What's New for System Administrators

SPARC: Sun ONE Application Server Integration

Sun ONE Application Server 7, Platform Edition, (formerly iPlanet^TM Application Server) is integrated in the Solaris 9 12/02 Update release. The Platform Edition of the Application Server provides the foundation for enterprise-class application services and web services. The server provides a high performance, small-footprint Java^TM 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE^TM platform). J2EE enables the development, deployment, and management of enterprise applications and web services to a broad range of servers, clients, and devices.

The Sun ONE Application Server provides application portability and fast time to market for new Java and XML applications with J2EE 1.3 platform compatibility. The Application Server enables developers to build applications that are based on JavaServer Pages^TM (JSP^TM), Java Servlet, and Enterprise JavaBeans^TM (EJB^TM) technology. This technology supports a broad range of business requirements from small departmental applications to enterprise-scale, mission-critical services.

Some of the main feature highlights include the following: 

• Integrated Sun ONE Message Queue and the HTTP server from the Sun ONE Web Server

• Scalability and high performance

• Comprehensive web services support – Java Web Services, SOAP, WSDL

• Interoperability with the Sun ONE Portal Server 6.0 and Sun ONE Directory Server

• Leverages the J2EE Reference Implementation

The following name changes have been made:

• Sun ONE Message Queue (formerly iPlanet Message Queue for Java)

• Sun ONE Web Server (formerly iPlanet Web Server)

• Sun ONE Portal Server (formerly iPlanet Portal Server)

• Sun ONE Directory Server (formerly iPlanet Directory Server)

For further information, see the Sun ONE Application Server 7 Getting Started Guide. See also http://wwws.sun.com/software/products/appsrvr/home_appsrvr.html.

For specific licensing terms, refer to the binary code license.  

12/02 

SPARC: Sun ONE Message Queue

The Solaris 9 12/02 Update release supports Java Messaging Service (JMS) applications. This release uses Sun ONE Message Queue (formerly iPlanet Message Queue for Java) as a JMS provider.  

JMS messaging allows applications and application components to exchange messages asynchronously and reliably. Processes that run on different platforms and different operating systems can connect to a common message service to exchange information.  

In the Solaris 9 12/02 Update release, Sun ONE Message Queue, Platform Edition, provides a full implementation of the JMS specification. The message queue provides additional features such as the following: 

• Centralized administration

• Tunable performance

• Support for the Java Naming and Directory Interface^TM (JNDI)

• Support for SOAP messaging

For further information, see the Sun ONE Message Queue 3.0.1 Administrator's Guide and the Sun ONE Message Queue 3.0.1 Developer's Guide. For information on Sun ONE Message Queue editions and features, see also http://www.sun.com/software/products/message_queue/home_message_queue.html.

12/02 

Hosting Multiple Web Sites on a Single Solaris Machine

The Solaris Network Cache and Acceleration (NCA) kernel module now supports multiple instances of a web server. This support enables you to use a Solaris machine to perform IP address-based virtual web hosting. Solaris uses a single configuration file, ncaport.conf, to map NCA sockets to IP addresses.

For further information, see the ncaport.conf(4) man page.

12/02 

IP Quality of Service

IP Quality of Service (IPQoS) is a new feature in the Solaris operating environment. IPQoS enables system administrators to provide different levels of network service to customers and to critical applications. By using IPQoS, the administrator can set up service-level agreements. These agreements provide an ISP's clients with varying levels of service that are based on a price structure. A company could also use IPQoS to prioritize among applications so that critical applications get a higher quality of service than less critical applications. 

For further information, see the IPQoS Administration Guide.

9/02 

Routing Information Protocol Version 2 (RIPv2)

Solaris system software now supports RIPv2.  

RIPv2 adds Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) and Variable-Length Subnet Mask (VLSM) extensions to the RIPv1 protocol. MD5 extensions protect routers against intentional misdirection by malicious users. The new in.routed implementation also includes a built-in RDISC implementation.

RIPv2 supports multicast, if the point-to-point links are enabled with multicast. RIPv2 also supports unicast. If you configure a broadcast address by using the /etc/gateways file, then RIPv2 supports broadcast.

For information on how to configure RIPv2, see the in.rdisc(1M), in.routed(1M), and gateways(4) man pages.

9/02 

Packet Tunneling Over IPv6

This feature enables tunneling over IPv6 for both IPv4 over IPv6 tunnels and IPv6 over IPv6 tunnels. IPv4 packets or IPv6 packets can be encapsulated in IPv6 packets.  

For more information, see the IPv6 Administration Guide.

