Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations

Chapter 1 What's New in Solaris Installation

This chapter describes new features in the Solaris installation programs. To view features for all of the Solaris OS, see Solaris 10 What’s New.

What's New in the Solaris 10 1/06 Release For Solaris Installation

This section describes the following new installation features in the Solaris 10 1/06 release.

Upgrading the Solaris OS When Non-Global Zones Are Installed

Starting with the Solaris 10 1/06 release, Solaris Zones partitioning technology provides the ability to configure non-global zones in a single instance of Solaris, the global zone. A non-global zone is an application execution environment in which processes are isolated from all other zones. If you are running a system with non-global zones installed, you can use standard Solaris upgrade programs to upgrade to the Solaris 1/06 release. You can use either the Solaris interactive installation program or custom JumpStart to upgrade. There are some limitations to upgrading with non-global zones installed.

A limited number of custom JumpStart keywords are supported. For a list of supported custom JumpStart keywords, see Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.
CD-ROMs are not distributed, but you can upgrade with a DVD-ROM or a network installation image.
On a system with non-global zones installed, do not use Solaris Live Upgrade to upgrade your system. While you can create a boot environment with the lucreate command, the luupgrade command cannot upgrade a boot environment that has non-global zones installed. In that case, the upgrade fails and an error message is displayed.

For details on using the Solaris interactive installation program, see Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations

x86: GRUB Based Booting

Starting with the Solaris 10 1/06 release, the open source GNU GRand Unified BootLoader (GRUB) has been adopted in the Solaris OS for x86 based systems. GRUB is responsible for loading a boot archive into the system's memory. A boot archive is a collection of critical files that is needed during system startup before the root (/) file system is mounted. The boot archive is used to boot the Solaris OS.

The most notable change is the replacement of the Solaris Device Configuration Assistant with the GRUB menu. The GRUB menu facilitates booting the different operating systems that are installed on your system. The GRUB menu is displayed when you boot an x86 based system. From the GRUB menu, you can select an OS instance to install by using the arrow keys. If you do not make a selection, the default OS instance is booted.

The GRUB based boot feature provides the following improvements:

Faster boot times
Installation from USB CD or DVD drives
Ability to boot from USB storage devices
Simplified DHCP setup for PXE boot (no vendor-specific options)
Elimination of all realmode drivers
Ability to use Solaris Live Upgrade and the GRUB menu to quickly activate and fall back to boot environments.

For more information about GRUB refer to the following sections.

Task	GRUB Task	For More Information
Installation	Overview information about GRUB based booting	x86: GRUB Based Booting (Overview)
	Installation planning for GRUB based booting	x86: GRUB Based Booting (Planning)
	How to boot and install over the network with the GRUB menu	Booting and Installing the System From the Network With a DVD Image in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations
	How to boot and install with the GRUB menu and the Custom JumpStart installation method	x86: Performing a Custom JumpStart Installation
	How to use the GRUB menu and Solaris Live Upgrade to activate and fall back to boot environments	Activating a Boot Environment in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Solaris Live Upgrade and Upgrade Planning Chapter 10, Failure Recovery: Falling Back to the Original Boot Environment (Tasks), in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Solaris Live Upgrade and Upgrade Planning
	Locating the GRUB menu's `menu.lst` file	x86: Locating the GRUB Menu's `menu.lst` File (Tasks)
System Administration	How to perform system administration tasks with the GRUB menu	System Administration Guide: Basic Administration System Administration Guide: Devices and File Systems bootadm(1M) installgrub(1M)

Note –

GNU is a recursive acronym for “GNU's Not UNIX.” For more information, go to http://www.gnu.org.

Upgrade Support Changes for Solaris Releases

Starting with the Solaris 1/06 release, you can upgrade the Solaris OS from the Solaris 8, 9, or 10 releases. Upgrades from the Solaris 7 release are not supported.

What's New in the Solaris 10 3/05 Release For Solaris Installation

This section describes the following new installation features in the Solaris 10 3/05 release.

Solaris Installation Changes Including Installation Unification

Starting with the Solaris 10 3/05 release, several changes in the installation of the Solaris OS provide a more simplified and unified installation experience.

The changes include the following:

This release has one installation DVD and several installation CDs. The Solaris Operating System DVD includes the content of all the installation CDs.
- Solaris Software 1 – This CD is the only bootable CD. From this CD, you can access both the Solaris installation graphical user interface (GUI) and the console-based installation. This CD also enables you to install selected software products from both the GUI and the console-based installation.
- Other Solaris Operating System CDs – These CDs contain the following:
  - Solaris packages that the software prompts you to install if necessary
  - ExtraValue software that includes supported and unsupported software
  - Installers
  - Localized interface software and documentation
The Solaris Installation CD no longer exists.
For both CD and DVD media, the GUI installation is the default (if your system has enough memory). However, you can specify a console-based installation with the text boot option.
The installation process has been simplified, enabling you to select the language support at boot time, but select locales later.

Note –

The (noninteractive) Solaris custom JumpStart^TM installation method has not changed.

To install the OS, simply insert the Solaris Software - 1 CD or the Solaris Operating System DVD and type one of the following commands.

