Configuring the Preinstalled Solaris 10 Operating System

C H A P T E R 3

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 6/06 or later.

Before You Begin

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

1. Perform initial configuration of the server’s Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) Service Processor (SP) and determine the server’s network settings, as described in Connecting to the ILOM Service Processor.

2. Gather the information that you will need for the configuration, as listed in Installation Worksheet.

3. Select your console output. For details, see Selecting Your Console Output.

Installation Worksheet

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

TABLE 1 Worksheet for Installation
Information for Installation		Description or Example	Your Answers: Defaults are noted with an asterisk. (*)
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.	English (C - 7-bit ASCII)*
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 the following information: Default Realm: Administration Server: First KDC: (Optional) Additional KDCs:	Yes No*
Name service: if the system uses a name service, provide the following information.	Name service	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 this 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 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.

Selecting Your Console Output

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. Instead, the output of the preinstalled image is directed to a serial console.

GRUB, the open source boot loader, is the default boot loader. The boot loader is the first software program that runs after you power on a system.

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

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

Note - The first line of the above figure shows the default startup mode.

Example

To display output to the video port, choose the following option:

Solaris 10 11/06 s10x_u2wos_09a X86 (VGA)

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 Before You Begin.

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

After configuring the ILOM SP, you can configure the preinstalled Solaris 10 operating system (OS) by using another system to connect to the server, or install a Linux or Windows platform operating system. The possible ways to do this are described here:

To Connect to the Server Using the Service Processor’s IP Address

If you use this method, you first need to determine the service processor’s IP address and the server must be connected to the network.

To Connect to the Server Using a Terminal Program

If you use this method, you do not need to determine the service processor’s IP address, but you will need to have a cable connection from the server to the serial port of a host system.

If you want to install a supported Windows or Linux OS and the required drivers, refer to the following:

For Windows: Sun Fire X4100/X4100 M2 and X4200/X4200 M2 Servers Windows Operating System Installation Guide, 819-4346

For Linux (and Solaris): Sun Fire X4100/X4100 M2 and X4200/X4200 M2 Servers Operating System Installation Guide, 819-1158

For additional OS considerations specific to this server, refer to either of the following:

Sun Fire X4100/X4200 Servers Product Notes, 819-1162

Sun Fire X4100 M2/X4200 M2 Servers Product Notes, 819-5038

To Connect to the Server Using the Service Processor’s IP Address

Note - This procedure assumes that you have connected the server to your network through an Ethernet cable.

1. If you have not already done so, determine the service processor’s IP address:

a. Power on main power to the platform by using a stylus to press the recessed Power button on the front panel.

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

b. Initialize the BIOS Setup utility by pressing the F2 key while the system is performing the power-on self-test (POST).

c. When the main BIOS screen is displayed, select Advanced.

d. When the Advanced screen is displayed, select IPMI 2.0 Configuration.

When the IPMI 2.0 Configuration screen is displayed, select the LAN Configuration menu item.

e. Select the IP Address menu item.

The service processor’s IP address is displayed using the following format:
Current IP address in BMC: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

2. Using a client system, establish a Secure Shell (SSH) connection to the service processor’s IP address.

ssh -l root sp_ip_address

3. Log in to the service processor as an Administrator, for example:

login: root
password: changeme

4. To make Solaris display on the server VGA (video port), you must select it from the GRUB boot loader menu, shown on “Invalid Cross-Reference Format”. To access the server serial port, you must connect to the ILOM service processor CLI, and type:

start /SP/console

You may connect to the ILOM service processor CLI, using the serial management port on the rear of the server, or by using ssh over the network.

5. If you have changed the SP serial port default settings, make sure you reset them to the default settings.

6. Follow the Solaris 10 on-screen prompts.

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 Connect to the Server Using a Terminal Program

1. Use a cable to connect the serial port of the server to the serial port of the host system.

2. Make sure the communication properties of the serial port of the system are set to the default.

The default settings are 9600 baud, 8N1 (eight data bits, no parity, one stop bit), disable flow control.

3. Start a terminal session 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.

4. Log in to the service processor as an Administrator, for example:

5. Start the ILOM SP GUI by entering the following:

start /SP/console

6. Power on main power to the server by using a nonmetalic 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 on-screen prompts.

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.

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

Specifically, you can access the Solaris 10 OS Release and Installation Collection at:

http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/coll/1236.1

Downloading Solaris 10 OS Software

If you need to re-install the Solaris 10 OS after removing it, you can download the CD or DVD image.

To download the CD or DVD image, see:

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

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, please visit:

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