Solaris 10 Installation: Archived x86 GUI Walkthrough
1. Scope and preparation
The source demonstrates an older x86 installation in VMware Workstation because no SPARC machine was available. Its screenshots are already in English and are preserved. Actual server storage drivers, supported hardware and SPARC boot procedures can differ; this is not a tested SPARC installation.
The archived introduction lists 256 MB RAM, 2 GB free disk space, a 250 MHz SPARC processor or a 120 MHz x86/x64 processor. Those figures are not a universal requirement for every Solaris 10 release or for this GUI installation. Oracle’s requirements vary by release and installation mode; check the guide for the actual media. The much larger Entire Group and custom /opt layout shown below also require substantially more space than 2 GB.
The picture set mixes releases: an early boot screen identifies SunOS 5.11 snv_16 32-bit, while the later installed-system GRUB entry identifies Solaris 10 5/09 and the boot output identifies SunOS 5.10 64-bit. Retain those distinctions instead of treating all pictures as proof of one identical release. Protect required data before repartitioning or installation.
2. Start the installer
Insert or attach the installation media and boot from it. Select Solaris in the illustrated GRUB menu and press Enter:
Choose option 1, Solaris Interactive, then press Enter. The next picture shows that selection being processed. These are the early source screens containing the different SunOS 5.11 identifier:
At Select a Language, choose English (0) and press Enter:
The Welcome page lists the information to be configured, including networking, name service, date/time, root password and services profile. Click Next:
3. Configure networking and system identity
Select Networked for the network-connected example, then Next. Click Next to proceed when the settings are correct.
The source uses a static address, so choose No for DHCP on e1000g0. This is the example’s choice, not a requirement to disable DHCP in every installation. Click Next to proceed when the settings are correct.
Enter a unique host name. The example is solaris10. Click Next to proceed when the settings are correct.
Enter the intended interface IP address. The source shows 10.1.1.11. Click Next to proceed when the settings are correct.
Enter the correct subnet mask. The source uses 255.255.255.0. Click Next to proceed when the settings are correct.
The source selects No for IPv6. Choose according to the actual network requirements. Click Next to proceed when the settings are correct.
For the default route, select Specify one, then enter the router IP address. The source shows 10.1.1.254. This field is the gateway/router address, not the server NIC’s own address as one source sentence suggests. Click Next to proceed when the settings are correct.
The example selects No for Kerberos. Click Next to proceed when the settings are correct.
Choose DNS as the name service. Click Next to proceed when the settings are correct.
Enter the appropriate domain name. The captured field shows china-putian.com. Click Next to proceed when the settings are correct.
Enter the DNS server address. The source uses 10.1.1.60 in the required field and leaves the optional addresses empty. Click Next to proceed when the settings are correct.
The DNS Search List is optional in this example and is left empty. Click Next to proceed when the settings are correct.
For NFSv4 Domain Name, keep Use the NFSv4 domain derived by the system in the illustrated case. Click Next to proceed when the settings are correct.
4. Time, credentials and services
Choose the geographic-continent/country/region method for time zone selection. In the source example, expand Asia and select China:
Check the date and time and correct them for the intended installation. The source’s June 2011 date is historical, rather than a value to copy today:
Set and confirm the intended root password. The source fields are masked; no password value is supplied here:
The source selects Yes for enabling remote services. That enables a broader services profile. The same dialog and Oracle guide explain that No restricts remote services while keeping Secure Shell available; choose the profile required for the deployment rather than enabling all services merely to follow an archived screenshot:
Review Confirm Information and click Confirm if correct. The summary includes the static address, mask, route, DNS server, NFSv4 handling and PRC time zone. Check the actual summary: the domain-name line in this source summary is blank despite the earlier domain-entry picture:
5. Choose media, software and locales
At the Solaris Installation Welcome page, click Next:
The source chooses Yes for automatic reboot after software installation and for ejecting additional CDs/DVDs. The page notes that the currently booted CD/DVD must be ejected manually during reboot when necessary:
Select CD/DVD as the installation source, then wait for initialization. The progress image shows only 1%, not completion:
Review the software license. Select Accept only if authorized to accept it, then continue:
Choose Custom Install:
In Software Localizations, expand Asia and select Chinese (zh) as in the source. English support remains available; this is installed language support, separate from translating the documentation:
For the initial system locale, choose English (POSIX C) (C):
Select None for Additional Products in this example:
Choose Entire Group with Default Packages. The source lists 4295.5 MB for that group:
6. Select the disk and review the UFS layout
The source selects its only listed boot disk, c1t0d0. The disk-selection picture reports 149495 MB selected and 5839 MB required. Verify the intended disk before continuing; partitioning and installation can overwrite its contents:
Select the disk for fdisk partition customization. The next page allocates the illustrated disk space to a Solaris fdisk partition:
Review Lay Out File Systems. The initial source layout shows / at 5335 MB, swap at 518 MB and /export/home at 143621 MB. Use Modify only when the custom layout is intended:
The source proposes slice 0 for / using the remaining space, slice 1 for swap at twice RAM and slice 3 for /opt at about 100 GB. Those are its example choices, not universal sizing rules. Plan swap and file systems for the actual memory, workload, software and available disk. Its edited form and following layout show / 42960 MB, swap 4096 MB and /opt 102400 MB:
Click OK in the editor and check the resulting layout before Next. The source editor reports a rounded capacity of 149480 MB; do not silently replace the earlier 149495 MB display or assume every capacity field is identical.
7. Install and perform the first boot
Review Ready to Install, including the target disk, file systems, software group, Chinese localization and English system locale. Choose Install Now only for the verified installation target:
Wait for installation. The progress picture shows 3% while creating/checking file systems. The source estimates roughly 30 minutes, but actual duration varies with hardware, media and selected packages:
At the installation summary’s pause dialog, Continue advances immediately. The source then reboots according to the selected option; review the actual installation result and any details rather than treating this pause dialog alone as proof that every component succeeded:
The later GRUB menu identifies Solaris 10 5/09 s10x_u7wos_08 X86. The following boot output identifies SunOS 5.10 Generic_139556-08 64-bit and loads SMF service descriptions:
After the initial configuration loads, the graphical Solaris 10 login screen appears. Enter the authorized account’s credentials. At the first desktop choice, select Java Desktop System, Release 3 as described in the source and click OK; CDE is the other shown option:
The final source image shows the desktop after login. It records the archived example’s graphical startup, rather than a new installation or validation performed for this translation:
