From: Dan Anderson <danx@cts.com>
Newsgroups: alt.solaris.x86,comp.unix.solaris,alt.answers,comp.answers,news.answers
Subject: Solaris x86 FAQ
Date: 1 Jul 1998 03:50:16 -0700
Summary: This posting answers frequently-asked questions from the
alt.solaris.x86 newsgroup that aren't already covered in the
Solaris 2 FAQ. It should be read by anyone who wishes to
post Solaris x86 questions to the alt.solaris.x86 or
comp.unix.solaris newsgroups.
Copyright: Copyright (c) 1997, 1998 Dan Anderson. All rights reserved.
Maintainer: Dan Anderson <danx@cts.com>, San Diego, California, USA
(1.0) TABLE OF CONTENTS
(2.0) INTRODUCTION
(3.0) RESOURCES
(3.1) What FTP and web sites do I need to know about?
(3.2) How do I subscribe to the Solaris/x86 mailing list?
(3.3) Where can I obtain Solaris 2/x86 driver updates?
(3.4) Where can I obtain Solaris 2/x86 patches?
(3.5) How can I obtain freeware, shareware, and GNU software on a CD-ROM?
(3.6) What UNIX-like operating systems are available on x86?
(3.7) What books are available on Solaris x86?
(3.8) What magazine articles are available on Solaris x86?
(3.9) What's planned in future releases of Solaris x86?
(4.0) PRE-INSTALLATION
(4.1) What information should I have before an install?
(4.2) What hardware is supported by Solaris 2.x for Intel?
(4.3) What size disks and partitions should I have?
(4.4) What are SCSI IDs expected by Solaris x86?
(4.5) What video card/monitor combination works best?
(4.6) Is Plug-and-Play (PNP) supported by Solaris/x86?
(4.7) Is Advanced Power Management (APM) supported by Solaris/x86?
(4.8) What are the pitfalls of different busses: ISA/EISA/PCI?
(4.9) Are "floppy tape" devices supported by Solaris x86?
(5.0) INSTALLATION
(5.1) How long does the install take?
(5.2) My IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM is not recognized during install by Solaris'
FCS MCB and it's not in the HCL. What can I do?
(5.3) What kind of problems might I encounter installing my SCSI system?
(5.4) What do I do when the install hangs/panics?
(5.5) I'm trying to install Solaris/x86 on my 2.5 GB drive. However, the
installation program says the root partition must end within the
first 1023 cylinders of the disk. What can I do?
(6.0) POST-INSTALLATION (CUSTOMIZATION)
(6.1) How do I add additional drives?
(6.2) How do I add or configure users, printers, serial ports, software, etc.?
(6.3) How do I suppress the banner page on my printer?
(6.4) How do I set up an HP-compatible printer to print PostScript files?
(6.5) How can I improve disk and graphic performance?
(6.6)* How do I change the IP address on Solaris/x86?
(6.7) How do I configure a second serial port, /dev/ttyb (COM2)?
(6.8) How do I disable Solaris/x86 from probing the UPS on COM2?
(6.9) How do I set up Solaris/x86 to use PPP to connect to an ISP?
(6.10) That last answer was torture! Is there any freeware PPP that's
easier to use?
(6.11) Is there any commercial PPP that's easier to use?
(6.12) Help! My USRobotics Internal modem doesn't work with PPP.
(6.13) PPP runs _extremely_ slow. What's wrong?
(6.14) How do I configure PPP using Dynamic IP Addresses (DHCP)?
(6.15) How do I configure my Soundblaster card?
(6.16) Is Solaris/x86 Year 2000 (Y2K) compliant?
(6.17) Can I use Solaris/x86 to setup a "headless" server?
(6.18)* Can I get a Sun-style keyboard (Ctrl & Caps Lock reversed) for S/x86?
(7.0) TROUBLESHOOTING
(7.1) What can I do if Solaris won't boot?
(7.2) How do I logon as root if the password doesn't work anymore?
(7.3) How do I restore the Solaris boot block without reinstalling?
(7.4) My licensed software fails because the host ID is 0. What's wrong?
(7.5) How can I fix Netscape Communicator to render fonts correctly on S/x86?
(8.0) INTEROPERABILITY WITH OTHER OPERATING SYSTEMS
(8.1) Can I install Solaris x86 on a system that already has Win95/NT or
NT, and Win95 (among other systems)?
(8.2) How can I use MS Windows' NT Loader to boot Solaris/x86?
(8.3) How can I use the Solaris boot manager to boot Windows' NT?
(8.4) How can I use System Commander to boot Solaris/x86 and other systems?
(8.5) How can I use Linux LILO boot loader to boot Solaris/x86?
(8.6) How can I use LILO to boot Solaris/x86 on the secondary master IDE?
(8.7) How can I use OS-BS to boot Solaris/x86?
(8.8) How do I mount a DOS partition from the hard drive?
(8.9) How do I access a DOS-format diskette from Solaris?
(8.10) Does Solaris mount and recognize Win 95 partitions with long file
names (VFAT)?
(8.11) How can I make my Solaris files easily available to Windows 95/NT
on a network?
(8.12) How can I make my Solaris files easily available to an Apple
Machintosh on a network?
(8.13) How do I access a Mac diskette?
(8.14) What is WABI?
(8.15) Can I use SunPC on Solaris/x86?
(8.16) How can I get the DOS and UNIX clock to agree on Solaris/x86?
(8.17) Is Solaris x86 able to execute Solaris SPARC applications?
(8.18) Will my old applications from SVR3 or SCO run on Solaris 2/x86?
(8.19) Will my application from Solaris/SPARC work on Solaris/x86?
I have the source.
(8.20) Will Linux programs run on Solaris 2/x86?
(8.21) Can I access Solaris/x86 partitions from Linux?
(8.22) What are some books on Windows NT/Solaris integration?
(8.23) Is PC File Viewer available for Solaris/x86?
(8.24)* Can I mount other ufs disks, say from BSDi/FreeBSD, and vice versa?
*New question since last month.
+Significantly revised answer since last month.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2.0) INTRODUCTION
The Solaris x86 FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Solaris x86.
This posting contains frequently asked questions, with answers, about the
Sun Solaris 2 x86 Operating System found in the alt.solaris.x86 and
comp.unix.solaris USENET newsgroups. The alt.solaris.x86 newsgroup covers
Solaris x86, Solaris on the Intel platform, for version 2.5 and higher.
The comp.unix.solaris newsgroup is for Solaris on all platforms--
SPARCS or x86. Please also consult Casper Dik's excellent FAQ on
Solaris 2, even if you're using Solaris x86. It's at:
http://www.wins.uva.nl/pub/solaris/solaris2.html
and elsewhere. Solaris 2.x is also known as SunOS 5.x.
For earlier versions of Solaris/x86, please see the (somewhat dated)
"Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ" by Bob Palowoda at
http://fiver.fiver.net/solaris_x86/x86.faq.html
and elsewhere. The (mostly historical) Sun i386 (Roadrunner) is covered
in Ralph Neill's FAQ, http://www.sunhelp.com/386i/faq.html.
If you post questions to alt.solaris.x86 or comp.unix.solaris, please be
sure to indicate:
- the machine type and brief configuration, e.g. Pentium Pro 200 MHz,
64 MB RAM, 128 MB swap space, 2.4 GB XYZ hard drive, etc.
- the exact Solaris version number, i.e. Solaris 2 is NOT sufficient,
whereas "Solaris x86 2.6 with the DU2 update" is.
I'm doing this on my own time as a public service. PLEASE DO NOT ASK
ME QUESTIONS THAT SHOULD BE ASKED OF SUN. I'm *NOT* employed by Sun
Microsystems. If you suspect you have software defect problems, please
call 1-800-SOFTSPT (1-800-763-8778 or 1-510-460-3267). If you have
hardware problems call your hardware vendor. If you are outside the
United States, contact your local Sun representative.
PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME QUESTIONS THAT SHOULD BE POSTED TO alt.solaris.x86 or
comp.unix.solaris. I don't have the time to diagnose individual Solaris
problems, and I probably don't know the answer either :-). Many experienced
and knowledgeable people read the newsgroup. Post your question there.
However, answers, corrections, and comments should be directed to me.
No FAQ is the work of one person, but is a USENET community effort. This
material was "snarfed" from other FAQs, USENET newsgroup postings, mailing
lists, and personal knowledge. Generally the source is noted at the end of
each question. Most answers have been reworded, or expanded, or updated.
Thanks to everyone who contributed directly or indirectly. Please send any
corrections or additions to me.
This FAQ is Copyright © 1997, 1998 Dan Anderson. All rights reserved. It
may be freely redistributed in its entirety provided that this copyright
notice is not removed. Permission is expressly granted for this document
to be made available for file transfer from installations offering
unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet.
This article is provided "as is" without any express or implied warranty
of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The answers come
from many varied sources, and, "may be fiction rather than fact."
Therefore, THE AUTHOR ASSUMES *NO* RESPONSIBILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS,
OR FOR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN,
even if they result from negligence or errors on the part of the author.
Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, SunSoft, the SunSoft logo, Solaris,
SunOS, and NFS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems.,
Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories. All other
product names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
-Dan Anderson danx@cts.com
alt.solaris.x86 FAQ Maintainer
San Diego, California, USA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3.0) RESOURCES
(3.1) What FTP and web sites do I need to know about?
http://www.Sun.COM
Sun's main web site, contains pointers to Solaris product information,
press releases, etc.
http://access1.Sun.COM/
Sun's Software Support and Education website.
