Designing the Installation of the Master System

The first task in the Solaris 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 an archive on the master system. The installation can be a subset or a complete installation of the Solaris operating environment. 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 only use an archive that was created from a master system that has a sun4u architecture to install clones with a sun4u architecture.

You must install the master system with the exact configuration that you want on each of the clone systems. The decisions that you make when you design the installation of the master system depend on the following:

• The software that 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. You can also add 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 Solaris 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 Solaris Flash archive and are installed on the clone systems.

Further customization can be done when creating the archive. For example, you can exclude large data files that you might not want in the archive. For an overview, see “Customizing the Solaris Flash Archive Files and Directories”.

After you install the Solaris Flash archive on a clone system, some host-specific files are deleted and are 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.

Creating Archives for SPARC and IA Systems

If you want to use the Solaris Flash installation method to install the Solaris software on both SPARC and IA systems, you must create a separate Solaris Flash archive for each platform. Use the Solaris Flash archive that was created from the SPARC master system to install SPARC systems. Use the Solaris Flash archive that was created from the IA master system to install IA systems.

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 GX CG6 frame buffer, the installation contains support for only the GX CG6 frame buffer. Consequently, you can only install the archive that you create from this system on clone systems that have either the GX 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 is unusable. 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 Solaris Flash archive that you create from this master system contains support for the peripheral devices on the clone systems.

Sometimes, you might want 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. This group contains every package that is found in the Solaris operating environment. If you install this group on the master system, the master system includes all of the drivers that are included with the Solaris release. A Solaris 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.