Notes on installing Solaris 10 from CD

These are notes about installing Solaris from scratch.

Reading these notes is no substitute for (a) reading the documentation, or (b) knowing what you're doing :-)

Solaris 10 Installation Guide Basic Installations - Sun Microsystems

Checklist for Installation

Use the following checklist to gather the information that you need to install the Solaris OS. You do not need to gather all of the information that is requested on the checklist. You only need to collect the information that applies to your system.

Use this checklist if you are performing an initial installation. If you are upgrading your system, see Checklist for Upgrading in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Solaris Live Upgrade and Upgrade Planning.

 
Information for Installation Description or Example Answer — Defaults are noted with an asterisk (*)
Network connection Is the system connected to a network? Networked/Non-networked
DHCP Can the system use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to configure its network interfaces?

DHCP provides the network parameters that are necessary for installation.

Yes/No*
If you are not using DHCP, note the network address. IP Address If you are not using DHCP, supply the IP address for the system.

Example: 172.31.255.255

To find this information on a running system, type the following command. 

# ypmatch host-name hosts
 
  Subnet If you are not using DHCP, is the system part of a subnet?

If yes, what is the netmask of the subnet?

Example: 255.255.255.0

To find this information on a running system, type the following command. 

# more /etc/netmasks
 
  IPv6 Do you want to enable IPv6 on this machine?

IPv6 is a part of the TCP/IP Internet protocol that facilitates IP addressing by adding better security and increasing Internet addresses.

Yes/No*
Host Name Host name that you choose for the system.

To find this information on a running system, type the following command.


 
# uname -n
 
Kerberos Do you want to configure Kerberos security on this machine?

If yes, gather this information:

Yes/No*
Default Realm:

Administration Server:

First KDC:

(Optional) Additional KDCs:

  
The Kerberos service is a client-server architecture that provides secure transactions over networks.  
If the system uses a name service, provide the following information. Name Service Which name service should this system use?

To find this information on a running system, type the following command.


 
# cat /etc/nsswitch.conf

A naming service stores information in a central place, which enables users, machines, and applications to communicate across the network. Examples of information that is stored are host names and addresses or user names and passwords.

NIS+/NIS/DNS/ LDAP/None
  Domain Name Provide the name of the domain in which the system resides.

To find this information on a running system, type the following command.


 
# domainname
 
  NIS+ and NIS Do you want to specify a name server or let the installation program find one?

If you want to specify a name server, provide the following information.

Specify One/Find One*
    Server's host name:  
   
  • For NIS clients, type the following command to display the server's host name.

     
    # ypwhich
  • For NIS+ clients, type the following command to display the server's host name.

     
    # nisping
 
    Server's IP Address:  
   
  • For NIS clients, type the following command to display the server's IP address.

     
    # ypmatch nameserver-name hosts
  • For NIS+ clients, type the following command to display the server's IP address.

     
    # nismatch nameserver-name 
hosts.org_dir

Network Information Service (NIS) makes network administration more manageable by providing centralized control over a variety of network information, such as machine names and addresses.

 
  DNS Provide IP addresses for the DNS server. You must enter at least one IP address, but you can enter up to three addresses.  
  Server's IP Address:  
  To display the server's IP address, type the following command.

 
# getent ipnodes dns
 
  You can enter a list of domains to search when a DNS query is made.  
  Search Domain:

Search Domain:

Search Domain:

 
  The domain name system (DNS) is the name service that the Internet provides for TCP/IP networks. DNS provides host names to the IP address service. DNS simplifies communication by using machine names instead of numerical IP addresses. DNS also serves as a database for mail administration.  
  LDAP Provide the following information about your LDAP profile.  
    Profile Name:  
    Profile Server:  
    If you specify a proxy credential level in your LDAP profile, gather this information.  
    Proxy-bind distinguished name:  
    Proxy-bind password:  
    Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) defines a relatively simple protocol for updating and searching directories that are running over TCP/IP.  
Default Route Do you want to specify a default route IP address or let the Solaris installation program find one?

The default route provides a bridge that forwards traffic between two physical networks. An IP address is a unique number that identifies each host on a network.

You have the following choices: 

  • You can specify the IP address. An /etc/defaultrouter file is created with the specified IP address. When the system is rebooted, the specified IP address becomes the default route.
  • You can let the Solaris installation program detect an IP address. However, the system must be on a subnet that has a router that advertises itself by using the ICMP router discovery protocol. If you are using the command-line interface, the software detects an IP address when the system is booted.
  • You can choose None if you do not have a router or do not want the software to detect an IP address at this time. The software automatically tries to detect an IP address on reboot.
 Detect one*/Specify one/None
Time Zone How do you want to specify your default time zone? Geographic region* 

Offset from GMT

Time zone file

Root Password Provide the root password for the system.  
Locales For which geographic regions do you want to install support?  
SPARC: Power Management (only available on SPARC systems that support Power Management) Do you want to use Power Management?
Note –

If your system has Energy Star version 3 or later, you are not prompted for this information.

 Yes*/No
Automatic reboot or CD/DVD ejection Reboot automatically after software installation?

Eject CD/DVD automatically after software installation?

Yes*/No

Yes*/No

Default or Custom Install Do you want to perform a default installation, or customize the installation?
  • Select Default installation to format the entire hard disk and install a preselected set of software.
  • Select Custom installation to modify the hard disk layout and select the software that you want to install.
Note –

The text installer does not prompt you to select a Default or Custom Installation. To perform a default installation, accept the default values that are provided in the text installer. To perform a custom installation, edit the values in the text installer screens.

 Default installation*/Custom installation
Software Group Which Solaris Software Group do you want to install? Entire Plus OEM

Entire*

Developer

End User

Core

Reduced Networking

Custom Package Selection Do you want to add or remove software packages from the Solaris Software Group that you install?
Note –

When you select which packages to add or remove, you need to know about software dependencies and how Solaris software is packaged.

  
Select Disks On which disks do you want to install the Solaris software?

Example: c0t0d0

 
x86: fdisk partitioning Do you want to create, delete, or modify a Solaris fdisk partition?

Each disk that is selected for file system layout must have a Solaris fdisk partition.

If your system currently has a service partition, the Solaris installation program preserves the service partition by default. If you do not want to preserve the service partition, you must customize the fdisk partitions. For more information about preserving a service partition, see Default Boot-Disk Partition Layout Preserves the Service Partition in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations.

  
  Select Disks for fdisk Partition Customization? Yes/No*
  Customize fdisk partitions? Yes/No*
Preserve Data  Do you want to preserve any data that exists on the disks where you are installing the Solaris software? Yes/No*
Auto-layout File Systems Do you want the installation program to automatically lay out file systems on your disks?

If yes, which file systems should be used for auto-layout?

Example: /, /opt, /var

If no, you must provide file system configuration information.

Note –

The Solaris installation GUI lays out file systems automatically by default.

 Yes*/No
Mount Remote File Systems Does this system need to access software on another file system?

If yes, provide the following information about the remote file system.

Yes/No*
    Server:  
    IP Address:  
    Remote File System:  
    Local Mount Point:  
If you are installing through a tip line, follow these instructions. Ensure that your window display is at least 80 columns wide and 24 rows long. For more information, see tip(1).

To determine the current dimensions of your tip window, use the stty command. For more information, see the man page, stty(1).

  
Check your Ethernet connection. If the system is part of a network, verify that an Ethernet connector or similar network adapter is connected to your system.  
Review the planning chapter and other relevant documentation.