Dependencies (Standard 7 SP1)
7/8/2014
Dependencies and dependency groups both describe a type of relationship between packages and groups of packages.
Dependencies
A dependency is a requirement of one package upon another package. Dependencies can require the inclusion or exclusion of other packages. This allows a package to be as small as possible while ensuring that it has all of the resources it needs to run correctly. A dependency can be expressed upon a single package or upon a group of packages known as a dependency group.
Dependencies can also be either required or optional. A package's required dependencies must be resolved before the package with the requirement can correctly function. An optional dependency does not have to be resolved but the package with the requirement may not include all possible functionality.
Dependency Groups
A dependency group is a set of packages upon which any package can specify a dependency. This allows for flexible, indirect relationships between packages and for more complex inclusion requirements.
A dependency group exists as an independent object. Dependency groups are used to ensure mutual-exclusion of packages as well as the exclusion of certain combinations of packages. They allow packages to be included or excluded en masse.
When a package expresses a dependency on a group, the dependency states the number of packages that it requires from that group. This number is referred to as the dependency type.
The following table shows the different dependency types.
Dependency Type |
Result |
|---|---|
Requires exactly one package from the group |
One and only one package from the group must be in the configuration. |
Requires at least one packages from the group |
At least one package from the group must be in the configuration. |
Requires all packages from the group |
All the packages from the group must be in the configuration. |
Conflicts with all packages from the group |
None of the packages from the group is allowed in the configuration. |
Can take advantage of zero or more packages from the group |
Zero or more packages from the group can be in the configuration |
Contains optional dependencies |
Any or all of the packages in the group can be added as an optional dependency but none are required to be added. |
See Also
Concepts
Packages
Use Image Configuration Editor to Resolve Answer File Dependencies