This chapter highlights new features added to the SolarisTM 7 operating environment in the 11/99, 8/99, 5/99, and 3/99 releases.
Table 1-1 Solaris 7 Features
Feature |
First Released in . . . |
Description |
---|---|---|
Installation (These features are described in the Solaris 7 Installation Collection.) |
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AnswerBook2 ab2cd script updates |
8/99 |
Updates to the ab2cd script enable users to read AnswerBook2TM documentation directly from the Solaris Documentation CD. |
DNS configuration during system identification |
5/99 |
Prior Solaris releases only allowed the configuration of a machine as a NIS or NIS+ client. With the Solaris 7 5/99 release, systems can be configured by the system identification utilities to be DNS clients. |
Product Registry |
3/99 |
The Solaris Product Registry is a tool to manage installed software. It enables you to:
|
Patch Analyzer |
3/99 |
The Patch Analyzer performs an analysis on your system to determine which (if any) patches will be removed or downgraded by upgrading from a Solaris 7 operating environment to the Solaris 7 11/99 operating environment. This analysis can be performed either at upgrade time or while the system is in production mode. |
(Intel Platform Edition only) Added support for PAE mode |
3/99 |
With the release of Pentium Pro, Intel introduced a mode called Physical Address Extension (PAE) on its advanced processors. PAE mode enables you to run multiple instances of databases and memory-intensive applications, and to support large numbers of online users on your machine. This feature is described in the Solaris 7 11/99 Release Notes. |
System and Network Administration (These features are described in the Solaris 7 System Administration Supplement.) |
||
Universal Disk Format (UDF) file system |
11/99 |
The UDF file system is the industry-standard format for storing information on optical media called digital versatile disc or digital video disc (DVD) that is both readable and re-writable. |
Digital versatile disk or digital video disk |
11/99 |
This release supports digital versatile disc or digital video disc (DVD) that is both readable and re-writable. |
(Intel Platform Edition only) PCI hot-plugging with cfgadm command |
11/99 |
The cfgadm command is updated to provide PCI hot-plugging for supported PCI controllers on x86 systems. |
Improved device configuration (devfsadm) |
11/99 |
The devfsadm command manages the special device files in the /dev and /devices directories and is updated to detect device configuration changes by any reconfiguration event. |
(SPARC Platform Edition only) Inter-Domain Network (IDN) |
11/99 |
Inter-Domain Network (IDN) supports high-speed networking between Dynamic System Domains (DSDs). This enables DSDs to communicate with each other using standard networking interfaces, such as TCP/IP, without the use of cabling or special hardware. See your hardware manufacturer's documentation for information about IDN and to see if IDN supports your server. |
coreadm |
8/99 |
The coreadm command provides improved core file management for Solaris system administrators. |
Enhanced SCSI hot-plugging with the cfgadm |
8/99 |
The cfgadm command now supports SCSI hot-plugging for supported SCSI hardware. |
Migrating to BIND 8.1 |
8/99 |
This section updates Bind 8.1 in the Solaris Naming Setup and Configuration Guide and the Solaris Naming Administration Guide. |
AnswerBook2 server software updates |
8/99 |
Updates in AnswerBook2 version 1.4.1 server software improve navigation and performance. |
Remote console |
5/99 |
New system console features, including the consadm command, enable system administrators and service providers to remotely troubleshoot systems by dialing in to a system using a modem connected to one of the serial ports and to redirect console messages to the auxiliary device. |
(SPARCTM Platform Edition only) Dynamic reconfiguration |
5/99 |
Dynamic reconfiguration allows the service provider to add or remove and replace hot-pluggable system boards in a running system, eliminating the time lost in rebooting. For more information, see your hardware manufacturer's documentation. |
Deferred access time updates on UFS file systems |
3/99 |
New mount options, dfratime and nodfratime, enable and disable deferred access time updates on UFS file systems. |
Improved system boot and error message format |
3/99 |
The system boot and error message format is improved by adding a numeric identifier, module name, and time stamp to messages generated by the syslog logging facility. |
(SPARC Platform Edition only) Improved handling of cron jobs on suspended systems |
3/99 |
When you use Power ManagementTM software to suspend and resume a system, there is now a check on whether cron jobs were scheduled during the time the system was suspended. If there were, the first instance of a cron job is performed when the system resumes. (This improvement was available in the Solaris 7 release and first documented in the Solaris 7 3/99 release.) |
Developer |
||
(SPARC Platform Edition) Dynamic reconfiguration support for SCSI HBA drivers |
11/99 |
In this release, dynamic reconfiguration (DR) support has been updated for SCSI devices. See your hardware manufacturer's documentation to see if your server supports DR. |
PCI hot-plugging |
11/99 |
PCI hot-plugging is updated to include information on writing device drivers for x86 servers. |
8-bit visual support |
8/99 |
The 8-bit visual shared library enables device drivers with only 24-bit hardware to display 8-bit visual applications. |
3/99 |
This is a list of updates in the Solaris 7 64-bit Developer's Guide. |
|
Updated DDI interfaces for cluster-aware device drivers |
3/99 |
This overview introduces the concept of device classes and the necessary interface modifications and additions for device driver writers. |
Java Development Kit |
||
JDK 1.1.7_08 |
11/99 |
A JavaTM Runtime Environment (JRE) corresponding to the latest version of the JDK is available for download from the Web. |
Java 2 SDK 1.2.1_03 |
11/99 |
The Java 2 SDK 1.2.1_03 is the first Solaris release of Java technology based on Java 2. It includes:
|
Desktop User (These features are described in the Solaris 7 User Supplement.) |
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Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) synchronization |
11/99 |
PDA synchronization enables data to be synchronized from Sun applications, such as Calendar Manager, with data in a similar application on your PDA. Also, applications and databases can be installed from your workstation or server to your PDA. |
NetscapeTMapplication launcher |
11/99 |
The Desktop-Apps folder window has four new icons:
|
Xserver 11R6.4 |
11/99 |
The Xserver 11R6.4 provides the following new features:
|