Has x86 driver updates (DUs), knowledge base, Hardware Compatibility
Lists (HCLs), official FAQs, and other goodies.
http://docs.Sun.COM/
Sun documentation on-line. Includes manuals, guides, answerbooks,
and man pages in HTML format. Especially useful for configuring
new hardware and new systems is the _Information Library for Solaris
(Intel Platform Edition)_.
http://www.stokely.com/stokely/unix.sysadm.resources/faqs.sun.html#s86.faqs.link
Stokely Consulting's list of FAQs has lots of pointers resources, not
only for Solaris x86, but UNIX System Administration in general.
http://www.eis.com/html/resources.html
EIS's Solaris/x86 Resources page with lots of pointers.
EIS also maintains the Solaris/x86 mailing list (below).
http://sunfreeware.com/solaris_2.5_x86.html
S. Christensen's Solaris Freeware Page. Pointers to LOTS of x86
freeware.
http://home1.swipnet.se/~w-10694/helpers.html
Pointers to many Solaris viewers, players, and Netscape plug-ins.
http://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/packages/solaris/i86pc/
Selected Solaris 2.x/x86 binaries conveniently packaged in pkgadd
format at the UNC Sunsite.
ftp://x86.cs.duke.edu/pub/solaris_x86/bins/index.html
Joe Shamblin's annotated collection of Solaris x86 freeware, with
pointers to documentation, make it good for freeware browsing.
http://www.wins.uva.nl/pub/solaris/solaris2.html
Last, but not least, Casper Dik's thorough FAQ on Solaris 2.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3.2) How do I subscribe to the Solaris/x86 mailing list?
Subscribe or unsubscribe by sending an e-mail message with subscribe or
unsubscribe in the *BODY* of the message to
solaris-x86-request@mlist.eis.com (subject doesn't matter). For a
digested version of the list use solaris-x86-digest-request@mlist.eis.com
The list archive is at http://www.eis.com/html/listmain.html
[From Casper Dik's Solaris 2 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3.3) Where can I obtain Solaris 2/x86 driver updates?
The Solaris x86 driver updates can be obtained by HTTP from:
http://access1.Sun.COM/drivers/driverMain.html
http://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/sun-info/solaris-x86/sunsoft-drivers
The Solaris x86 driver updates can be obtained by anonymous FTP from:
ftp://ftp.uu.net/vendor/sun/solaris/
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/sun-info/solaris-x86/sunsoft-drivers/
[From Casper Dik's Solaris 2 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3.4) Where can I obtain Solaris 2/x86 patches?
The Solaris x86 driver updates can be obtained by HTTP from:
ftp://sunsolve.Sun.COM/pub/patches/
Pointers to patches, including one huge 2.*_x86_Recommended.tar.Z
file for each release. This directory is publically accessible--it
doesn't require you to be a contract customer. Patches are also
available locally at many SunSites.
The "showrev -p" command shows what patches you have installed.
All files replaced by a patch are saved under /var/sadm/patch/
or /var/sadm/pkg/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3.5) How can I obtain freeware, shareware, and GNU software on a CD-ROM?
Micromata of Kassel, Germany offers its "Summertime" CD with
precompiled software for Solaris Sparc and x86.
http://www.micromata.com/summertime/
It is distributed in the U.S. by EIS of California,
http://www.eis.com/html/home.html
And in the Pacific Rim by Noord Data Systems,
http://www.dataspace.au/noord/summertime/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3.6) What UNIX-like operating systems are available on x86?
Solaris x86, SVR4-based (http://www.Sun.COM)
Interactive UNIX, SVR3.2-based (http://www.Sun.COM)
SCO OpenServer UNIX, SVR3.2-based (http://www.sco.com)
SCO UNIXWare, SVR4-based (http://www.sco.com)
BSDi (http://www.bsdi.com)
Apple NeXT Intel, Mach-based (http://www.next.com)
Linux (http://www.linux.org, freeware)
FreeBSD (http://www.freebsd.org, freeware)
NetBSD (http://www.netbsd.org, freeware)
OpenBSD (http://www.openbsd.org, freeware)
Note that the freeware versions can also be purchased on CD-ROM,
which is a convenient way to get it. For Linux, there are multiple
vendors selling CD-ROMs (e.g., RedHat, http://www.redhat.com).
Other systems are over the horizon, in beta, or for teaching/research.
E.g., GNU's HURD, Apple's Rapsody, Tanenbaum's Minix, or ATT's Plan 9.
Of course, Intel's 64-bit Merced CPU family is coming. Sun, HP, SCO, and
DEC are all porting their versions of UNIX, Solaris, HP-UX, UNIXWare,
and Digital UNIX, to this chip.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3.7) What books are available on Solaris x86?
Ron Ledesma has written _PC Hardware Configuration Guide for DOS and
Solaris_ (SunSoft Press, 1994), ISBN 0-13-124678-X, a well-written book
on setting up Solaris x86 on Intel Architecture's. See
http://www.Sun.COM/smi/ssoftpress/books/Ledesma/Ledesma.html
Scott Steeves reports the following two books by Janice Winsor
cover Solaris 2.6 for both Sparc and x86. They are from
Sun Microsystems/Macmillan Technical Publishing:
_Solaris System Administrator's Guide_, 2d ed., ISBN 1-57870-040-X
and _Solaris Advanced System Administrator's Guide_, 2d ed.,
ISBN 1-57870-039-6.
For Unix system administration in general, I like _Unix System
Administration Handbook_, 2d ed. ("The Red Book"), by Evi Nemeth, Garth
Snyder, Scott Seebass, and Trent R. Hein (Prentice Hall, 1995), ISBN
0-13-151051-7.
Other books are available on Solaris in general from SunSoft Books and on
UNIX (with sections on Solaris) from O'Reilly & Associates. Hardcopies of
Sun manuals are available as SunDocs from SunExpress.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3.8) What magazine articles are available on Solaris x86?
"Sun injects Solaris X86 with new life as it makes its way to 64 bits"
_Sun World_. Feb. 1997 by Rick Cook .
http://www.sun.com/sunworldonline/swol-02-1997/swol-02-solarisX86.html
Note: please e-mail other submissions to anderson@computer.org.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3.9) What's planned in future releases of Solaris x86?
The next release of Solaris/x86 (2.7) will have more driver support, of
course. Solaris will have 64-bit capability only for UltraSparc's and
not x86. The x86 processor family can't handle 64 bit addressing and
64-bit functionality will have to wait for Sun's port of Solaris to
Intel's IA-64 (Merced) chip.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4.0) PRE-INSTALLATION
(4.1) What information should I have before an install?
Size of your disk
Ethernet hardware address
IP address
Bandwidth of your video card and monitor
Maximum vertical frequency your video card will drive
Mouse type
The size of your disk determines what cluster you are going to install on
your system. I.e., an End User cluster, a Developers Cluster or the
Complete Cluster. See references to how to size your OS when installing.
The Ethernet hardware address from your Ethernet card would be helpful if
you're on a NIS net and your going to do net installs. You would like to
have the Ethernet address in the /etc/ethers map file before you do an
install. Usually the manufacturer of an Ethernet card will have some
software that you can run under DOS to display this number or sometimes
you can find the Ethernet number on a sticker right on the Ethernet card.
If this is on a standalone network you probably don't need to know the
Ethernet hardware address. Don't confuse this with the software IP address.
Bandwidth of your monitor and video card are important. During the install
the install process is going to ask you for the size of your monitor and
what vertical resolution you want to drive the monitor at. Note that in
the update disk documentation they give a handy dandy monitor resolution
bandwidth for monitors in the appendix. You may want to check this out.
See other references on video cards and monitors throughout the FAQ.
The install process will ask you about your mouse type.
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4.2) What hardware is supported by Solaris 2.x for Intel?
Solaris x86 is the version that runs on Intel-based PCs and servers.
Requirements vary to release, but generally a 80486 processor or
better is required with an ISA, EISA, MCA, VLB, or PCI bus, 16 MB
of memory, and 200-500 MB Disk. Many multi-processor boards are
supported. You must have a CD-ROM drive or access to NFS over the
network to install and a 1.44 MB floppy disk drive.
The Solaris x86 Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) lists the tested
hardware. However, not all hardware combinations will work. Also,
hardware not listed may work, but are not guaranteed or supported.
To receive the complete and often updated list Solaris x86 Hardware
Compatibility List (HCL), send an e-mail message (no subject/body
needed) to:
x86hcl@Sun.COM (ASCII)
x86hcl.ps@Sun.COM (PostScript)
or
x86-hwconfig@Cypress.West.Sun.COM
There's also an online version of all the lists at:
http://access1.Sun.COM/certify/hcl.html
[From Casper Dik's Solaris 2 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4.3) What size disks and partitions should I have?
If you don't plan to install any optional software and man pages you
should typically have a 220 to 240 MB drive. Development systems
should have about 400 to 500 MB.
Note that Solaris uses a tmpfs. Which means swap and /tmp share a
common disk space. When configuring a swap space it is not uncommon for
me to configure 80 to 100 MB of swap space on a single user system. You
want this because many programs use the tmpfs for speeding up applications.
Look at some rough estimates we have:
/ = 56 MB
/usr = 212 MB
swap = 80 MB
/export/home = the remaining disk
I didn't take into account the /var partition. Usually in a single user
development system I let the system install the couple of packages in /var
then move them with a "cp -r" over to another file system. Then I remove
the /var directory and make a symbolic link over to the new /var directory.
This all seems to fit well in a 540 MB drive and leaves room for growth.
If you don't think you're not going to grow, then think twice. I've done
at least 300 installs by now and shot myself in the foot a few times.
The /export/home I typically use for CDE installs which sets up the
symbolic links during the install.
A word of performance advice. If you're going to be using a fast wide
SCSI controller such as the Adaptec 2940, use a wide SCSI drive for the
system drive. These drives usually have double the throughput of the
normal 8-bit drives, according to the iozone benchmark results, and they
make the tmpfs fly. Don't forget to set the maxpgio in the /etc/system
file for 5400 and 7200 RPM drives accordingly. See the question on
performance in this FAQ.
