Removing Xi-Text from Your System

Complete uninstallation procedures for RPM and tarball installations

Before You Begin

⚠️ WARNING: Data Loss

Uninstalling Xi-Text removes all queued jobs, printer definitions, and spool files. Backup any data you need to preserve before proceeding.

⚠️ WARNING: Service Interruption

Uninstallation stops all printing services. Schedule uninstallation during maintenance windows.

Backup Important Data

Before uninstalling, save critical configuration:

bash

# Create backup directory
BACKUP_DIR="/usr/textsave/final-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR/Scripts"
cd "$BACKUP_DIR"

# Export jobs (if needed)
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/spool/xi_distrib/Text
cjlist -D /usr/spool/spd spshed_jfile Jcmd Scripts

# Export printers
cplist -D /usr/spool/spd spshed_pfile Pcmd

# Export users
dumpsuser > Ucmd

# Backup printer setup files
tar czf printer-setups.tar.gz /usr/spool/printers/

# Backup configuration files
cp /etc/Xitext-config .
cp /etc/Xitext-hosts .

Determine Installation Type

Check which installation method was used:

bash

# Check for RPM installation
rpm -q xitext_legacy_standard

# Check for tarball installation
ls -d /usr/spool/xi_distrib/Text 2>/dev/null

If RPM query succeeds, you have an RPM installation. If distribution directory exists, you have a tarball installation.

Uninstalling RPM Installation

Step 1: Stop Xi-Text

bash

# Stop the service
sstop -y

# Verify stopped
ps aux | grep spshed

Step 2: Remove RPM Package

bash

# Uninstall package
rpm -e xitext_legacy_standard

# Verify removal
rpm -q xitext_legacy_standard

Expected output: package xitext_legacy_standard is not installed

Step 3: Clean Up IPC Resources

RPM removal doesn't automatically clean IPC resources:

bash

# Check for remaining IPC resources
ipcs -m | grep "0x5869"
ipcs -q | grep "0x5869"
ipcs -s | grep "0x5869"

# Remove shared memory segments
ipcs -m | grep "0x5869" | awk '{print $2}' | while read id; do
    ipcrm -m "$id"
done

# Remove message queues
ipcs -q | grep "0x5869" | awk '{print $2}' | while read id; do
    ipcrm -q "$id"
done

# Remove semaphores
ipcs -s | grep "0x5869" | awk '{print $2}' | while read id; do
    ipcrm -s "$id"
done

Step 4: Remove Data Directories (Optional)

RPM uninstall leaves data directories intact for safety:

bash

# Remove spool directory
rm -rf /var/spool/spd/

# Remove printer definitions
rm -rf /usr/spool/printers/

# Remove distribution directory (if present)
rm -rf /usr/spool/xi_distrib/Text/

Step 5: Remove Configuration Files (Optional)

bash

# Remove system configuration
rm -f /etc/Xitext-config
rm -f /etc/Xitext-hosts

# Remove service files (systemd)
rm -f /etc/systemd/system/xitext.service
systemctl daemon-reload

# Remove service files (SysV init)
rm -f /etc/init.d/xitext
rm -f /etc/rc*.d/*xitext

Step 6: Remove System User (Optional)

bash

# Remove spooler user if no longer needed
userdel spooler

# Remove group if it exists and is empty
groupdel spooler

Uninstalling Tarball Installation

Step 1: Stop Xi-Text

bash

# Stop the service
sstop -y

# Verify stopped
ps aux | grep spshed

Step 2: Locate UNINSTALL Script

Tarball installations include an UNINSTALL script:

bash

# Typical location
cd /usr/spool/xi_distrib/Text

# Verify script exists
ls -l UNINSTALL

Step 3: Run UNINSTALL Script

bash

# Execute uninstaller as root
./UNINSTALL

The UNINSTALL script removes:

Binary files from user programs directory
Internal programs from system directory
Help files and resources
Symbolic links

If UNINSTALL script is not available, proceed with manual removal below.

Step 4: Manual Removal (If UNINSTALL Unavailable)

Remove User Programs

User programs typically in /usr/local/bin or /usr/bin:

bash

# List of Xi-Text user programs
cd /usr/local/bin  # Adjust path if needed

# Remove user commands
rm -f spr spq sqlist sqchange spstat
rm -f spuser sppri spadd spdel splist
rm -f spstart sstop sphalt spok spnok
rm -f spinter spexec spjobdump
rm -f xt-checklic xt-vwrite

# Remove symlinks if they exist
rm -f sp*

For non-bash shells (sh, ksh on older Unix):

# POSIX-compatible removal
cd /usr/local/bin
for prog in spr spq sqlist sqchange spstat spuser sppri \
            spadd spdel splist spstart sstop sphalt spok \
            spnok spinter spexec spjobdump; do
    rm -f "$prog"
done

