Chapter 17 Web Start Flash (Overview and Planning)

This chapter provides an introduction to the Web Start Flash installation feature. Also included in the chapter is information necessary for planning a Web Start Flash installation in your environment.

• "Web Start Flash Introduction"

• "Planning Your Web Start Flash Installation"

Web Start Flash Introduction

The Web Start Flash installation feature enables you to create a single reference installation of the Solaris operating environment on a system, which is called the master system. Then you can replicate that installation on a number of systems, which are called clone systems. Installing clone systems with the Web Start Flash installation method is a three-part process.

1. Install the master system. You select a system and use any of the Solaris installation methods to install the Solaris operating environment and any other software.

2. Create the Web Start Flash archive. The Web Start Flash archive contains a copy of all of the files on the master system.

3. Install the Web Start Flash archive on clone systems. When you install the Web Start Flash archive on a system, all of the files in the archive are copied to that system. The newly installed system now has the same installation configuration as the original master system, thus it is called a clone system.

You cannot upgrade a system that is running the Solaris operating environment by using the Web Start Flash installation feature. You can only perform an initial installation.

Planning Your Web Start Flash Installation

Before you create and install a Web Start Flash archive, you must make some decisions about how you want to install the Solaris operating environment on your systems.

Designing the Installation of the Master System

The first task in the Web Start Flash installation process is to install a system, the master system, with the configuration that you want each of the clone systems to have. You can use any of the Solaris installation methods to install a subset or a complete installation of the Solaris operating environment on the master system. After you complete the installation, you can add or remove software or modify any configuration files.

The master system and the clone systems must have the same kernel architectures. For example, you can use a Web Start Flash archive that was created from a master system that has a sun4u architecture only to install other systems with a sun4u architecture.

You must install the master system with the exact configuration that you want on each of the systems that you are installing with the Web Start Flash archive that was created from this master system. The decisions you make when you design the installation of the master system depend on the following:

• The software you want to install on the clone systems

• Peripheral devices that are connected to the master system and the clone systems

• The architecture of the master system and the clone systems

Customizing the Solaris Installation on the Master System

After you install the Solaris operating environment on the master system by using any of the Solaris installation methods, you can add or delete software and modify system configuration information as necessary.

• Delete software. You can remove software that you determine is not necessary to install on the clone systems. To see a list of software that is installed on the master system, use the Product Registry. For detailed instructions, refer to System Administration Guide: Basic Administration.

• Add software. You can install software that is included in the Solaris release and software that is not delivered as part of the Solaris operating environment. All of the software that you install on the master system is included in the Web Start Flash archive and is installed on the clone systems.

• Modify configuration files. You can alter configuration files on the master system. For example, you can modify the /etc/inet/inetd.conf file to restrict the daemons that the system runs. All of the modifications that you make are saved as part of the Web Start Flash archive and are installed on the clone systems.

After you install the Web Start Flash archive on a clone system, some host-specific files are deleted and re-created for the clone machine. The installation program uses the sys-unconfig(1M) command and the sysidtool(1M) programs to delete and re-create the host-specific network configuration files. The files that are re-created include such files as /etc/hosts, /etc/defaultrouter, and /etc/defaultdomain.

Supporting Peripheral Devices Not Found on the Master System

You might be installing a master system that has different peripheral devices than the clone systems. If you install the master system with the Core, End User, Developer, or Entire Software Group, the master system supports only the peripheral devices that are attached to the master system at the time of installation.

For example, if you install the Entire Software Group on a master system that has a cg6 frame buffer, the installation contains support for only the cg6 frame buffer. Consequently, you can only install the archive that you create from this system on clone systems that have either the cg6 frame buffer or no frame buffers. If you use the archive to install a clone system with an Elite 3D frame buffer, the Elite 3D will be unusable because the required drivers will not be installed.

You might have clone systems that have peripheral devices that the master system does not have. You can install support for these peripheral devices on the master system even though the master system does not have the devices. The Web Start Flash archive you create from this master system contains support for the peripheral devices on the clone systems.

If you plan to install clone systems that have different peripherals from the master system, you can install support for those peripherals on the master system in one of the following ways.

