If SolarisTM Web Start 3.0 on the Solaris 8 Installation CD is unable to locate a Solaris fdisk partition on a system, you must create a Solaris fdisk partition on your root disk.
If you change the size of an existing fdisk partition, all data on that partition is automatically deleted. Back up your data before you create a Solaris fdisk partition.
Solaris Web Start 3.0 requires two fdisk partitions to perform an installation.
Solaris fdisk partition
This is the typical Solaris fdisk partition.
x86 Boot fdisk partition
This is a 10-Mbyte fdisk partition that enables Intel architecture to boot the miniroot that is placed on the newly created swap slice that is located on the Solaris fdisk partition.
The Solaris Web Start 3.0 installation utility creates the x86 boot partition, removing 10 Mbytes from the Solaris fdisk partition. This utility prevents any existing fdisk partitions from being altered.
Do not create this partition manually.
This requirement also prevents you from using Web Start 3.0 to upgrade from the Solaris 2.6 or Solaris 7 releases to the Solaris 8 operating environment. For more information, refer to "Cannot Use Solaris Installation CD to Upgrade Intel Systems to the Solaris 8 Operating Environment".