Remove Internal Programs

Internal programs typically in /usr/spool/progs:

bash

cd /usr/spool/progs

# Remove scheduler and daemons
rm -f spshed spd xtnetserv

# Remove internal utilities
rm -f spdinit spjobdump spwrite dosspwrite
rm -f spmdisp sppwchk spexec

# Remove help files
rm -f *.help int-config

# Remove utility scripts
rm -f ptr_alert sendudp psbanner longlist shortlist remove

Remove Spool Directory

bash

# Remove spool files and directory
rm -rf /var/spool/spd/
# Or if different location
rm -rf /usr/spool/spd/

Remove Printer Definitions

bash

# Remove all printer configurations
rm -rf /usr/spool/printers/

Remove Distribution Directory

bash

# Remove distribution files
rm -rf /usr/spool/xi_distrib/Text/

Step 5: Clean Up IPC Resources

Same as RPM installation:

bash

# Check for IPC resources
ipcs -m | grep "0x5869"
ipcs -q | grep "0x5869"
ipcs -s | grep "0x5869"

# Remove if present (use POSIX-compatible loop)
ipcs -m | grep "0x5869" | awk '{print $2}' | while read id; do
    ipcrm -m "$id"
done

ipcs -q | grep "0x5869" | awk '{print $2}' | while read id; do
    ipcrm -q "$id"
done

ipcs -s | grep "0x5869" | awk '{print $2}' | while read id; do
    ipcrm -s "$id"
done

Step 6: Remove Configuration Files

bash

# Remove system configuration
rm -f /etc/Xitext-config
rm -f /etc/Xitext-hosts

Step 7: Remove System Startup

For systemd systems:

bash

systemctl stop xitext
systemctl disable xitext
rm -f /etc/systemd/system/xitext.service
systemctl daemon-reload

For SysV init systems:

bash

/etc/init.d/xitext stop
rm -f /etc/init.d/xitext
rm -f /etc/rc*.d/*xitext

For other init systems, remove appropriate startup files.

Step 8: Remove System User

bash

# Remove spooler user (if not needed by Xi-Batch)
userdel spooler

# Remove group if empty
groupdel spooler

Verification Steps

After uninstallation, verify complete removal:

Check Processes

bash

# No Xi-Text processes should be running
ps aux | grep -E 'spshed|spd|xtnetserv'

Expected: No results (or only the grep command itself)

Check IPC Resources

bash

# No Xi-Text IPC resources should remain
ipcs -a | grep "0x5869"

Expected: No results

Check Files

bash

# Check user programs directory
ls -l /usr/local/bin/sp* 2>/dev/null

# Check internal programs
ls -l /usr/spool/progs/sp* 2>/dev/null

# Check spool directory
ls -d /var/spool/spd/ 2>/dev/null
ls -d /usr/spool/spd/ 2>/dev/null

# Check printer definitions
ls -d /usr/spool/printers/ 2>/dev/null

# Check distribution directory
ls -d /usr/spool/xi_distrib/Text/ 2>/dev/null

Expected: All commands should return "No such file or directory"

Check Configuration

bash

# Check system configuration files
ls -l /etc/Xitext-* 2>/dev/null

Expected: No results

Check Services

bash

# Check systemd
systemctl status xitext 2>&1 | grep -q "could not be found"

# Check SysV init
ls /etc/init.d/xitext 2>/dev/null
ls /etc/rc*.d/*xitext 2>/dev/null

Expected: Service not found, init scripts don't exist

Check User

bash

# Check if spooler user exists
id spooler 2>&1

Expected: "no such user" (unless Xi-Batch is still using it)

Platform-Specific Considerations

HP-UX

IPC removal:

# HP-UX may use different awk
ipcs -m | grep "0x5869" | while read type id key mode owner group; do
    ipcrm -m "$id"
done

User removal:

# HP-UX userdel
/usr/sbin/userdel spooler

AIX

IPC removal:

# AIX ipcs output format differs
ipcs -m | grep "0x5869" | awk '{print $2}' | while read id; do
    ipcrm -m "$id"
done

User removal:

# AIX user removal
rmuser spooler

Solaris

IPC removal:

# Solaris ipcs format
ipcs -m | grep "0x5869" | nawk '{print $2}' | while read id; do
    ipcrm -m "$id"
done

User removal:

# Solaris userdel
/usr/sbin/userdel spooler

Older Unix Without Bash

Use POSIX shell compatible commands throughout:

#!/bin/sh
# POSIX-compatible uninstall verification

# Check processes
ps -ef | grep spshed | grep -v grep

# List files to remove
for dir in /usr/local/bin /usr/spool/progs; do
    if [ -d "$dir" ]; then
        cd "$dir"
        ls sp* 2>/dev/null
    fi
done

# IPC cleanup (POSIX)
ipcs -m | grep "0x5869" | while read line; do
    id=$(echo "$line" | awk '{print $2}')
    ipcrm -m "$id"
done

Troubleshooting

"Permission denied" errors : Ensure running as root or with sudo privileges

IPC resources won't delete : Verify no Xi-Text processes running. Force kill any remaining processes before IPC cleanup.

Files remain after uninstall : Check for files in non-standard locations. Use find to locate:

bash

find / -name "sp*" -user spooler 2>/dev/null
find / -name "*xitext*" 2>/dev/null

RPM removal fails : Try force removal: rpm -e --nodeps xitext_legacy_standard

UNINSTALL script not found : Use manual removal procedure. Check distribution directory or backup media for script.

Cannot remove user (user busy) : Other processes or services may be using spooler user. Identify with:

bash

ps aux | grep spooler
lsof -u spooler

Labels

Xi-Text deinstall uninstall

Tracking Variable Changes with LOGVARS

Recording variable modifications for debugging, auditing, and workflow analysis

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