Q: Will the drivers for the ethernet chips on the Netra X1 (dmfe0 & dmfe1) be included in Solaris 9 OOTB? A: Yes, support for the Netra X1 without the "CD0" or "modify_install_server" steps is slated for Solaris 9. Q: Will Solaris Volume Manager include Logical Volume Management features and commands in a similar fashion to other Unices? Will there be whitepapers/technotes to aid people using other versions of volume management to migrate successfully to the Solaris Volume Management way of working?
A:
I have to confess that I'm not familiar enough with using the volume managers on
other systems to comment on whether the features and commands will look similar.
The only other volume managers I know of are IBM's and the Veritas VxVM product.
Solaris Volume Manager is rather different from VxVM, and I don't know IBM's
Logical Volume Manager well enough to comment.
Q: With the new range of midrange and upper end Sunfire systems sporting slightly different memory models to the true SMP E class systems, will Solaris 9 sport a new VM model to deal with that? What other significant architecture changes are being made in Solaris 9? Are these included in the EA editions or are they future additions? A: The best answer I can give you is that we are working on a variety of fronts to increase the memory performance of machines running Solaris. Some of those improvements will be in the first release of Solaris 9, some of them will find their way into the updates. However, we are designing these features into the kernel itself so they will be transparent to the developer: our goal is for the developer to be able to consider a Solaris machine to be an SMP and to have the memory system work to deliver higher and higher levels of performance to applications. We are talking about having a method for providing "hints" to the VM system (probably via compiler directives) for very high-performance applications, but our goal is to make this level of tuning unnecessary for the vast majority of applications. Q: Will my Palm m505 PDA be able to use its USB cradle?
A:
Hard to say... what is preventing it from using its USB cradle now? Solaris 8
has had USB support for some time, and it has been significantly enhanced in the
Solaris 8 10/01 release (see the USB Administration Guide in the Solaris 8 10/01
Update Collection on http://docs.sun.com for details).
Q: Will there be PCI Audio support in Solaris 9 (IA)?
A:
I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "PCI Audio." A number of audio devices are
supported in Solaris 8 (see
for a list), some
of which are PCI-based. We plan to continue to support those devices.
Q: Will there be any tool in Solaris 9 to collect and analyse how system resources are being used and generate daily, weekly, monthly and yearly graphical based reports? A: Solaris 8 has pretty good accounting facilities (see the System Administration Guide, Volume 2 in the Solaris 8 System Administrator Collection for information) and we are working to make those facilities even better in Solaris 9. Q: Can Solaris support x86 machines as an install server for SPARC client? A: Yes, you can use an x86 machine as an install server for SPARC or x86 machines. Q: Will you be able to use 2gig partitions with Solaris Volume Manager? We are using Informix.
A:
You can create partitions much smaller than 2Gb up to 1 Tb with Solaris Volume
Manager in Solaris 9 or, in Solaris 8, with Solstice Disk Suite. You can also
have mirrored and striped volumes and manage those.
Q: How about making it very easy to install Solaris Volume Manager by making an option/part of the installationprocess? i.e. if I have a server with 2 drives, let me install the OS on the first drive and have the installation process automatically set up the mirrors on the second drive. A: We are looking at including SVM as part of the installation/setup script. For right now, however, you still need to run it separately. Q: Does Solaris 9 for Intel support more than one monitor and if not where do I get support to make it work.
A:
Solaris 8 does not support multi-head implementations "out of the box" and we
are not planning any change to that for Solaris 9; however you can purchase a
third-party solution from Xinside: http://www.xig.com
Q: Hi Bill, it's nice to see that Sun is going to include SSH in Solaris 9. Are there any plans for a more secure and or feature rich ftp daemon such as Washington University's wuftp? Also will tcp wrappers be included or supported with Solaris 9? A: You will find both a very nice new ftp daemon and tcp wrappers in Solaris 9. Q: Does Solaris 9 include functionality like Linux' chattr? A: Although Solaris 9 does support extended file attributes, there are no user-level commands for setting or changing those attributes. The API for using those attributes is documented in the fsattr(5) man listing. Q: Once Solaris 9 is launched, will I be able to upgrade directly to Solaris 9 from Solaris 2.6? We are currently considering to upgrade our Solaris 2.6 to Solaris 8. Do you personally suggest me to go ahead or wait for a stable version of Solaris 9 to be released.
A:
It really depends on your own environment and needs. You will see performance,
stability, and security improvements in Solaris 9. However, not all third-party
vendors will support their applications on Solaris 9 at the time it is
introduced. If you are running all your own software, or all open-source
software, then this is not a concern. If you are running commercial software,
however, it may be a significant concern.
Q: My instalation floppy is corrupted and my CD is not bootable, so I would like to create an instalation flopyy for Solaris 8/9, either from internet or CD. A: You can download the Solaris 9 floppy boot image as part of the Solaris 9 Early Access software from http://www.sun.com/solaris/programs/solaris9ea/ (No Longer Available) For Solaris 8, just follow the "Free Solaris Binary" links from http://www.sun.com/solaris. Q: This has troubled me for some time. Is there a reason root's home directory is "/"? Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD all use /root as root's home directory . I hope this issue will be addressed in Solaris 9. I currently fix it when I jumpstart new machines, but would like it fixed by default.
A:
This is an artifact from the old days of UNIX - being an old UNIX guy, I always
find it odd and distracting that I log in to machine as root and find myself in
some weird directory called "/root!"
Q: How aggressive is the removal of old interfaces in Solaris 9? Specifically, are the /usr/ucb* directories being targeted for removal? These provide some useful tools. I know it's not a huge problem if they were removed (we could always just use the old packages from 8) but it would be nice to know how deep the cuts will be with regard to removing old software.
A:
No documented interface is ever removed from Solaris without warning in the
previous version. You can see what is slated to leave Solaris by perusing the
"End-of-Software Support Statements" in the "Release Notes" document for each
release of Solaris.
Q: Is there any scripts or docs that offer suggestions about testing disk performance, FTP performance, etc....for Solaris 9 ? A: There is nothing I am aware of different in Solaris 9 than in Solaris 8. You should be able to use all the same tools. Q: Which version of SSH will be supplied as part of Solaris 9 ? Is it F-secure or openSSH ?
A:
We have implemented a version of OpenSSH supporting both v1 and v2 of the ssh
protocol.
Q: Is it possible to install Solaris 9 EA with Solaris 7 being as it is, having two OEs? A: Yes; I recommend that you take a look at the "Live Upgrade" feature, which allows you to install a new OS, try it, and very quickly step back if desired. Q: What are the advantages of Solaris 9 over Solaris 8.....??
A:
Solaris 9 is a lot better than Solaris 8 on nearly all axes. Most applications
will perform better, and multi-threaded applications should scale to higher CPU
counts. Solaris 9 will be easier to administer and more secure, as well as more
compatible with other operating environments like Linux and BSD.
Q: I hope you consider including vim/gvim editor in Solaris 9. The version of vi shipped with Solaris has limitations on number of macros and maximum characters in a line. Please also consider including Python in Solaris 9. A: I believe that python and vim are already included on the Solaris Companion Software CD included with Solaris 8. In the next update of Solaris 8 we are updating vim to the 6.0 version. These packages and many, many others are already included with Solaris 8 and even more will be included with Solaris 9. Q: Will there be a documented API for the IEEE-1394 interface on the SunBlade series? A: I hope one day, but not in the first release of Solaris 9. Q: I have recently taken a serious interest in learning a ture UNIX environment and have downloaded Solaris 8 for Intel. I have done this because my current budget does not allow for me to purchase a used Sun box. The reason that I have done this is there is a slight opportunity, at the office, to work with the UNIX team and the company operates on Sun systems running a mix of Solaris, mostly 8. With the impending release of Solaris 9, Sun has stated that the Intel release will not be happening. While some of the other questions have shown that there are not huge diferences between the 8 and 9. What I would like to know is, how will someone, in my current financial situation, be able to benefit from getting his/her feet wet on Solaris 9 if all they have is a spare Intel based machine?
A:
I think you would benefit greatly from running Solaris 8. From a user or
administrative perspective, there is little difference between Solaris 8 and
Solaris 9. Most of the enhancements in Solaris 9 are of greatest benefit to
large, 64-bit machines.