9/02 

Support for LDAP Version 2 Profiles

The Solaris installation programs now support Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Version 2 profiles. These profiles enable you to configure your system to use a proxy credential level. During the Solaris Web Start or suninstall installation programs, you can specify the LDAP proxy bind distinguished name and proxy bind password. With any installation method, you can preconfigure LDAP before installation by using the proxy_dn and proxy_password keywords in the sysidcfg file.

For information, see the Solaris 9 Installation Guide.

12/02 

Excluding and Including Directories and Files From a Solaris Flash Archive

The flarcreate command is used to create a Solaris Flash archive. The command has been updated with new options that increase your flexibility to define archive contents when creating an archive. You now can exclude more than one file or directory. From an excluded directory, you can add back a subdirectory or file. This feature is useful when you want to exclude large data files that you do not want cloned.

For information on how to use these options, see the Solaris 9 Installation Guide.

In the Solaris 9 Update releases, note the following name change:

Solaris Flash (formerly Web Start Flash)

12/02 

Netscape 6.2.3 for the Solaris Operating Environment

In the Solaris 9 12/02 Update release, Netscape^TM 6.2.3 is included in the Solaris operating environment. Netscape 6.2.3 is an application suite that includes a web browser, mail and newsgroups, and web publishing capabilities. Netscape 6.2.3 enables the user to navigate the Web, communicate with colleagues, participate in discussion groups, and create dynamic web pages. Netscape 6.2.3 also enables user customization. For example, My Sidebar provides access to sites of interest to the user. These sites can include bookmarks, search results, and stock or weather information. Additionally, Netscape's enhanced search capabilities offer fast, easy access to information across the Internet.

Netscape 6.2.3 includes the following features: 

• LDAP support in Messenger – Enables users to set preferences that are associated with the Address Book and LDAP directories.

• Search – Provides multiple access points to initiate a search. Includes the URL bar and Search button in the Netscape Navigator^TM browser, the Search tab in My Sidebar, and the Search Menu.

• Quick Launch – Reduces the startup time of the browser.

• Bookmark Management Window – Finds a web page through the web page name, its URL, date last visited, or other attributes.

• Form Manager – Automatically fills an entire web form with key information such as the user's name and address.

• Easy access to multiple email accounts – Enables the user to switch smoothly from business to personal identity while maintaining separate correspondence. Mail accounts can be located in Netscape WebMail and AOL Mail, as well as other Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) and Post Office Protocol (POP) email accounts, such as Yahoo.

• Search and navigation – Allows integration of almost any search engine.

• My Sidebar – Provides choices from hundreds of tabs from Netscape and third parties, including new tabs such as History, Shopping, and FedEx.

• Instant Messaging – Allows users to sign up for multiple screen names.

• Cookie Manager – Allows users to choose which sites can and cannot set cookies.

• Password Manager – Remembers and automatically fills in user name and password for specific web sites.

12/02 

Enhanced crypt() Function

Password encryption protects passwords from being read by intruders. Three strong password encryption modules are now available in the software:  

• A version of Blowfish that is compatible with BSD systems

• A version of MD5 that is compatible with BSD and Linux systems

• A stronger version of MD5 that is compatible with other Solaris 9 12/02 systems

For information on how to protect your user passwords with these new encryption modules, see the System Administration Guide: Security Services. For information on the strength of the modules, see the crypt_bsdbf(5), crypt_bsdmd5(5), and crypt_sunmd5(5) man pages.

12/02 

Password Management Feature in pam_ldap

The pam_ldap password management feature strengthens the overall security of the LDAP Naming Service when used in conjunction with the Sun ONE Directory Server (formerly iPlanet Directory Server). Specifically, the password management feature does the following:

• Allows for tracking password aging and expiration

• Prevents users from choosing trivial or previously used passwords

• Warns users if their passwords are about to expire

• Locks out users after repeated login failures

• Prevents users, other than the authorized system administrator, from deactivating initialized accounts

For further information on Solaris naming and directory services, see the System Administration Guide: Naming and Directory Services (DNS, NIS, and LDAP). For information about Solaris security features, see the System Administration Guide: Security Services.

12/02 

PAM Enhancement

The Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) framework was expanded by including a new control flag. The new control flag provides the ability to skip additional stack processing. This skipping is enabled if the current service module is successful and if no failure occurred on the previous mandatory modules. 

For more information about this change, see the System Administration Guide: Security Services.

12/02 

UFS Logging Performance Enhancements

UFS logging enables faster system reboots. Because the file system transactions are already stored, checking the file system is not required if the file system is already consistent. 