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4.4) What are SCSI IDs expected by Solaris x86?
These are the typical values for SCSI devices. For tape and CD-ROM, these
are the defaults used in the /etc/vold.conf file for controlling the vold
mounter. You can set them to other ID's but remember to adjust the
vold.conf file to the new values.
Boot drive ID 0
Second drive ID 1
Tape ID 4
CDROM ID 6
SCSI controller ID 7
Typically I turn the vold off. I find it gets in the way of tar, cpio and
dd. It's OK for users who like to use the file manager to mount the floppy.
Note: vold will get in the way of WABI's use of the floppy. You can
comment the entry out in /etc/vold.conf for the floppy. I just comment it
out of the /etc/init.d/volmgt script and don't even start the daemon. The
reason is that when you use tar or cpio from the UNIX command line the vold
is going to complain the device is busy. Then, of course, someone will
come along and want to use the filemgr to look at the floppy and you need
the vold turned on. You just can't win.
For your information: When the vold communicates with the kernel there's no
way to know if a disk is inserted into the drive, or a new disk was inserted.
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4.5) What video card/monitor combination works best?
Some questions will arise when trying to configure your video card and
monitor size. The most critical area is when you do the install and
answer the questions about the vertical HZ, screen size 14, 15, 17,
21-inch, etc. If you get it wrong you get the squiggles.
First, find your video card manual. Ha! I can here the laughs from across
the world. What manual? If this is the case just select the slowest
vertical HZ. You can always change it later after the system is up.
Resolution: be safe and just use 1024x768 or smaller the first time through
the install.
Screen size should be easy: [\] about that big.
If you don't know the video card type just select the standard vga8 to do
the install. Hopefully when your system boots it displays what video card
you have in it.
A good video card combination such as the ATI and Sony 17sei can allow you
to drive it at 76Hz vertical 1280x1024 on a 17-inch screen.
Hint: Look in the update readme files and at the end in one of the
appendices you'll find a chart of monitors and there scan rates. Usually
good to refer to before you buy the monitor and video card combination.
You could have a very nice high bandwidth monitor and a lousy video card
that can't drive it hard enough. Or visa versa, a good video card that
can drive a high bandwidth but the monitor just can't handle it.
Another Hint: Even though there's no 14-inch monitor on the configuration
menu you can select the 15-inch setting. If the 14-inch monitor has a
good bandwidth it will sync up.
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4.6) Is Plug-and-Play (PNP) supported by Solaris/x86?
Yes, starting with release 2.6. Solaris 2.5.1 and earlier
(even with the DUs), do NOT support PNP. PNP should be disabled
and the card manually configured for the latter case.
See the _x86 Device Configuration Guide_ for details on each card
(and see the _x86 Driver Update Guide_ when using updates).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4.7) Is Advanced Power Management (APM) supported by Solaris/x86?
APM is not really supported on x86. Solaris is "APM tolerant" which
means that if APM can do everything transparently to Solaris, it will
work. If it isn't transparent, Solaris gets confused.
So, SPARC has power management in the OS but x86 does not.
[Thanks to Doug McCallum]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4.8) What are the pitfalls of different busses: ISA/EISA/PCI?
Read the merits of running Solaris x86. But the worst sin is running
UNIX on an ISA bus with disk controllers such as the Adaptec 1542 series.
They're cheap but if you have more that 16 MB of memory in your system
you shouldn't be running an ISA disk controller.
Typically you're going to see better performance from the EISA bus. And
PCI is the biggest winner. VLB and MCA are supported, but largely obsolete.
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4.9) Are "floppy tape" devices supported by Solaris x86?
No. You have to use a SCSI tape backup device. Other options include
purchasing a zip drive, which is supported, or backing-up your
files to a DOS/Windows partition and back it up from DOS/Windows or
some other operating system.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(5.0) INSTALLATION
(5.1) How long does the install take?
It depends on the CD-ROM and hard disk speed. On a 50 MHz 486 with a
double speed SCSI CDROM such as the Toshiba 3401 from the time that an
"Initial Install" starts it only takes about 28 minutes. Upgrades take
about 2 to 3 hours. This is because the system must determine what
critical configuration data must be saved and replace it on a
"per-package basis".
I'm the impatient type and given up totally on system upgrades. Now I
have a separate disk drive which I just do initial installs because it
goes so much faster. With the typical 540 SCSI drives costing in the
$200 range it just isn't worth it anymore to do upgrades. But this is
my opinion so take it for what it is worth.
Below is typically what I save before doing an initial upgrade. Don't
take this for the ultimate system definition of what you should save but
it works for my system. Your system may be designed very differently.
The first thing I do is mount the filesystem that has a home directory
with the below critical files and copy them to the appropriate
directories. I'm sure it could be automated but. . . What the
advantage of this process is that I can do an initial install in about
an hour. My home directories are always on another disk partition.
Install_Notes My own release notes
crontab This is my crontab, just do a "crontab -e" and save the file
defaultroute If you have one for routing to a DNS server.
df Save the output to keep an idea of my disk usage
dfstab /etc/dfs/dfstab for shared file systems
inetinit I modify my inetinit; not a standard industry practice.
kshrc_bob A typical .kshrc for a user
kshrc_root A root .kshrc
mail Make a copy of the current mail directory
passwd /etc/passwd file
profile_bob A typical ksh .profile. Note that home directories are
mounted on a separate drive so this type of file
doesn't get destroyed during an initial install.
profile_root A profile for root.
sendmail.cf The system sendmail.cf that works for your system.
That is if you didn't modify it.
shadow /etc/shadow file
vfstab /etc/vfstab filesystems
volmgt /etc/init.d/volmgt Stupid volmgt; I always disable
because I can't stand it getting in the way. Normally
you don't modify this one.
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(5.2) My IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM is not recognized during install by Solaris'
FCS MCB and it's not in the HCL. What can I do?
I've never had a problem with it recognizing CDROM if it's the slave of
the primary drive, and connected to the primary IDE/ATAPI controller card.
In other words, not on a sound card or secondary IDE/ATAPI. With IDE/ATAPI,
I haven't seen a successful install with anything faster than an 8x speed.
[Thanks to L. E. "MadHat" Heath]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(5.3) What kind of problems might I encounter installing my SCSI system?
Typical problems with SCSI drives are termination and SCSI IDs. You'll
have flaky behavior if there's no there's no termination resistor on the
drive at the end of a SCSI "chain". Worse is double termination resistors.
Some people mistakenly leave a resistor jumper on a drive when it's not at
the end of a SCSI "chain" The system will also be flakey if this happens.
Carefully read your SCSI adapter manual on termination if you're unsure
about it. A SCSI drive can run for hours with no problems than boom, you
get a panic. Always check cabling, pins, and connections and use the
*shortest* cable possible. The first thing I do when I have a problem
with a SCSI device is to reseat the SCSI cables (with the machine powered
off).
With SCSI ID's, a common problem is the IDs on the drive, usually set with
dip switches or a button, doesn't match the settings with your software
(Solaris) or it's a duplicate ID. Check the IDs carefully when adding
or upgrading SCSI devices. The boot drive must be ID 0.
Other more obscure problems are setting the BIOS address space for the disk
controller the same as the network card address space, and the PCI video
card address conflicting with PCI SCSI disk controller BIOS address space.
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(5.4) What do I do when the install hangs/panics?
One of the most common problems with some mother boards is handling DMA
during the install. Usually, that's the case if you get a hang right
around configuring /dev/devices. Try turning off the caching--external
and internal. Slow the system speed down if it allows you to do this in
the BIOS or through the front panel switch. Leave these settings ONLY
for the install: kick it back up after the install.
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ]
Another common problem is support for new devices. Use the latest driver
update boot and distribution diskettes, especially with newly-supported
hardware. Carefully check the HCL to verify your cards are listed. Try
removing/replacing suspected troublesome cards to isolate the problem.
Sun gives these tips for handling hardware incompatibilities during
installation (see http://access1.sun.com/cgi-bin/rinfo2html?115502.faq ):
". . . Disable external cache, . disable synchronous negotiation
on the CD ROM, and disable ROM BIOS shadowing. These may be
re-enabled after installation. Also, if using an un-supported
or clone motherboard, slowing the system clock or changing from
a double- clocked processor to a single-clocked one may help.
Say, for example, a 486DX-50 as opposed to a 486-250 or 486-66."
I would also add disabling video cache to this list.
Here's a checklist of typical causes of hangs during installation:
* Incompatible CD-ROM drives (or mounting on the secondary IDE).
* Incompatible SCSI controller (avoid the clones and cheap cards).
* Incompatible Motherboard (try changing motherboard settings).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(5.5) I'm trying to install Solaris/x86 on my 2.5 GB drive. However, the
installation program says the root partition must end within the
first 1023 cylinders of the disk. What can I do?
On older BIOSes, the root filesystem must be below 1024 cylinders of your
disk (that is, the first 528 MB). The number of cylinders has nothing to
do with the size of the disk. So it is possible to have 1.5Gb partitions
below 1024 cylinders on some disks (with more MB per cylinder) and not on
others. Simply make the root filesystem smaller and create an additional
/usr filesystem (and e. g. /var . . .). For reliability, the root
filesystem should be small with large filesystems mounted on it.
[Thanks to Ronald Kuehn]
Newer BIOSes support LBA, Logical Block Addressing. This bumps the HD limit
to 8Gb. With LBA, Solaris/x86 and other operating systems can be placed
anywhere you want. I have the Solaris/x86 partition completely above the
528MB limit.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.0) POST-INSTALLATION (CUSTOMIZATION)
(6.1) How do I add additional drives?
IDE/ATAPI and SCSI the drives are already low-level formatted. If you wish to
format a SCSI you can use the "format" utility that comes with Solaris.
A second drive install would be to use "format".