• Install the Entire Plus OEM Software Group - The Entire Plus OEM Software Group is the largest Software Group available and contains every package found in the Solaris operating environment. If you install the Entire Plus OEM Software group on the master system, the master system includes all of the drivers that are included with the Solaris release. A Web Start Flash archive that is created from a master system that you install with the Entire Plus OEM Software Group works on any clone system that has peripheral devices supported by the installed release of the Solaris operating environment.

  Installing master systems with the Entire Plus OEM Software Group guarantees compatibility with other peripheral configurations. However, the Entire Plus OEM Software Group requires over 1 Gbyte of disk space. The clone systems might not have the space that is required to install the Entire Plus OEM Software Group.

• Install selected packages - When you install the master system, you can install only the packages that you need for the master system and the clone systems. By selecting specific packages, you can install only support for the peripherals that you know exist on the master system or clone systems.

Planning the Creation of a Web Start Flash Archive

After you install the master system, the next task in the Web Start Flash installation process is to create a Web Start Flash archive. All of the files on the master system are copied to a Web Start Flash archive along with various pieces of identification information. You can create a Web Start Flash archive while the master system is running in multiuser mode or single-user mode. You can also create a Web Start Flash archive after you boot from one of the following:

• Solaris 9 DVD

• Solaris 9 Software 1 of 2 CD

• An image of the Solaris 9 Software and the Solaris 9 Languages CDs

Create the archive when the system is in as static a state as possible.

Archive Identification Information

A Web Start Flash archive contains archive identification information in addition to the actual files from the master system that will be installed on the clone systems. You are required to specify a name for the Web Start Flash archive. Other information that you can specify about the archive includes:

• The author of the archive

• The date the archive was created

• The name of the master system that you used to create the archive

For a complete list of the archive identification information that you can specify, refer to "Identification Section Keywords".

Use the flar command to retrieve information about the archive. For detailed instructions, refer to "flar".

Where to Store the Web Start Flash Archive

After you create the Web Start Flash archive, you can save the archive on the hard disk of the master system or on a tape. After you save the archive, you can copy it to any file system or media that you choose.

• Network File System (NFS)

• HTTP server

• FTP server

• Tape

• CD, DVD

• Diskette

• Local drive of clone system that you want to install

Compressing the Archive

When you create the Web Start Flash archive, you can specify that the archive be saved as a compressed file by using the compress(1)utility. An archive that is compressed requires smaller disk storage space and creates less congestion when you install the archive over a network.

Planning the Installation of Web Start Flash Archives

The final task in the Web Start Flash installation process is to install Web Start Flash archives on clone systems.

Deciding How to Install Web Start Flash Archives

You can use any of the Solaris installation methods to install Web Start Flash archives on clone systems.

The Solaris Web Start program on the Solaris 9 DVD or Solaris 9 Installation CD enables you to install Web Start Flash archives that are stored on the following:

• Disc (DVD or CD)

• NFS server

• HTTP server

• FTP server

• Local tape

The Solaris suninstall program on the Solaris 9 Software 1 of 2 CD enables you to install Web Start Flash archives that are stored on the following:

• HTTP server

• FTP server

• NFS server

• Local file

• Local tape

• Local device, including CD

The custom JumpStart installation program enables you to install Web Start Flash archives that are stored on the following:

• NFS server

• HTTP server

• FTP server

• Local tape

• Local device, including DVD or CD

• Local file

Solaris Live Upgrade enables you to install Web Start Flash archives that are stored on the following:

• HTTP server

• FTP server

• NFS server

• Local file

• Local tape

• Local device, including DVD or CD

Installing Layered Web Start Flash Archives

The Web Start Flash installation feature provides the ability to layer Web Start Flash archives. You can create partial Web Start Flash archives to install in a variety of ways.

For example, you can create one archive that contains the Solaris operating environment files, a second archive that contains the files necessary to run a Web server, and a third archive that contains the files for an NFS server. You can install the first and second archives to a system in order to create a Web server. You can install the first and third archives to another system in order to create an NFS server.

By using layered archives, you can increase the flexibility of the Web Start Flash installation while you reduce the disk space that is required to store Web Start Flash archives. When you install layered archives to a clone system, one of the archives must contain the Solaris operating environment.

If you use layered Web Start Flash archives to install additional software on clone systems separately from the Solaris operating environment, the Solaris package database has no record of the additional software.