For the default GUI installation (if system memory permits), type boot cdrom.
For the console-based installation, type boot cdrom - text.

For instructions about how to install the Solaris OS by using CD or DVD media with the new `text` boot option	Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations
For changes to setting up an installation server with CD media	Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations

Accessing the GUI or Console-based Installations

Starting with the Solaris 10 3/05 release, you can choose to install the software with a GUI or with or without a windowing environment. If the memory is sufficient, the GUI is displayed by default. If the memory is insufficient for the GUI, other environments are displayed by default. You can override defaults with the nowin or text boot options. However, you are limited by the amount of memory in your system or by installing remotely. Also, if the Solaris installation program does not detect a video adapter, the program is automatically displayed in a console-based environment.

For specific memory requirements, see System Requirements and Recommendations.

Custom JumpStart Installation Package and Patch Enhancements

Starting with the Solaris 10 3/05 release, when you install and upgrade the Solaris OS by using the custom JumpStart installation method, new customizations enable the following:

A Solaris Flash installation with additional packages

The custom JumpStart profile package keyword has been enhanced to enable installing a Solaris Flash archive with additional packages. For example, you can install the same base archive on two machines, but add a different set of packages to each machine. These packages do not have to be a part of the Solaris OS distribution.
An installation with additional packages that might not be part of the Solaris distribution

The package keyword has also been enhanced to enable an installation with a package that is not part of the Solaris distribution. You no longer need to write a postinstallation script to add extra packages.
An installation with the ability to install Solaris OS patches

The new custom JumpStart profile patch keyword enables the installation of Solaris OS patches. This feature allows the installation of a list of patches that are specified in a patch file.

For further information, see Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

Configuring Multiple Network Interfaces During Installation

Starting with the Solaris 10 3/05 release, the Solaris installation programs enable you to configure multiple interfaces during your installation. You can preconfigure these interfaces in the sysidcfg file for your system. Or you can configure multiple interfaces during the installation. For more information, see the following documents:

SPARC: 64-bit Package Changes

In previous Solaris releases, the Solaris software was delivered in separate packages for 32-bit components and 64-bit components. Starting with the Solaris 10 3/05 release, packaging has been simplified with the delivery of most 32-bit components and 64-bit components in a single package. The combined packages retain the names of the original 32-bit packages, and the 64-bit packages are no longer delivered.

The removal of the 64-bit packages simplifies installation and increases performance:

Reduces the number of packages, which simplifies Custom JumpStart scripts that contain lists of packages
Simplifies the packaging system with only one package that groups software functions
Reduces installation time because fewer packages are installed

The 64-bit packages are renamed with the following conventions:

If a 64-bit package has a 32-bit counterpart, the 64-bit package is named with the 32-bit package name. For example, a 64-bit library such as /usr/lib/sparcv9/libc.so.1 previously would have been delivered in SUNWcslx, but now is delivered in SUNWcsl. The 64-bit SUNWcslx package is no longer delivered.
If a package does not have a 32-bit counterpart, the “x” suffix is removed from the name. For example, SUNW1394x becomes SUNW1394.

This change means that you might need to modify your custom JumpStart script or other package installation scripts to remove references to the 64-bit packages.

Custom JumpStart Installation Method Creates New Boot Environment

Starting with the Solaris 10 3/05 release, you can now use the JumpStart installation method to create an empty boot environment when you install the Solaris Operating System. The empty boot environment can then be populated with a Solaris Flash archive for later use.

For further information, see Chapter 11, Custom JumpStart (Reference).

Reduced Networking Software Group

Starting with the Solaris 10 3/05 release, you can now create a more secure system with fewer enabled network services by selecting or specifying the Reduced Networking software group (SUNWCrnet) during your installation. The Reduced Networking software group provides system administration utilities and a multiuser text-based console. SUNWCrnet enables the system to recognize network interfaces. During the installation, you can customize your system's configuration by adding software packages and by activating network services as needed.

For further information, see Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

Modifying Disk Partition Tables by Using a Virtual Table of Contents

Starting with the Solaris 10 3/05 release, the Solaris installation program now enables you to load existing slices from the virtual table of contents (VTOC.) You can now preserve and use the system's existing disk slice tables during your installation, rather than use the installer's default disk layout.

x86: Change in Default Boot-Disk Partition Layout

Starting with the Solaris 10 3/05 release, a new feature in the Solaris installation program is a boot-disk partition layout. This layout, by default, accommodates the Service partition on Sun x86 based systems. This installation program enables you to preserve an existing Service partition.

The new default includes the following partitions.

First partition – Service partition (existing size on system)
Second partition – x86 boot partition (approximately 11 Mbytes)
Third partition – Solaris Operating System partition (remaining space on the boot disk)

If you want to use this default layout, select Default when the Solaris installation program asks you to choose a boot-disk layout.

Note –

If you install the Solaris OS for x86 based systems on a system that does not currently include a Service partition, the Solaris installation program does not create a new Service partition. If you want to create a Service partition on your system, first use your system's diagnostic CD to create the Service partition. After the Service partition is created, then install the Solaris Operating System.

For information about how to create the Service partition, see your hardware documentation.

For more information, see Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.