BigAdmin XPerts

1. What are the memory requirements for installing the Solaris 10 OS?
2. What happened to the cd0 a.k.a. Installation CD?
3. What is the Reduced Networking Support Software Group (Metacluster)?
4. Why is the Solaris 10 OS much bigger than the Solaris 9 release?
5. What are the new features for Solaris Install in the Solaris 10 OS?
6. What is an example of a minimum sysidcfg for hands-free Solaris JumpStart install?
7. After completing the installation, StarOffice is not coming up. Why?
8. How can I preconfigure LDAP with sysidcfg in the Solaris 10 OS?
9. What are the new packaging parameters added to support Solaris Zones?
10. Can I upgrade to the Solaris 10 OS with Entire Solaris Software Group (SUNWCall)?

A: The minimum amount of memory required for installing or upgrading to the Solaris 10 Operating System is 128 MB. If you are installing the Solaris 10 OS interactively, the installation method is the Java technology-based Wizard Install or text-based ttinstall, based on the amount of memory in the system. If the system has less than 384 MB, then ttinstall is selected. Otherwise Wizard Install is selected. If you are using tip line, then ttinstall will be the installation method.

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A: We are glad to say that cd0 is terminated in the Solaris 10 OS. The functionality of cd0 is absorbed in Solaris Software 1 CD. The names "1of2" and "2of2" are also changed to Solaris Software 1, Solaris Software 2 and so on. For Solaris 10, we have 4 Solaris Software CDs. Solaris Software 1 is a bootable CD and can be used to start the Solaris Installation.

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A: The Reduced Networking Support Software Group contains the packages that provide the minimum code that is required to boot and run a Solaris system with limited network service support. The Reduced Network Support Software Group provides a multiuser text-based console and system administration utilities. This software group also enables the system to recognize network interfaces, but does not activate network services.

The Reduced Networking metacluster is intended to provide a supported foundation for the deployment and secure configuration of minimized systems.

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A: The recommended disk space for installing the SUNWCXall (Entire Solaris Software Group Plus OEM Support) software group of the Solaris 9 OS is 2.9 GB. The recommended disk space for installing SUNWCXall of the Solaris 10 OS is 6.7 GB. Remember the recommended size includes some overhead to allow installing third-party software, upgrades to future Solaris releases, and growing log files.

There are a lot of new features in the Solaris 10 OS, such as Solaris Zones, DTrace, and so on. The products bundled with the Solaris 10 release include the Sun Java Desktop System (JDS), IP Filter, Sun Java System Application Server, Patch Manager software, Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE), and much more.

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A: Quite a few new features and enhancements went into the Solaris 10 OS from the Solaris Install team. The major features are:

• The interactive install methods (cd0, ttinstall, wizard install) are unified to provide consistent interface and functionality to the installer. In Solaris 9 and before, depending on the image, the installer gets a different install method. In Solaris 10, irrespective of the image, the installer will always get the same interface on the same machine and the system selects the best install method. If the installer is more comfortable with text-based install, the system-selected install method can be overridden. The tip line install is made as ttinstall always.
• Solaris Software 1 CD is a bootable CD, and Solaris 10 can be installed using the Solaris Software 1 CD.
• The custom JumpStart installation method now enables you to create RAID-1 volumes (mirrors) during the installation of the Solaris OS. By mirroring file systems, you can protect your system by duplicating data over two physical disks. If one of the mirrored disks fails, the system data is still accessible from the second mirrored disk.
• Customizing a Solaris Flash installation with additional packages during JumpStart install.
• JumpStart installation with additional packages that might not be part of the Solaris distribution.
• JumpStart installation with the ability to install Solaris OS patches.
• Booting and installing flash over http (WAN Install).
• Differential flash
• Customizing flash content by including and excluding files and directories
• Support for Solaris Zones creation
• Performance improvement with packages and patches
• Support for Reduced Networking Support Software Group

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A: Here's an example of a minimum sysidcfg:

  system_locale=en_US
  timezone=US/Central
  terminal=sun-cmd
  timeserver=localhost
  name_service=NIS {domain_name=marquee.central.example.com
                    name_server=nmsvr2(172.31.112.3)}
  root_password=m4QPOWNY
  network_interface=hme0 {hostname=host1 
                         default_route=172.31.88.1 
                         ip_address=172.31.88.210 
                         netmask=255.255.0.0 
                         protocol_ipv6=no}
  security_policy=kerberos {default_realm=example.COM 
                            admin_server=krbadmin.example.COM 
                            kdc=kdc1.example.COM, 
                            kdc2.example.COM}

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A: The StarOffice name is trademarked by some other company in Japan. So StarOffice is called StarSuite in Japan, Korea and China. There are different sets of packages for StarOffice and StarSuite software. If your install locale is one used in Japan, Korea or China, the installation program will install StarSuite packages; otherwise you will get StarOffice packages.

So if you plan to use the system in Japanese locale, set the installation locale as one of the Japanese locales and you will get StarSuite.

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A: The following example preconfigures LDAP in the Solaris 10 OS.

   name_service=LDAP {domain_name=west.example.com 
                   profile=default 
                   profile_server=172.31.2.1 
                   proxy_dn="cn=proxyagent,ou=profile,
                   dc=west,dc=example,dc=com" 
                   proxy_password=password}  

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A: The parameter SUNW_PKG_ALLZONES defines the scope of a package. If it is true, this package should be installed in all Zones and should be identical. If it is set to false, it can be installed only in the global zone. The parameter SUNW_PKG_HOLLOW defines the visibility of a package. If it is true, the package is not installed in non-global zones but the package information is available in all Zones to resolve dependencies. If it is set to false, the package contents and information are required on all Zones.

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A: You cannot upgrade your system to a software group that is not installed on the system. However, during the upgrade you can add software to the system that is not part of the currently installed software group.

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