-Select the disk
-fdisk (select the whole disk or partial for format)
-format
-Write the label with the "label" option partition, check the partition
arrangement
-Quit the format program
-newfs the drive with "newfs". E.g. "newfs /dev/rdsk/c0t1d0s0" would
create a files system on the the whole drive with the SCSI ID 1
-mount the partition on your favorite mount point directory
-Adjust your /etc/vfstab
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.2) How do I add or configure users, printers, serial ports, software, etc.?
Use admintool from X Windows.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.3) How do I suppress the banner page on my printer?
To disable the banner pages permanently perform the following steps:
1. cd /usr/lib/lp/model
2. cp standard standard-nobanner
3. Use your favorite editor to edit file standard-nobanner
Around line 332, change this from:
nobanner="no"
to:
nobanner="yes"
4. lpadmin -p PRINTERNAME -m standard-nobanner
Note: unchecking the "Always print banner" box in admintool or running
"lpadmin -p st -o nobanner" only allows users to submit print requests
with no banners (lp -onobanner filenamehere), but doesn't suppress
printing of banner pages by default.
[Thanks to Youri N. Podchosov and Rob Montjoy's Sun Computer Admin. FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.4) How do I set up an HP-compatible printer to print PostScript files?
Basically, install GhostScript, then use GhostScript (gs) to filter
PostScript files for output to HP LaserJet-compatible (PCL) printers.
Add a filter description file in the /etc/lp/fd directory to call
GhostScript. This technique works for any GhostScript-supported printer.
Note that higher-end HP printers (LJ IV) also support PostScript directly.
For details, see Alexander Panasyuk's GhostScript Solaris Printer HOWTO at
http://cfauvcs5.harvard.edu/SetGSprinter4Solaris.html
Alan Orndorff also provides instructions in his
"Solaris x86 Resources," at http://pw2.netcom.com/~dwarf/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.5) How can I improve disk and graphic performance?
Disk Performance (iozone)
A typical iozone test with 10 to 20 MB sequential file will give about
2 MB/sec. read/write on a 50 MHz ESIA system on a Maxtor 540SL (8.5 ms)
drive with an Adaptec 2740 controller. You will get a little better
performance from a 90 MHz Pentium system. A fully thrashed system will
see writes down to about 1 MB/sec. I noticed that the NCR 810/825, etc.,
seem a little more peaky in the performance specially on the PCI bus.
Note: If you are going to be using high speed spindle drivers for your
boot driver like 5400 and 7200 RPM drives you may want to
"set maxpgio=60" for the 5400 RPM drive in your /etc/system file,
"set maxpgio=80" for the 7200 RPM drives. This causes the schedpaging
to be more efficient.
ISA SCSI controllers are a very poor choice but you may want to increase
lotsfree in your /etc/system file if you have lots of memory like 32 MB.
[Andrew Gabriel adds for ATAPI/IDE: Read about drive0_block_factor and
drive1_block_factor in ata.conf (man ata). Even my oldest
IDE drives support drive0_block_factor=0x10 without any trouble.]
/platform/i86pc/kernel/drv/ata.conf
Graphic Performance (xstone)
Xstones is a little more of a subjective measurement of graphics
performance. The comp.unix.x.i386 newsgroup keeps up on the latest
xstone performance on graphics cards for PC's.
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.6) How do I change the IP address on Solaris/x86?
See the instructions in "man sys-unconfig"
Basically, sys-unconfig unconfigures the machine to make it ready to
be configured again on reboot. It's a lot easier and less error prone than
the usual dozen or so steps required to purge the old IP address.
For the thrill-seekers among us, you can also do it "by-hand" with
by editing these files (possibly more?) with your fav. editor:
/etc/nodename Set the machine name (if it changed)
/etc/hosts Make sure your IP address is updated or added here.
/etc/hostname Update this file, if the hostname changed.
/etc/hostname.le0 (or .hme0 or . . .) Update this file, if the hostname changed.
/etc/nsswitch.conf Update, if your name resolution method/order changed.
/etc/resolv.conf Update, if you use DNS and your name servers/domain changed.
/etc/defaultrouter Set the default route, if it changed.
/etc/netmasks Set your netmask(s), if it changed.
[Thanks to Parthiv Shah, and Vijay Brian Gupta]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.7) How do I configure a second serial port, /dev/ttyb (COM2)?
By default Solaris only enables /dev/ttya. But the modem is usually
on /dev/ttyb (or COM2). If you don't have a /dev/ttyb file you don't
have the second serial port defined. The following are instructions
for Solaris 2.6 and 2.5.1
To add the second serial port, perform the following as root.
For other serial ports and internal modems follow the same steps but
uncomment the appropriate line in the asy.conf file.
* Edit file /platform/i86pc/kernel/drv/asy.conf as follows:
Solaris 2.6: Replace /platform/i86pc/kernel/drv/asy.conf with this:
(first backup the existing copy of asy.conf to, say, asy.conf.ori)
name="asy" class="sysbus" interrupts=12,4 reg=0x3f8,0,0 ioaddr=0x3f8;
ignore-hardware-nodes=1;
name="asy" class="sysbus" interrupts=12,3 reg=0x2f8,0,0 ioaddr=0x2f8;
Solaris 2.5.1: Remove the comment from the following line in file
/platform/i86pc/kernel/drv/asy.conf:
name="asy" class="sysbus" interrupts=12,3 reg=0x2f8,0,0 ioaddr=0x2f8;
* Save the changed file, asy.conf.
* Return to the root directory and, this is the important part,
as root type "touch /reconfigure".
* Type "sync" then "reboot" to restart the system.
* After you get a message saying syncing file systems and no more [N]
characters appear, turn your machine off and then turn it on again.
* Verify the device is present with "ls -l /dev/ttyb"
* For details and for COM3 and COM4 instructions, see
http://access1.sun.com/cgi-bin/rinfo2html?228402.faq
[Modified from Bruce Riddle's Solarisx86 2.5/Dialup PPP Configs FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.8) How do I disable Solaris/x86 from probing the UPS on COM2?
With the following command, ran as root:
# eeprom com2-noprobe=true
This (undocumented) option to the eeprom command disables boot-up time
probing of COM2 (apparently done to detect modems). The eeprom command
alters the Solaris boot sector. If the UPS is connected to a serial port
during boot-up time, the UPS may go into self-test or shutdown or
recalibrate. An alternate solution is to disconnect the serial cable
during booting. With the obvious change, this also works for COM1.
See also BugID 4038351.
[Thanks to Andy I. McMullin and John D. Groenveld]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.9) How do I set up Solaris/x86 to use PPP to connect to an ISP?
Setting up PPP with the system-default aspppd could be an exercise
in torture. That's because it's based on the old BNU/UUCP
communication software, which itself is infamously hard to set up.
Of course, the hardware (modem and serial port) has to be set up
correctly too. Make sure hardware flow control is enabled.
The best documentation on it is Bruce Riddle's PPP Configuration
for Solaris/x86 at http://www.riddleware.com/solx86/ppp-config.html
For pointers to other references, see Stokley's "Serial Port Resources"
at http://www.stokely.com/unix.serial.port.resources/index.html
Also see Sun's "Expanding your Network with PPP" in the _TCP/IP and
Data Communications Administration_, at docs.sum.com and
"SunService Tip Sheet for SunPPP" (InfoDoc ID 11976).
Here's some notes that may also help you out with Sun's aspppd:
1. Insert IP addresses/host names into the /etc/hosts table. Your
ISP needs to give you the names or you can look them up on the net.
2. Create /etc/resolv.conf, and add your domainname and nameserver lines.
Your provider can provide the domainname (probably name-of-your-isp.com,
unless they have a multi-location operation). The DNS nameserver goes
on the nameserver line.
3. Edit /etc/mail/sendmail.cf to use relay mailer ether, and relay host
should be the smtp server. This hostname needs to be accurate.
4. Most news readers (like xvnews and Netscape) refer to the environment
variable NNTPSERVER to find the NNTP server. Set that
in your environment before invoking the reader. This can go in your
.profile, .cshrc, or whatever, depending on what shell you use.
5. For the actual PPP connection, the only thing that counts is the
machine you dial up to (most likely the gateway machine). You will
have to edit the /etc/uucp/{Systems, Dialers, Devices} with things
like your preferred modem setup unless you like one of the defaults
(one of my character flaws, I guess, I don't like any of them),
dialing info for the gateway machine (note that our PPP is broken,
and ignores the time-to-call field, disaster for a lot of us), and
what serial port you have your modem connected to. Then edit the
/etc/asppp.cf file to configure the ipdptp0 interface.
Notes for the examples:
I have my modem configured to power-on in the mode I like to use for my
PPP configuration. DISABLE LOGINS ON THE MODEM PORT. I don't recall the
nameserver IP address of my DNS server, so the example has a bogus address
for /etc/resolv.conf. I also found that I had to put a delay at the end
of the chat script in /etc/uucp/Systems, or I couldn't get connected.
Loopback problems and config error problems, caused by the remote system
still being in echo mode on the line when my machine started sending the
first PPP configure packets. Also, I have yet to find a 2.4 setup where
ttymon grabs the line after PPP times out and disconnects (but before the
modem has recognized a DTR-down condition (my speculation is that our
streams stuff doesn't actually take DTR down)) causing the line to
essentially be hung. This is avoided by not enabling ttymon on that port.
In other words, in keeping with Sun's long tradition, truly bi-directional
lines are a crapshoot on Suns.