In addition, the performance of UFS logging improves or exceeds the level of performance of non-logging file systems in this Solaris release. Results of the SpecFS benchmark show that the performance of NFS-mounted file systems that have logging enabled equals the level of non-UFS logging performance. In some I/O-bound configurations, logging UFS file systems exceed the performance of non-logging UFS file systems by approximately 25 percent. In other tests, performance of logging UFS file systems is 12 times better than the performance of non-logging UFS file systems.  

For information on how to enable logging on a UFS file system, see the System Administration Guide: Basic Administration or the mount_ufs(1M) man page.

12/02 

Memory Placement Optimization (MPO)

The Solaris dispatcher and the virtual memory subsystem have been enhanced to optimize the time that is required for an application to access memory. This enhancement can automatically improve the performance of many applications. This feature is currently implemented to support specific platforms such as the Sun Fire^TM 3800–6800, the Sun Fire 12K, and the Sun Fire 15K.

9/02 

Dynamic Intimate Shared Memory (DISM) Large Page Support

Large page support is now provided for Dynamic Intimate Shared Memory (DISM). This large page support can increase the performance of applications that are capable of dynamically adjusting shared memory sizes. 

For further information on DISM, see System Performance Enhancements.

9/02 

Combine Data Address and Test Address for Singleton IP Network Multipathing Group

The use of a dedicated test IP address for failure detection on single-adapter IP network multipathing groups is no longer required. When failover is not possible because only one NIC is in an IP network multipathing group, you can now combine the test address and the data address. The in.mpathd daemon uses a data address to detect failure when a test address is not specified.

For further information on Solaris IP multipathing, see the IP Network Multipathing Administration Guide.

12/02 

Xserver Virtual Screen Enhancement

The Xserver Virtual Screen enhancement provides accessibility support for the upcoming release of the Gnome 2.0 Desktop for the Solaris operating environment. This capability enables support of magnification software on systems that have just one frame buffer. 

12/02 

Xrender Extension

The new Xrender feature increases performance for applications, such as the StarOffice^TM software suite, that run on the Solaris operating environment. The Xrender feature provides a modern appearance for these applications. Xrender uses hardware processing for alpha-blending and transparency effects.

12/02 

Extended Accounting Subsystem

You can now use extended accounting processes in conjunction with the flow accounting module for Internet Protocol Quality of Service (IPQoS). For information about IPQoS, see the IPQoS Administration Guide.

For information about the extended accounting feature, see "Extended Accounting" in the System Administration Guide: Resource Management and Network Services.

9/02 

New and Revised Documentation in the Solaris 9 12/02 Release

The following revised documentation is available in the Solaris 9 12/02 Update release:  

• Solaris 9 Installation Guide – See "Support for LDAP Version 2 Profiles" and "Excluding and Including Directories and Files From a Solaris Flash Archive" in Installation.

• System Administration Guide: Naming and Directory Services (DNS, NIS, and LDAP) – See "Enhanced crypt() Function" in Security Enhancements.

• System Administration Guide: Security Services – See "PAM Enhancement" in Security Enhancements.

The following new documentation is available in the Solaris 9 12/02 Update release:  

• Sun ONE Application Server 7 Getting Started Guide – See "Sun ONE Application Server Integration" in Networking.

• Sun ONE Message Queue 3.0.1 Administrator's Guide – See "Sun ONE Message Queue" in Networking.

• IP Network Multipathing Administration Guide – See "Combine Data Address and Test Address for Singleton IP Network Multipathing Group" in System Administration Tools.

12/02 

NIS+ to LDAP Transition Documentation

The "Transitioning From NIS+ to LDAP" appendix has been moved from the System Administration Guide: Naming and Directory Services (FNS and NIS+) to the System Administration Guide: Naming and Directory Services (DNS, NIS, and LDAP). Additionally, explanations and examples of various components have been added to the LDAP-related chapters in the System Administration Guide: Naming and Directory Services (DNS, NIS, and LDAP). No new features, however, are documented.

9/02 

New and Revised Documentation in the Solaris 9 9/02 Release

The following new documentation is available in the Solaris 9 9/02 Update release: 

• IPQoS Administration Guide – See Networking and System Resources Enhancements for information about the IPQoS feature.

• IPv6 Administration Guide – See the "Packet Tunneling Over IPv6" feature description in Networking.

The following revised documentation is available in the Solaris 9 9/02 Update release:

• System Administration Guide: Resource Management and Network Services – See the "Extended Accounting Subsystem" feature description in System Resources Enhancements.

• System Administration Guide: Naming and Directory Services (DNS, NIS, and LDAP) – See the "NIS+ to LDAP Transition Documentation" description.

9/02