C H A P T E R 3 - Configuring the Preinstalled Solaris 10 Operating System

C H A P T E R 3

Configuring the Preinstalled Solaris 10 Operating System

This chapter explains the steps for configuring the Solaris trademark 10 Operating System (OS) that has been preinstalled on your server. The factory-installed version is Solaris 10 11/06 or later.

Note - Unlike with SPARC^® systems, you will not see the output of the preinstalled Solaris 10 image through a monitor when you power on the server. You will see the BIOS Power-On Self Test (POST) and other boot information output.

The server ships with its console redirected to the serial port.

You can choose an option to send the output to VGA (video port). For more information, see To Redirect the Console Output to the Video Port (Optional).

Before You Begin

Before you begin configuring the preinstalled OS, do the following:

Perform initial configuration of the server's ILOM and determine the server's network settings, as described in Connecting to the Server Module ILOM.

Gather the information that you will need for the configuration, as listed in Installation Worksheet. Note that default values are indicated by an asterisk (*).

Tip - To find the server module, PCI Express Module, and SP MAC addresses, see the customer information sheet included with the system box or the server, PCI EM, and SP MAC addresses printed on their respective labels.

Installation Worksheet

Use the worksheet in TABLE 3-1 to gather the information that you need to configure the preinstalled Solaris 10 OS. You only need to collect the information that applies to your application of the system.

TABLE 3-1 Worksheet for Installation
Information for Installation		Description or Example	Your Answers: Defaults (*)
Language		Choose from the list of available languages for the Solaris 10 software.	English*
Locale		Choose your geographic region from the list of available locales.
Terminal		Choose the type of terminal that you are using from the list of available terminal types.
Network connection		Is the system connected to a network?	Networked Non-networked*
DHCP		Can the system use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to configure its network interfaces?	Yes No*
If you are not using DHCP, note the network address:	IP address	If you are not using DHCP, supply the IP address for the system. Example: `129.200.9.1`
	Subnet	If you are not using DHCP, is the system part of a subnet? If yes, what is the netmask of the subnet? Example: `255.255.0.0`	255.255.0.0*
	IPv6	Do you want to enable IPv6 on this machine?	Yes No*
Host name		A host name that you choose for the system.
Kerberos		Do you want to configure Kerberos security on this machine? If yes, gather this information: Default Realm: Administration Server: First KDC: (Optional) Additional KDCs:	Yes No*
Name service	Name service	If applicable, which name service should this system use?	NIS+ NIS DNS LDAP None*
	Domain name	Provide the name of the domain in which the system resides.
	NIS+ and NIS	Do you want to specify a name server, or let the installation program find one?	Specify One Find One*
	DNS	Provide IP addresses for the DNS server. You must enter at least one IP address, but you can enter up to three addresses. You can also enter a list of domains to search when a DNS query is made. Search Domain: Search Domain: Search Domain:
	LDAP	Provide the following information about your LDAP profile: Profile name: Profile server: If you specify a proxy credential level in your LDAP profile, gather the following information: Proxy-Bind Distinguished Name: Proxy-Bind Password:
Default route		Do you want to specify a default route IP address, or let the Solaris installation program find one? The default route provides a bridge that forwards traffic between two physical networks. An IP address is a unique number that identifies each host on a network. You have the following choices: You can specify the IP address. An `/etc/defaultrouter` file is created with the specified IP address. When the system is rebooted, the specified IP address becomes the default route. You can let the Solaris installation program detect an IP address. However, the system must be on a subnet that has a router that advertises itself by using the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) router discovery protocol. If you are using the command-line interface, the software detects an IP address when the system is booted. You can choose None if you do not have a router or do not want the software to detect an IP address at this time. The software automatically tries to detect an IP address on reboot.	Specify One Detect One None*
Time zone		How do you want to specify your default time zone?	Geographic region* Offset from GM Time zone file
Root password		Choose a root password for the system.

Configuring the Preinstalled Solaris 10 Operating System

Note - Before you perform this procedure, you need to set up the service processor. If you have not done so, see Connecting to the Server Module ILOM.

Use the information that you gathered in Installation Worksheet as you perform the configuration.

After configuring the server module ILOM, you can configure the preinstalled Solaris 10 operating system (OS) by using the service processor to connect to the system console.

To Connect to the System Console Through the Service Processor

You can connect to the service processor using a serial terminal, or the Ethernet, as described in Connecting to the Server Module ILOM.