Examples for my home machine:
/etc/hosts:
165.154.15.142 mypcnamegoeshere
165.154.1.1 my-isp
127.0.0.1 localhost
/etc/resolv.conf:
domainname hookup.net
nameserver 165.154.1.7
/etc/mail/sendmail.cf:
# (Stuff not included here for brevity) . . .
Dmether
# (Stuff not included here for brevity) . . .
DRmail.tor.hookup.net
CRmail.tor.hookup.net
# (Stuff not included here for brevity) . . .
/etc/uucp/Dialers (I have the power-on settings of my modem set up for 14.4K):
wb144 =W-, "" \dAT\r\c OK\r \EATDT\T\r\c CONNECT
/etc/uucp/Devices:
ACUWB cua/0 - Any wb144
/etc/uucp/Systems (line split for readability):
my-isp Any ACUWB 38400 somenumbertodial ogin: myloginnamegoeshere \
assword: mypasswordgoeshere
/etc/asppp.cf:
ifconfig ipdptp0 plumb mypcnamegoeshere my-isp netmask 0xffffff00 -trailers up
path
inactivity_timeout 900
interface ipdptp0
peer_system_name my-isp
debug_level 8
default_route
[Thanks to Dennis; from Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.10) That last answer was torture! Is there any freeware PPP that's
easier to use?
Yes, as you can see, aspppd, the Solaris-bundled ppp product, is
difficult to setup and use ("infamous"). Part of the problem is it
uses the old BNU/UUCP programs and configuration files, which are
too general and weren't really intended for PPP.
Fortunately, PPPD has been ported to Solaris and is not only easier
to configure, but performs better and is still free. It's available
from Peter Marelas at
http://www.phase-one.com.au/solaris-x86/pppd/
I use PPPD with Solaris 2.5.1. PPPD 2.3.5 has been tested with Solaris
2.5.1 and 2.6. This product is not designed for use with SMP machines.
Besides PPPD, mentioned here, Andrew Gabriel mentions there's also DP
(for Dialup PPP). DP documentation and source is available from
http://www.acn.purdue.edu/dp/
I don't have any personal experience with this software.
PPPD Configuration
To configure, you set up a chat script to handle the ISP dialog and
enter the phone number and other parameters in the pppd options file.
Examples I use are below (files are in /etc/ppp unless otherwise mentioned).
I removed files chap-secrets and pap-secrets, as I don't need them for my ISP.
File connect-errors has error output from bad connections.
File /etc/ppp/ip-down:
#!/usr/bin/sh
# Turn off IP forwarding
/usr/sbin/ndd -set /dev/ip ip_forwarding 0
File /etc/ppp/ip-up:
#!/usr/bin/sh
# Turn on IP forwarding
/usr/sbin/ndd -set /dev/ip ip_forwarding 1
File /etc/ppp/ppp-on:
#!/usr/bin/sh
# Set up a PPP link
PEER=myisp
LOCKDEV=ppp0
if [ -f /etc/ppp/$LOCKDEV.pid ] ; then
echo "PPP device $LOCKDEV is locked"
exit 1
fi
/usr/local/sbin/pppd call $PEER
exit 0
#!/usr/bin/sh
# /etc/ppp/ppp-off
# Shutdown a PPP link
LOCKDEV=ppp0
# If the ppp pid file is present then the program is running. Stop it.
if [ -r /etc/ppp/$LOCKDEV.pid ] ; then
kill -INT `cat /etc/ppp/$LOCKDEV.pid`
# If unsuccessful, ensure that the pid file is removed.
if [ ! "$?" = "0" ] ; then
echo "removing stale /etc/ppp/$LOCKDEV.pid file."
rm -f /etc/ppp/$LOCKDEV.pid
exit 1
fi
# Success. Terminate with proper status.
echo "ppp link $LOCKDEV terminated"
exit 0
fi
echo "ppp link $LOCKDEV is not active"
exit 1
File etc/ppp/peers/myisp:
cua1 # modem is connected to /dev/cua1 (cua0 is usually the mouse)
115200 # run the serial port at 115200 bps (if too fast, use 38400)
crtscts # use hardware flow control
noauth # don't require the ISP to authenticate itself
defaultroute # use the ISP as our default route
204.94.88.94: # our ip address:gateway address (both are optional)
connect '/usr/local/bin/chat -v -f /etc/ppp/peers/chat-myisp'
File etc/ppp/peers/chat-myisp:
ABORT "NO CARRIER"
ABORT "NO DIALTONE"
ABORT "ERROR"
ABORT "NO ANSWER"
ABORT "BUSY"
ABORT "Username/Password Incorrect"
"" "ATZ"
OK "ATDT555-2871"
CONNECT ""
"ogin:" "^Updan"
"ssword:" "\qaardvark"
The last two files require the most modification. See "man pppd"
and "man chat" and the FAQ and SETUP files provided with pppd.
Messages go to /var/adm/messages. A good PPP session should look
something like this:
Oct 24 22:47:49 dan.cts.com pppd[1439]: Connect: ppp0 <--> /dev/cua1
Oct 24 22:47:50 dan.cts.com pppd[1439]: local IP address 204.94.88.94
Oct 24 22:47:50 dan.cts.com pppd[1439]: remote IP address 205.163.84.83
Oct 24 23:08:52 dan.cts.com pppd[1439]: Connection terminated.
Your "netstat -rn" output should have lines that look similar to this:
Destination Gateway Flags Ref Use Interface
-------------------- -------------------- ----- ----- ------ ---------
205.163.84.83 204.94.88.94 UH 3 1 ppp0
default 205.163.84.83 UG 0 1
For debugging pppd, I add this line in /etc/syslog.conf:
and restart syslogd (fields are tab-separated):
daemon.* /var/adm/messages
Then, you get the chat script dialog captured to help isolate the problem.
Print out and read the docs mentioned above if you have problems.
Once the PPP link is working, you can enable DNS hostnames as follows:
First, Modify this line in /etc/nsswitch.conf to something like:
hosts: files dns
Second, add lines similar to this in /etc/resolv.conf:
domain PutYourISPDomainNameHere.com
nameserver 192.188.72.18
nameserver 192.188.72.21
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.11) Is there any commercial PPP that's easier to use?
Yes. Solaris sells its "Solstice PPP" product with its server
system. It requires a license for the server side (usually an ISP), but
not for the client-side (if you have only one connection). However, you
have to have access to the Solaris server CDROM to obtain the software.
See http://www.sun.com/solstice/server/PPPbrief.html
Basically, to set up, you use the GUI program pppinit to set up the PPP
link. You start and stop PPP with "/etc/init.d/ppp start" (and stop),
as with aspppd, or use the GUI program ppptool. Solstice PPP is
documented in the _Solstice PPP AnswerBook_ at http://docs.sun.com/ and
a easier to set up than aspppd and pppd.
Progressive Systems, Inc. sells Morning Star PPP, probably the most
successful third-party PPP commercial product. It's available for
Solaris/x86 (and several other systems) for a 15-day evaluation from
http://www.progressive-systems.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.12) Help! My USRobotics Internal modem doesn't work with PPP.
If it's a WinModem, you're out of luck--That only works with MS Windoze
and then only with special drivers. It's missing critical UART hardware
that's emulated in software.
If you're using aspppd, supplied with stock Solaris, you can either switch
to another PPP product that works with USRobotics Internal Sportster modems,
such as Solaris PPP (not free) or PPPd (free, see above) or try this:
(from Alan Orndorff's "Solaris x86 Resources," http://pw2.netcom.com/~dwarf/):
Modify your /etc/uucp/Dialers file in the following manner:
Add P_ZERO to your modem definition string to set it to "no parity." E.g,
hayes =,-, "" P_ZERO ""
\dA\pTE1V1X4Q0S2=255S12=255\r\c OK\r \EATDT\T\r\c CONNECT
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.13) PPP runs _extremely_ slow. What's wrong?
Solaris 2.5 and Solaris 2.4 patch 101945-34+ have poor TCP performance
over slow links, including PPP.
Patches for this, Bug ID 1233827, are available from http://access1.sun.com:
Solaris/x86 2.5.1: 103631 (IP) and 103581 (TCP)
Solaris/x86 2.5: 103170 (IP) and 103448 (TCP)
Both these patches are in the Recommended Patches set.
The "showrev -p" command shows what patches you have installed.
Similar patches exist for SPARC, PowerPC, and Solaris 2.4.
[From Bruce Riddle's Solarisx86 PPP FAQ and Casper Dik's Solaris 2 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.14) How do I configure PPP using Dynamic IP Addresses (DHCP)?
If you're using Solaris aspppd, you need a void entry in /etc/hosts
and plumb it to do DHCP with PPP. Basically add this line to
/etc/hosts:
0.0.0.1 void
(Note: for Solaris 2.4 use 0.0.0.0 in lieu of 0.0.0.1)
Change the ifconfig line in /etc/asppp.cf to link to void rather
than the local machine IP entry in /etc/hosts. Then add
"negotiate_address on" to your /etc/asppp.cf file.
[Thanks to Bruce Riddle and Wyatt Wong]
If you're using the freeware pppd, simply don't specify an IP address
in your pppd options file.
If you're using the commercial Solaris PPP, keep the default of
"none" when prompted for your IP address by pppinit.
dit file /platform/i86pc/kernel/drv/asy.conf.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.15) How do I configure my Soundblaster card?
Edit file /platform/i86pc/kernel/drv/sbpro.conf as instructed in the file.
Usually, it's just adding "dma-channels-1,5" to the appropriate
name="sbpro" line. Then "touch /reconfigure" and "reboot"
Personally, I got the sound card to play files, but not the CD-ROM. Some
people had luck by running the CDE audiotool first. What worked for me
was installing a commercial product, Open Sound System (OSS) from 4Front
Technologies. It's available at http://www.opensound.com/ for a 10-day
trial. After that, it's $40, but well-worth the trouble-saving.
To install, download the tar.Z file from http://www.opensound.com/,
extract, and run the install menu ./oss-install and let it auto-detect
the sound card. After installing, make sure /dev/audio is linked to
/dev/audio (not the Solaris /dev/sound/0) and /dev/audioctl is linked to
/dev/mixer0 (and not /dev/sound/0ctl). Reboot (or at least sync), then
run "soundon" to enable the driver manually (see file oss/Readme file
for automatic enabling once you verified it works).
