Configuration Files > About the Software Initialisation Configuration File >
Updating the Software Initialisation Configuration File

The xxdiff utility is normally used during software installation to transfer facility-specific modifications in a customized software initialization configuration file from an earlier application version to the current one.

The following procedure describes how to manually run xxdiff to compare old and new configuration files. While you may never need to do this, this procedure can be useful for troubleshooting problems in your facility. For example, you can use xxdiff to troubleshoot problems in a workstation by comparing its init.cfg file against the init.cfg file of a workstation without problems.

NoteIf you are upgrading from an earlier version of the application, several changes may have been applied to the software initialisation configuration file. Because of this, you may want to select the entire contents of the new init.cfg configuration file and then customize it to avoid adding obsolete keywords.

To update the software initialisation configuration file:

1. In a terminal, start xxdiff and load the two files for comparison by typing the following:

   xxdiff <old_file> <new_file>

   For example, to launch xxdiff to compare the previous and current software configuration files, you would type:

   xxdiff /usr/discreet/<product_home1>/cfg/init.cfg /usr/discreet/<product_home2>/cfg/init.cfg

   where <product_home1> is the home directory for the previous version and <product_home2> is the home directory for the current version.

   The previous and new configuration files appear beside each other in an xxdiff window. The left panel displays the previous file settings and the right panel displays the current file settings. The path to both files is displayed in the title bar. The vertical bar on the right indicates where differences exist between the two panels.

2. Scan the old configuration file for custom directories or keywords that you want to copy to the new init.cfg file.

   On a line-by-line basis, the differences between the old and new configuration files are highlighted.

3. For each highlighted difference, click the line that you want to keep:
   - To keep the setting in the old configuration file, click the line in the left window.
   - To keep the setting in the new configuration file, click the line in the right window.

   Highlighted lines change colour when you click them. You must select a line in the left or right window for each difference detected by xxdiff.

4. When you have finished updating, choose File | Save As Right to save the selected line differences under the name init.cfg.
5. Click OK to confirm, and then exit xxdiff.