Q: There is a rumour that AOL has walked out of the IPlanet venture. Will there be any further release for this product? Is Sun committed to iPlanet in Solaris 9 also? A: Please rest assured that Sun is very committed to the iPlanet products, and that we'll continue to include media and development licenses for them in Solaris media kits as we do now. In Solaris 9, however, the iPlanet Directory Server will be integrated into Solaris, and we're looking for ways to include additional iPlanet products in the Solaris media kit. Q: Will Solaris 9 offer boot disk mirroring during installation? A: No, you still have to install the software and then set up the disk mirroring. Starting in Solaris 9, however, if you have a mirrored root disk, you will be able to update the O.S. without breaking the mirror. Q: With the new Solstice Volume Manager, and in order to make better use of setting up mirror for example, would Sun plan to sell their machines by default to come with 2 separate SCSI channels instead of one? Providing more competitive edge on the sun servers? A: We have been trying to make it easier to configure servers, and will continue to do so. You might want to use the feedback page on store.sun.com to make this suggestion. Q: Will the CD beta of Solaris 9 early access still include the X86 version, now that Sun have announced the end of X86 development ? A: No, we are not distributing the Intel version of Solaris 9 Early Access. Q: I am certified in Solaris 7 / 8 and now when Solaris 9 Certifications Test starts can I take up upgrade to Solaris 9 test like I have taken for Solaris 8??? A: I have to admit I don't know what plans Sun Education has for Solaris 9 certification. I expect they'll make their plans public after Solaris 9 is released. Q: Any support for playing video DVDs in Solaris 9? A: None that I know of currently, I'm afraid. DVD support is really just intended to make it easier to install software (especially Solaris - back to a 1-disk install!) on Solaris machines. Q: Is there going to be any support of wireless options in Solaris 9? I.E. a LinkSys PCI wireless card? It would be great! A: Unfortunately, we're not including drivers for any of the 802.11b (WiFi) cards in the first release of Solaris 9. I would certainly suggest that you let your friendly neighborhood Sun representative or reseller know that you'd like this to be supported. Q: Is OpenLook/OpenWindows still included? A: No, the OpenLook/OpenWindows environment has been taken out of Solaris 9, although it is in Solaris 8. Also, the run-time libraries for OpenLook and OpenWindows remain in Solaris 9, so OpenLook/OpenWindows applications will continue to run in CDE. Q: I keep looking through Sun's online documentation for Solaris 9 Early Access to see what hardware is supported, but I cannot find it anywhere. I looked in the Release and Installation Section, but it only shows hardware compatibility for the Intel platform. What gives? Am I just not seeing it? A: It's in the "Release Notes." The only note is that the Sun4d multi-processor platform is no longer supported, which amounts to two machines: the SPARCserver 1000 and the SPARCcenter 2000. Everything else that was supported in Solaris 8 is supported in Solaris 9. Q: In Solaris 8 with DiskSuite4.2.1with path 108693-07, there is the capability of using creating softpartitions at the command line. Will Solaris 9 have a GUI to work with the Soft partitions? A: Yes. In fact, the GUI will allow you to perform an operation using the GUI and "record" the command-line equivalents in a file so you can easily automate common procedures. Q: I installed solaris 9 beta on my Ultra 10 workstation with a viewsonic A70 monitor. Well, everything is OK. But I want to change the screen resolution, I typed the "kdmconfig" and the system respond "kdmconfig: not found". What can I do? A: Check the documentation for your workstation. The command you use depends on the type of graphics card installed in your machine. Check docs.sun.com if you don't have the documentation handy. Q: Currently I have several users who access our SUN Stations via PC-XWare and use the OpenWindows GUI. I understand that OpenWindows will be discontinued with version 9. What should they use as their GUI? What is the reason for going with GNOME?
A:
Although Open Windows is gone in Solaris 9, CDE is still there and
remains the default desktop.
Q: We would like to see a kerberos server come with Solaris 9. I have successfully setup Kerberos server from the MIT download. However, it is not for the faint of heart :Any plans for a Kerberos server. A: Yes, Kerberos is in the later updates of Solaris 8 as well as Solaris 9 and will be further enhanced in the updates to Solaris 9. Q: As a purchaser of the Solaris 8 "Source Code", are the same generous, nice, foks at Sun going to sell us a "copy" of this Source for Solaris 9 ??? A: We haven't made a decision about the Foundation Source program for Solaris 9 yet. It is my very strong hope that we will be able to deliver the Foundation Source again, but it's unlikely to happen until 6 months to a year after the release of Solaris 9 if it happens at all. Q: Does Solaris 9 offer a patch dependancies solver? In Solaris 8 and below SysAdmin must solve dependancies manually. If installing large numbers of patches this can be a chore. Some linux distributions, like RedHat have a utility that does this automatically. Patch dependencies and the order of install are all solved for you.
A:
Take a look at the Patch Management capability in the System Reliability
module of Sun Management Center.
Q: What are the recommended levels for Veritas volume manager and file system to use with Solaris 9 ?
A:
We are working with Veritas to make a version of VxFS and VxVM available
for Solaris 9 for our customers who are integrating Solaris 9 into an
existing Veritas environment.
Q: Do you plan to enhance the network booting esp. during installation? Some time ago, an enhanced inetboot was developed by sun.ca giving the great flexibility to chose the install/boot server and client's IP addresses, at the boot command line. A: Yes, we have a lot of plans to enhance network booting, including booting across the internet. These capabilities will be introduced over the life of Solaris 9 - stay tuned! Q: When will the Solaris 9 media be available?
A:
The Solaris 9 Early Access media is available now at
http://www.sun.com/solaris/programs/solaris9ea/
Q: There is a option in Solaris that chown can be done by any user if the set rstchown = 0 is on in /etc/system . Is there any provision to give this facility to a particular user ? A: There is a general facility in Solaris for providing (or removing) any capability to or from any user: Role-Based Access Control. Using RBAC, you can provide or remove the ability for any user or group of users to have access to any command on the system. Q: Having installed Solaris, there appears to be a default security option that disables remote login as root i.e. ftp, telnet etc. Do you know how to enable ftp/telnet etc as root? Is there a setting somewhere?
A:
There is an option that prevents this, see the Solaris 9 documentation
on http://docs.sun.com for more details on configuring ftp, telnet, etc.
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