The recently-released RealAudio for Solaris/x86 does not work with OSS
(yet).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.16) Is Solaris/x86 Year 2000 (Y2K) compliant?
According to Sun Microsystems, Solaris/x86 2.6 and up are Y2K compliant
out of the box. However, at least one Y2K patch for Solaris/x86 2.6
exists: 105687-01. Older versions 2.4, 2.5, and 2.5.1 can be
made Y2K safe by applying a set of Y2K patches. These patches are
available at http://sunsolve.Sun.COM/
Solaris/x86 Y2K information is available at http://www.Sun.COM/y2000/
Of the Y2K patches, only the make and sccs patch are in the Recommended
Patches set.
For Solaris/x86 Y2K patches, see the following FAQ, depending your
version of solaris:
2.6: http://access1.sun.com/cgi-bin/rinfo2html?230102.faq
2.5.1: http://access1.sun.com/cgi-bin/rinfo2html?229708.faq
2.5: http://access1.sun.com/cgi-bin/rinfo2html?229802.faq
2.4: http://access1.sun.com/cgi-bin/rinfo2html?229901.faq
The "showrev -p" command shows what patches you have installed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.17) Can I use Solaris/x86 to setup a "headless" server?
The answer is yes, it can be done, but it's BIOS dependent, since many
BIOS chips won't boot up the system without the keyboard and video card.
The console can be configured to go to serial ports as described below.
Removal of video card is also BIOS dependent.
Setup steps:
1. For 2.6, use eeprom to specify the console (ttya, ttyb):
eeprom input-device=ttya output-device=ttya
(just like SPARC? ;-)
For 2.5.1, add "set console = 1" to /etc/system
2. Set the serial line's Carrier Detect (CD) to HIGH and (for 2.6 only)
set the serial line's Data Set Ready (DSR) to HIGH. If you don't--it
won't boot.
[Thanks to John Weekley, Scott Wedel, Kenneth Wagner, Andy Spitzer, and Kai O'Yang]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6.18) Can I get a Sun-style keyboard (Ctrl & Caps Lock reversed) for S/x86?
The following is from Don Christensen (6/1998):
I have found two options, the Sun PC-style type 5 keyboard from Workstation
Express, and a Sun Unix-style type 5 keyboard from NCD. Both keyboards
feel much more solid that a typical PC keyboard, with the NCD being a
little better in my opinion (aside from the fact that it is Unix-style.)
There is a slight problem with the NCD keyboard in that three of the keys
are not seen by the PC. However, there are five extra keys on the keyboard
that could be used instead (the space between the cursor keys and the
Insert, Del, etc keys are filled in with blank keys.) A moderate amount
of work with xmodmap should have either keyboard functioning quite well.
I did not check to see if all of the keys were seen on the Workstation
Express keyboard, but I suspect that it will be as good as or better
than the NCD keyboard.
I had more problams with my Toshiba Tecra 740CDT. When directly plugged in,
neither keyboard worked. Much to my surprise, both keyboards worked when
plugged in through a Y adaptor (so I could also plug in a mouse). However,
many keys on the NCD keyboard were not seen. Fewer keys on the Workstation
Express keyboard were not seen, but there were enough that I personally
do not think it is usable.
Support at NCD said that the NCD keyboard supports "Scan Set 3" while most
PCs support "Scan Set 2". I am not really familiar with PC hardware, but
it doesn't surprise me that the keyboard controller would be brain dead enough
to not support any keyboard. This seems like a very plausible explanation,
at least for the laptop. If I ever find the right contact at Toshiba,
I hope they might have a BIOS upgrade to support these keyboards (but I
am not holding my breath.)
I had our IT department order the keyboard for me, so I don't have exact
numbers, but I was told by Kathy Fulton at NCD (650-919-2888) that the
keyboard is around $116 list. The model number is N-123UX (I was also
given SU192 as a number, but the back of the keyboard says N-123UX).
[See http://www.ncd.com/ - D.A.]
I don't have a Workstation Express catalog handy.
[No web page! Call 1-800-844-5757 - D.A.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(7.0) TROUBLESHOOTING
(7.1) What can I do if Solaris won't boot?
To boot Solaris, UNIX, miniroot, or however you'd like to term it, boot
from the CDROM. At the "Interactive or Jumpstart" prompt, type "b -s"
Or, after the video configuration, network, time and date you'll notice
one of the menu's has a button: [Exit] Select Exit and, when it asks
you again "do you want to exit?," just say yes.
Once you're at the UNIX root prompt #, you can mount the boot drive with
"mount /dev/dsk/c0t0d0s0 /mnt" and view anything wrong with the boot drive
(omit the "t0" for ATAPI/IDE).
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(7.2) How do I logon as root if the password doesn't work anymore?
Regaining control of a Solaris x86 system where the root password has
been lost can be accomplished by the following steps. Note that
any savvy user can do this with the proper CD-ROM and diskette.
Therefore, of course, physical security of a system is important for
machines containing sensitive data.
1. Insert installation boot diskette and installation CD-ROM for
Solaris x86.
2. Boot system from the installation floppy and select the CD-ROM as
the boot device.
3. Type "b -s" (instead of typing 1 or 2 from the menu) and it'll
drop you straight to a root shell, #, (and you'll be in
single-user mode).
4. At the root prompt, #, key in the following commands, which will
create a directory called hdrive under the /tmp directory and then
mount the root hard drive partition under this temporary directory.
mkdir /tmp/hdrive
mount /dev/dsk/c0t0d0s0 /tmp/hdrive #SCSI; for ATAPI/IDE, omit "t0"
5. To use the vi editor, the TERM variable must be defined. Key in
the following commands.
TERM=at386
export TERM
6. Start vi (or some other editor) and load /tmp/hdrive/etc/shadow file:
vi /tmp/hdrive/etc/shadow
7. Change the first line of the shadow file that has the root entry to:
root::6445::::::
8. Write and quit the vi editor with the "!" override command:
:wq!
9. Halt the system, remove the floppy installation diskette, and
reboot the system:
halt
10. When system has rebooted from the hard drive, you can now log in
from the Console Login: as root with no password. Just hit enter
for the password.
11. After logging in as root, use the passwd command to change the
root password and secure the system.
[Thanks to Lynn R. Francis, Texas State Technical College]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(7.3) How do I restore the Solaris boot block without reinstalling?
This may happen when installing a boot manager that comes with
another operating system (such as LILO from Linux) or an after-market
multi-OS boot manager. These sometimes trample's active partition,
which in our case is Solaris. Also, moving the Solaris partition with
a partition manager program such as Partition Magic requires reinstalling
the Solaris boot block. Before taking these steps, first verify
the Solaris partition is active. If it isn't, just make the Solaris
partition active and reboot. Otherwise follow the steps below.
1. Boot from CD-ROM and get the root prompt, #, as described in
the previous question, 7.2.
2. Determine the controller and disk number
The boot device is /dev/rdsk/c?t?d?s2
where ? is the controller #, target ID, disk #, and slice 2.
Omit "t?" for ATAPI/IDE E.g.,
3. Verify it's the correct device correct with prtvtoc: This is VERY
important; if it's wrong, you you may hose another partition:
prtvtoc /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0s0
(omit "t0" for ATAPI/IDE)
4. Restore the boot block as follows:
installboot (partition boot block) (boot block) (raw disk dev)
E.g., for SCSI:
installboot /usr/platform/i86pc/lib/fs/ufs/pboot \
/usr/platform/i86pc/lib/fs/ufs/bootblk /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0s0
(omit "t0" for ATAPI/IDE)
5. Finally, reboot to verify the Solaris Multiple Device Boot Menu
appears. If not, you can always to an upgrade (re-)install.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(7.4) My licensed software fails because the host ID is 0. What's wrong?
Intel processor machines don't have an IDPROM, so Sun generates a serial
number, hostid command or sysinfo()'s SI_HW_SERIAL, pseudo-randomly during
installation. The number is stored in /kernel/misc/sysinit, whose only
function, it appears, is to provide the serial number. If serialization
information is tampered or sysinit fails to load, the host ID will be 0.
If you reinstall Solaris, sysinit will be regenerated and your host ID
will change. So be careful about reinstalling Solaris if you have
licensed software that depends on your host ID.
For more information, see the Sun NVRAM/hostid FAQ, available at
http://www.squirrel.com/squirrel/sun-nvram-hostid.faq.html
and elsewhere.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(7.5) How can I fix Netscape Communicator to render fonts correctly on S/x86?
This problem occurs with Solaris 2.6 and Netscape Communicator 4.0x.
To fix the problem, add the following two lines to your ~/.xinitrc file:
xset +fp /usr/openwin/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/
xset fp rehash
Another solution, if you don't have these fonts, is to go into Netscape
Preferences and change the font faces.
[Thank's to Alan Orndorff and Jeffrey Cook]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.0) INTEROPERABILITY WITH OTHER OPERATING SYSTEMS
(8.1) Can I install Solaris x86 on a system that already has Win95/NT or
other operating systems?
When you run the 2.6 install program, it will ask you which partition you
wish to use. On disk1, all you need to do is to create another
partition on your existing disk. You can use Solaris boot manager to
boot Solaris x86, NT, and Win95 (among other systems).
To shrink an existing DOS/Windows partition, if you need to make room,
use something like Partition Magic.
Problems have been reported inter-working with OS/2, however.
Reportedly, the order in which you install things is very important.
Solaris doesn't "share" computers and partitions really well. You
need to install Solaris first, on a partition towards the end,
reinstall the boot manager and add the partition.
