The dtimport and dtexport commands

The dtimport and dtexport commands are fully compatible with the Import and Export options in the windows, but also enable you to:

• Distribute the applications to multiple systems using shell scripts. This can automate the process of distributing updated application objects.
• Start the dtexport command from the command line on a remote system. This means that you can capture an application from a remote site and examine or debug it at your location.

The dtexport and dtimport commands perform most of the same functions as the Export and Import options. The following functions are not supported by the dtexport command:

• The option to apply a text or binary selection to all objects in the export list. All objects must be either text or binary.
• The option to apply dependencies to selected objects in the export list. All objects must have all or no dependencies.
• A method for setting the application profile selection criteria; you must pass the list of profiles to be exported through command line arguments.

The following functions are not supported by the dtimport command:

• Selective object deletion. You must install all or none of the objects from the import file on the destination system.
• Selective object merge. You must merge all or none of the objects that can be merged.

Once invoked, dtexport and dtimport do not require any user intervention. They can be started either from within a shell script, or by typing the commands directly on the AIX command line. Starting the programs from within shell scripts gives a lot of power to the user because they can have the programs executed on remote machines and as a part of more complex operations.

Because the command-line utilities are fully compatible with the options in the windows, you can use the dtimport command to import files that were exported by the Export option, and you can use the Import option to import files that were exported by the dtexport command.