -u, or by itself.
• If either -a or -v is specified, then -p (package file) must be specified.

Each of the options has a default value that is used if an option is not explicitly specified. The default values of the options are given in the usage message. The options are:

-w	Password (defaults to "no password"; required if a password was specified when the package was built.)
-o	Package options a Ignore file attributes Ignore the updated file attributes when the patch is applied on the target system and use default attributes instead. e       Ignore existing files When the patch package is applied to the target system, ignore any existing files that are not expected to exist. This option is effectively the opposite of the overwrite option, and ensures that the existing file is not modified. b Backup files on target Create a backup of the file on the target system before applying the patch. If this flag is not specified, the file is modified in-place without any backup file being created. f Use path rules to find files on target platform When the patch package is applied to the target system, search for files using the standard Windows pathing rules. n Ignore missing (non-existent) files When the patch package is applied to the target system, ignore any missing files. That is, files for which there are patches in the package, but do not have old versions on the target system, will not generate errors. o Overwrite files When the patch package is applied to the target system, overwrite all files even if the file is not expected to exist. This option must be specified if one or more of the target files will have the read-only attribute set, otherwise the application process will fail with an error. r Ignore readonly flag Ignore the read-only file attribute when applying the patch. If the updated file has this attribute set, it will be cleared. s Ignore signature Ignore any digital signature that may be present. If the updated file has been digitally signed using AuthentiCode, the signature will be authenticated at the time that the patch is applied. If this flag is specified, no attempt is made to authenticate the signature. This flag has no effect on files that are not digitally signed. t Ignore file times Ignore any differences between the file modification times of the file on the target system and those of the reference file at the time that the patch was created.
-t	Platform options -t can appear multiple times in a command. All platforms indicated will be permissible for application of the package.

Package options and platform options that are specified at creation time are retained with the package. A flag that is specified at creation time will be used at application time, unless it is overridden at application time.

apply –a –p package –i targetdir -f undofile
apply –p package –v 2
apply –u –f undofile