Other options for booting is to use System Commander (see question below),
IBM's Boot Manager (bundled with Partition Magic or OS/2), FreeBSD's
OS-BS (see question below) or OS-BootSelect (freeware), instead of
the Solaris' Boot Manager.
FreeBSD has a good page on booting multiple operating systems that apply
quite well to any Intel-based operating system at
http://www.freebsd.org/tutorials/multios/multios.html
[Thanks to Barry Katz, Brandon Hume, Joseph A. Faracchio, Joelle Nebbe,
Eugeny Kuzakov, and Sean M. Kelley]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.2) How can I use MS Windows' NT Loader to boot Solaris/x86?
The general idea is that you copy the first sector of your native root
Solaris/x86 partition into a file in the DOS/NT partition. Assuming you
name that file something like c:\bootsect.sun (inspired by
c:\bootsect.dos) you can then edit the c:\boot.ini file (copy boot.ini
to boot.old first): to come up with something like this
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(0)\WINNT="Windows NT"
multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(0)C:\BOOTSECT.SUN="Solaris/x86"
C:\="DOS"
This procedure assumes that DOS and NT have been installed onto the first
disk and Solaris/x86 or whatever have been onto the second disk.
Note that in order to use the Windows NT boot loader, the NT partition must
be the active boot partition. Solaris/x86 must also be the active boot
partition, so must reside on another disk (This may be another reason
to use a commercial product, System Commander--see question below).
Mount a DOS-formatted floppy (if you've converted to NTFS, which is not
readable from Solaris/x86) or the FAT partition (see question below),
under, say, /mnt. Type:
dd if=/dev/rdsk/c0t0d0p0 of=/mnt/bootsect.sun bs=512 count=1
# (Note: The above is for SCSI; use /dev/rdsk/c0d0p0 for ATAPI/IDE.)
Reboot into DOS or NT. NTFS users copy the bootsect.sun file from the
floppy to C:. Modify the DOS/NT attributes (permissions) on boot.ini with:
attrib -s -r c:\boot.ini
Edit to add the appropriate entries from the example boot.ini above,
and restore the system and read-only file attributes:
attrib +s +r c:\boot.ini
[ Thanks to Krejcarek Brian Grant and the FreeBSD FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.3) How can I use the Solaris boot manager to boot Windows' NT?
1) Create 3 PRIMARY partitions on the disk in the following order
a) DOS FAT
b) DOS FAT (to become NTFS)
c) empty (to become Solaris)
2) install DOS (or Win 95) on Partition 1
3) Then install NT on partition 2, converting to NTFS while installing
4) Finally, install Soalris 2.6 on partition 3 using Solaris interactive.
Solaris boot manager will be the master boot controler, but then choose
partition 1 to boot NT (yes that is right, not 2). Then the NT boot manager
will come to life, allowing you to select either DOS (partition 1) or NT
(partition 2). Note that Solaris is the active partition.
[Thanks to Claude Dumas]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.4) How can I use System Commander to boot Solaris/x86 and other systems?
To use System Commander to dual boot both Win NT and Solaris, make these
two configuration changes to System Commander:
1) Use System Commander's local setup (Alt-s, Local config) to
hide all other partitions from NT and Solaris (so they can't
see each other's partitions).
2) Perform a step mentioned in the V-COM FAQ (www.v-com.com).
a) From main System Commander menu pick ALT-S.
b) select "Global Settings" but *DO NOT* press enter.
c) press "ALT-F9" which brings up an internal configuration menu.
d) Change the "Clear Items" menu choice from "MEMORY" to "NO" or "NONE".
e) press ESC to return to main menu.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.5) How can I use Linux LILO boot loader to boot Solaris/x86?
Add something like this to your /etc/lilo.conf file under linux and rerun
/sbin/lilo. Note that Solaris must be on another hard drive to use LILO.
In this example it's on your second hard drive (hence the "loader" line):
# solaris
other = /dev/hdb1
loader = /boot/chain.b
label = solaris
For more information, see the Linux HOWTOs and LILO User Guide.
For information on installing Solaris/x86 on your second hard drive, see
below.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.6) How can I use LILO to boot Solaris/x86 on the secondary master IDE?
Lim Chee Siang writes:
These are basically the steps I 'discovered' through countless
failed attempts to get Solaris to boot from the secondary master.
I got LILO to boot Solaris/x86 2.5.1 from the master disk of the
secondary IDE. Solaris was initially installed in the primary-master
disk, i.e. the only disk in the system; whereas Win95+Linux was in the
other disk, which I temporarily removed during Solaris installation.
Solaris boots according to the boot-path variable in /etc/bootrc.
During boot, fsck will check the disk entries in /etc/vfstab.
Similarly, mount will scan /etc/vfstab when mounting mounting filesystems.
In order to boot Solaris from secondary-master disk, these two files
MUST be modified, and the /dev/rdsk/ and /dev/dsk/ directories MUST
have the correct links to /devices/isa/ata@1f0,0/ and
/devices/isa/ata@170,0/.
The procedures go like these, assuming you can afford to lose
the Solaris partition--because recovery from incorrect entries
in the files to be modified in the following steps is tricky:
1. Type 'touch /reconfigure' before shutdown Solaris. Simply
place a disk as secondary-master. Solaris will create the
correct links from /dev/rdsk/ and /dev/dsk/ to
/devices/isa/ata@1f0,0/ and /devices/isa/ata@170,0/. For
example, if you only have one primary-master (Solaris) and
one secondary-master (any disk), you should see entries like
/dev/rdsk/c0d0sXX -> ../../devices/isa/ata@1f0,0/cmdk@XXXX
/dev/rdsk/c1d0sXX -> ../../devices/isa/ata@170,0/cmdk@XXXX
/dev/dsk/c0d0sXX -> ../../devices/isa/ata@1f0,0/cmdk@XXXX
/dev/dsk/c1d0sXX -> ../../devices/isa/ata@170,0/cmdk@XXXX
2. If you don't see the entries in step 1, stop moving on.
Otherwise, we're going to make changes to /etc/bootrc and
/etc/vfstab.
a. change boot-path /isa/ata@1f0,0/cmdk@0,0:a in /etc/bootrc to
/isa/ata@170,0/cmdk@0,0:a.
b. change all instances of c0d0sXX in /etc/vfstab to c1d0sXX.
Step a informs the secondary Solaris boot loader that we're
booting from the secondary-master disk while step b is
for fsck to check the correct Solaris partitions and mount
to find the filesystems for mounting.
3. Do a 'touch /reconfigure' again, just in case. Shutdown Solaris.
Transfer the disk with Solaris from primary-master to
Secondary master.
4. Put in the disk with Linux/LILO back to primary-master. Boot
Linux and add the following entries to /etc/lilo.conf.
# Solaris at secondary master
other = /dev/hdc1
loader = /boot/chain.b
label = solaris
Proceed with lilo installation as you would normally do.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.7) How can I use OS-BS to boot Solaris/x86?
Raymond N. Shwake writes:
For dual-booting, I prefer OS-BS [a freeware boot manager distributed
with FreeBSD]:
ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/tools/osbs135.exe
Assuming you've already got Linux installed and enough free space for
Solaris, go ahead and install the latter. Solaris then becomes the
Active partition. Follow that installation with OS-BS and configure to
"set startup id", which changes the Active partition on-the-fly.
[Thanks to Raymond N. Shwake and Eugeny Kuzakov]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.8) How do I mount a DOS partition from the hard drive?
mount -f pcfs /dev/dsk/c0t0d0p0:1 /mnt # SCSI
mount -f pcfs /dev/dsk/c0d0p0:1 /mnt # ATAPI/IDE
Where c0 is the controller number.
t0 is the target (SCSI ID number) (omit for ATAPI/IDE)
d0 is always 0 for SCSI, the drive # for ATAPI/IDE
p0 is the partition; DOS is the first partition here
/mnt is the mount point
You can use the normal UNIX commands to copy files, 'cp', etc.,
after that to move the data. DOS filenames are in the old
8.3 format (even for Win 95 and NT).
To mount the partitions automatically, put something like this in
/etc/vfstab:
#device device mount FS fsck mount
#to mount to fsck point type pass at boot
/dev/dsk/c1d0p0:1 - /c pcfs - yes -
/dev/dsk/c1d1p0:1 - /d pcfs - yes -
This mounts the DOS partitions (assuming it's the first partition) on /c
and /d, respectively, on startup. For more info, see "man pcfs"
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ]
Note: p0 refers to the first primary partition and p1, p2, . . . refers
to the logical DOS partitions found in the extended DOS partition.
Solaris/x86 does NOT support DOS directly in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th primary
partition of a disk. See BugID 1170107.
[Thanks to Randy J. Parker, Norma Adamson, and Rob Duarte]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.9) How do I access a DOS-format diskette from Solaris?
Using volume management, type "volcheck". This forces Solaris to poll
the diskette drive (and other drives). The diskette drive isn't
polled automatically (unlike the CD-ROM), as it would quickly wear out.
You should see something like this typing "mount":
/floppy/unnamed_floppy on /vol/dev/diskette0/unnamed_floppy read/write
on Wed Oct 22 09:05:44 1997
To unmount using volume management, type "eject". After a message, you
can manually eject the floppy safely.
You can also mount the diskette in a similar way to hard drive partitions
without using volume management (the old way):
mount -f pcfs /dev/diskette /mnt
Don't forget to turn of the volume management before you try to
do this from the command line or you will get a "device busy"
message. "/etc/init.d/volmgt stop" will stop the volume
manager. To restart the volume manager, "/etc/init.d/volmgt start".
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ and Casper Dik's Solaris 2 FAQ]
The GNU mtools package allows access of DOS diskettes without being
root. The diskette isn't mounted, but instead special commands with
the prefix m, such as mcopy, mdir, mdel, etc. are available.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.10) Does Solaris mount and recognize Win 95 partitions with long file
names (VFAT)?