If you connect to the service processor using a serial terminal, you can use one of the following options:

To capture the serial port output, on a client running Solaris OS, type:
$tip -9600 /dev/ttya

On a client running Windows, start a program such as Hyperterminal.

On a client running Linux, start a program such as Minicom, a text-based serial communication program that is included in the Linux distributions. For more information, see the man pages included in the Linux distribution.

1. Connect and login to the service processor using one of the methods described in Connecting to the Server Module ILOM.

The server module ILOM prompt appears.

2. Make sure the communication properties of the service processor are set to the defaults. For example:

-> show /SP/serial/host

/SP/serial/host

    Targets:

    Properties:

        commitpending = (Cannot show property)

        pendingspeed = 9600

        speed = 9600

    Commands:

cd

       show

3. If the speed is anything other than 9600, change it by using the command:

-> set /SP/serial/host pendingspeed=9600 commitpending=true

4. Start the serial console mode by entering the following:

-> start /SP/console

Only accounts with Administrator privileges are enabled to configure the SP serial port.

5. When the prompt appears, type y:

Are you sure you want to start /SP/console (y/n)? y

6. Power on main power to the server by using a pointed object or stylus to press the recessed Power button on the front panel.

POST messages appear on your screen as the OS boots up.

7. Follow the Solaris 10 preinstallation onscreen prompts.

8. Use the information gathered in Installation Worksheet to help you enter the system and network information as you are prompted.

The screens that are displayed will vary, depending on the method that you chose for assigning network information to the server (DHCP or static IP address).

After you have entered the system configuration information, the server completes the boot process and displays the Solaris login prompt.

To Redirect the Console Output to the Video Port (Optional)

The server module's console is automatically directed to the serial port. GRUB, the open source boot loader, is the default boot loader in the Solaris OS for X86- or X64- based systems. The boot loader is the first software program that runs after you power on a system.

Use a cable to connect the serial port of the host server (either through the chassis SER MGT port or through a dongle's serial port) to the video port of the client system.

From the GRUB menu, you have the option of displaying the installation process to a VGA connection (video port) as shown here:

*******************************************************************

* Solaris 10 11/06 s10x_u2wos_09a X86                                      *

* Solaris failsafe                                                        *

* Solaris 10 11/06 s10x_u2wos_09a X86 (VGA)                                *

*                                                                         *

*                                                                         *

*                                                                         *

*                                                                         *

*                                                                         *

To display output to the video port, for example, choose the Solaris 10 11/06 s10x_u2wos_09a X86 (VGA) option.

Solaris 10 User Documentation

You can access the various collections of the Solaris 10 OS user documentation at:

http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/prod/solaris.10

Solaris 10 OS Training

Sun provides flexible training options that accommodate your personal schedule and learning style. The training options include instructor-led, web-based online, CD-ROM, and Live Virtual Class. For Solaris 10 Training and Certification options at a glance, go to:

http://www.sun.com/training/catalog/solaris10.html

Using the Solaris Installation Program

The documentation listed in this section provides instructions for using the Solaris Installation program and is available at the following web site:

http://docs.sun.com/

Make sure you follow the instructions for x86-based systems, not SPARC-based systems. For more information, see the Solaris 10 Release and Installation Collection for the version of the Solaris 10 operating system you have installed. This documentation is available at:

http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/prod/solaris.10

During Installation

After you configure the preinstalled Solaris OS, the Solaris Installation program reboots the system and prompts you to log in. The system displays the message of the day, indicating the preloaded software that comes with your system:

Sun Java Enterprise System (Java ES)

Sun Studio 11

Sun Java Enterprise System

Sun Java Enterprise System (Java ES) is a set of software components that provide services needed to support enterprise-strength applications distributed across a network or Internet environment.

Sun Studio 11

Sun Studio 11 includes high-performance, optimizing C, C++, and Fortran compilers for the Solaris OS on SPARC and x86/x64 platforms. It also includes command-line tools and a NetBeans-based Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for application performance analysis and debugging of mixed source language applications. The tools offer multi-platform support, compatible with gcc, Visual C++, C99, OpenMP, and Fortran 2003.

Reinstalling the Solaris Operating System

If you want to reinstall Solaris or to install a different version of Solaris, you can install the OS in one of several ways, including by DVD and network (using Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE)).

For step-by-step procedures, see Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations.

Downloading Software

If you need to reinstall software, you can download the software from the following sites:

To download the Solaris 10 operating system, go to:

http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/get.jsp

To download patches, go to:

http://sunsolve.sun.com/pub-cgi/show.pl?target=home