Solaris 2.6 uses the "long" (VFAT) file names, but earlier versions
of Solaris uses the "short" (DOS/FAT/8.3) file name (for example,
"progra~1").
[Thanks to Nelson Chan]
For earlier versions of Solaris, in order to preserve long filenames when
transferring files, I suggest packaging the file(s) with tar, rebooting
to Solaris or Win 95 (as appropriate), and unpackaging from tar.
Note: The mount -F pcfs . . ." command won't mount a FAT16 partition
if it was fdisk-ed and format-ted with Windows 95 or NT 4.0. Use DOS 6.
FAT32 (Win 95osr2), HPFS (OS/2), or NTFS (Win NT) partitions are not
mountable under Solaris at all.
[Thanks to Danny Huynh]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.11) How can I make my Solaris files easily available to Windows 95/NT
on a network?
There is a public-domain package named SAMBA which provides SMB services
(a la Win 95/NT) from UNIX. This allows LAN-Manager-type browsing and
"Connect Network Drive," and provides access to UNIX print servers.
For the Samba FAQ, sources, binaries, and other information, see the
SAMBA web page at: http://samba.anu.edu.au/samba/
John Blair's _SAMBA: Integrating UNIX and Windows_ covers configuring
and using SAMBA (ISBN 1-57831-006-7, http://www.ssc.com/ssc/samba/)
Sun has a commercial product, Solstice LM Manager, that also
works with MS LAN Manager/SMB and links in with NIS/DNS.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.12) How can I make my Solaris files easily available to an Apple
Machintosh on a network?
Use CAP, an excellent freeware AppleTalk server software for UNIX. The
Columbia AppleTalk Package (CAP) implements the AppleTalk protocol stack
on UNIX The main applications provide an AppleShare 2.1 compatible server
(aufs), a LaserWriter Spooler (lwsrv) and a program to print to
LaserWriters (papif). For more information, see:
http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/appletalk/cap.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.13) How do I access a Mac diskette?
Use a emulator package like Mae from Apple. For "sneakernet," you can
also use a DOS diskette, as both Solaris and Apple support these.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.14) What is WABI?
WABI is "Windows Application Binary Interface." WABI 2.2 runs old 16-bit
native MS Windows 3.x programs (no support is planned for 32-bit Win 95/NT
programs). I would guess the the Sun WABI Technical Knowledge Base would
be the best place to find the latest answers about WABI.
If you are going to be running WABI on the Intel boxes, at least have
8 MB more than you would use in a normal system. So if you have 16 MB
this means you really want 24 MB of memory if you are going to be running
1 WABI session. In my opinion it is worth it just to bite the bullet
and get the 32 MB of memory.
The WABI FAQs can be obtained by sending an empty message to:
wabi-questions@East.Sun.COM
The list of current WABI apps can be obtained by mailing:
wabi-apps@East.Sun.COM
Reports indicate that WABI support will be dropped by Sun
and replaced by some other PC-on-Sun product.
[From Bob Palowoda's Solaris 2.4 x86 FAQ and Casper Dik's Solaris 2 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.15) Can I use SunPC on Solaris/x86?
No. SunPC is an add-on card and software for Solaris on SPARC only.
SunPC emulates a PC with the card and "OpenDOS" allowing Windows
3.1/95 to be installed on top of it. The card has a 133 MHz 5x86 AMD
processor and RAM. It emulates hard and floppy drives, serial ports,
SuperVGA, mouse, keyboard, etc. Generally, SunPC emulates the PC
environment OK, although it performs more slowly than a straight PC
(your mileage may vary). Software that requires a parallel port
hardware key (dongle) won't work.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.16) How can I get the DOS and UNIX clock to agree on Solaris/x86?
After installation, run the command /usr/sbin/rtc -z $TZ, where $TZ
is your timezone. The default root crontab runs /usr/sbin/rtc -c daily.
That way your clock will give the proper time whether you boot Solaris
or DOS/Windows.
[From Casper Dik's Solaris 2 FAQ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.17) Is Solaris x86 able to execute Solaris SPARC applications?
There's no way to run a SPARC binary on an x86 machine unless you
wrote an emulator for the SPARC CPU and ran it.
[Thanks to Doug McIntyre]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.18) Will my old applications from SVR3 or SCO run on Solaris 2/x86?
Solaris x86 has an emulation mode that should run the majority of
well-behaved SVR3 (including SCO UNIX), and SCO Xenix binaries. Most
SVR3 stuff appears to work under Solaris 2.4.
Applications from any other vendor's standards-conforming 386/486 SVR4
should also run. The main standard being iBCS (Intel Binary
Compatibility Standard).
However, some vendors have made incompatible changes to their
SVR4 release and programs linked on those versions may not work.
Future versions of Solaris 2.x for Intel will address some/most
of those incompatibilities. UNIXWare is one of the offenders.
[From Casper Dik's Solaris 2 FAQ]
Work has recently began (10/97) by the 86open group to further
standardize the Intel Unix binary and application interface. For more
information, see http://www.telly.org/86open/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.19) Will my application from Solaris/SPARC work on Solaris/x86?
I have the source.
Yes and no. Generally applications that don't make assumptions
about computer architecture will work. That is, code should
not depend on structure or union alignments, or in what order
a number appears in a word ("big or little endian"). Don't use
functions labeled SPARC or x86 only in the man pages. In other
words, "well-behaved" C (or other language) programs should
recompile fine. Sun has a good white paper on these issues at
http://www.sun.com/workshop/wp-archdiff/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.20) Will Linux programs run on Solaris 2/x86?
Reportedly, the Lxrun emulator allows one to execute Linux binaries,
both in ELF and a.out Linux formats. The Lxrun program was written for
SCO, but reportedly also works for Solaris/x86. For information, see
http://dontask.caltech.edu/lxrun/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.21) Can I access Solaris/x86 partitions from Linux?
Yes. Read-only access is available. You need to have Linux 2.1.x or
greater. To see if your Linux kernel recognizes Solaris partitions,
type the following on Liunx:
dmesg | grep solaris
You should get something like this:
hda: hda1 hda2 <solaris: [s0] hda5 [s1] hda6 [s2] hda7 [s3] hda8
[s5] hda9 [s6] hda10 [s7] hda11 >
This says that Solaris lives in the 2nd partition (hda2), slices 0 to 7.
These Solaris slices are mapped to virtual partitions hda5 to hda11.
To mount a partition, type something like this:
mount -r -tufs /dev/hda5 /mnt
This will mount the root slice (s0) on /mnt. Softlinks that are
relative to route (e.g., /usr/local pointing to /local) will point
to the wrong place. To avoid this problem, change these links in
Solaris to relative soft-links (e.g., /usr/local to ../local).
This can be automated with /etc/fstab.
If you don't want the partitions mounted at boot, add ",noauto"
after "defaults,ro" (no space). If you want non-root users to be able
to mount partions, add ",user" (careful!):
# /etc/fstab
# . . .
#device mount FS fsck mount # comment
#to mount point type options pass at boot # (slice)
/dev/hda5 /solaris ufs defaults,ro 0 0 # s0
/dev/hda8 /solaris/var ufs defaults,ro 0 0 # s6
/dev/hda9 /solaris/opt ufs defaults,ro 0 0 # s3
/dev/hda10 /solaris/usr ufs defaults,ro 0 0 # s5
/dev/hda11 /solaris/export/home ufs defaults,ro 0 0 # s7
If, when you type "dmesg" above, you don't see solaris partitions
recognized, you might have to rebuild your Linux kernel. Be sure
to specify "y" in /usr/src/linux/.config when you type "make config":
CONFIG_UFS_FS=y
CONFIG_SOLARIS_X86_PARTITON=y
There's another question, CONFIG_SMD_DISKLABEL, that applies only to
Sparc Solaris disks, which are in yet another format. The answer to
that question doesn't matter for Solaris/x86 filesystems.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.22) What are some books on Windows NT/Solaris integration?
Phil Lumish, _Integrating NT and UNIX_, (IDG Books, 1997), ISBN 0-76453157-3
Sharon Crawford and Charlie Russel, _NT and Intranet Secrets_, (IDG Books,
1997), ISBN 1-56604690-4
David Gunter, Steven Burnett, and Lola Gunter, _Windows NT and UNIX
Integration Guide_ (Osborne McGraw-Hill, 1997), ISBN 0-07882395-1
See also the question on SAMBA.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.23) Is PC File Viewer available for Solaris/x86?
No. It's available (and free) only for the SPARC-resident Solaris 2.6
(see Sun's promotions page at
http://www.sun.com/products-n-solutions/promotions.html ).
PC File Viewer is a third party product licensed from Inso Corp.'s
(http://www.inso.com/) QuickView Plus product. It views several PC file
formats generated by popular PC word processing, spreadsheets, and
graphics programs. Unfortunately Inso is reluctant to port the product
to Solaris/x86.
> Surely Sun has ways of making them port?
In reply, one person suggests (tongue-in-cheek of course!):
Red hot pokers, and interrogation lamps come to mind...
"We have ways of making you port code..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8.24) Can I mount other ufs disks, say from BSDi/FreeBSD, and vice versa?
Maybe. First, although Solaris, BSDi, FreeBSD, and NetBSD share a
common-heritage file system, the Berkeley-style ufs, Solaris has made
extensions. The 32-bit UID field has been modified in Solaris to be
a pointer to a parallel "Shadow inode" with Solaris ACL information.
Also, the superblock has an additional inode field in Solaris and 2 fields
have different byte swappings.
Reportedly, you can mount, say, zip disks from FreeBSD, on Solaris by
doing a fsck on them before mounting to make these fields Solaris-
compatible. Your mileage may vary and you should test this (in both
directions) before trying this on live data.
[End, Solaris x86 FAQ]
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