Ensuring That You Have the Proper Device Drivers

Before installing Oracle Solaris, determine whether your system's devices are supported. The Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) at http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl/data/os/ provides information about hardware that is certified or reported to work with Oracle Solaris. The Solaris on x86 Platforms Device Support tool tells you which Oracle Solaris driver supports the various x86 components.

The following utilities can also be used to determine whether a device driver is available:

• Device Driver Utility

  The Device Driver Utility provides the same information as the Oracle Device Detection Tool. This utility is available on the Oracle Solaris 11 Express Live CD ISO image and also on the desktop of an installed system. The utility is also available through the text installer menu options.

• Oracle Device Detection Tool

  The Oracle Device Detection Tool reports whether the current release supports the devices that have been detected on your system. This tool runs on many different systems, including several different Oracle Solaris 10 releases, Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and FreeBSD. There is a link to the Oracle Device Detection Tool on the HCL (http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl/data/os/). For instructions on using the tool, see How to Use the Oracle Device Detection Tool.

How to Use the Device Driver Utility

The Device Driver Utility provides information about the devices on your system and the drivers that manage those devices. The utility reports whether the currently booted operating system has drivers for all of the devices that are detected in your system. If a device does not have a driver attached, the Device Driver Utility recommends a driver package to install.

The Device Driver Utility runs automatically when you boot an installation image. You can also manually start the Device Driver Utility after you have installed Oracle Solaris.

You can also use the Device Driver Utility to submit your system information to the HCL at http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl/data/os/. Your system and its components are then listed on the HCL as “Reported to Work”.

1. Start the Device Driver Utility by using one of the following methods:
   • Boot the live CD installation image.

     When you boot the live CD ISO image, the Device Driver Utility runs in the background. If a missing driver is found in an IPS package from the default publisher, the Device Driver Utility installs that driver package automatically. If any other drivers are missing, the Device Driver Utility displays a dialog that prompts you display the utility window, so that you can review the report and install any additional missing drivers.

   • Manually start the Device Driver Utility from the desktop of the live CD.

     To manually start the Device Driver Utility from the desktop of the live CD, double-click the Device Driver Utility icon on the desktop. Or, choose Applications -> System Tools -> Device Driver Utility from the main menu.

   • Boot the Oracle Solaris text installer image.

     To start the Device Driver Utility from the text installer, choose Install Additional Drivers from the initial menu.

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     Note - The NWAM feature of Oracle Solaris is set up by default when the text installer boots. If you are using DHCP, no further network setup is necessary to use the Device Driver Utility. If you are not using DHCP, select the Shell option on the initial menu, then use the appropriate commands to manually configure your network settings before using the Device Driver Utility.

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   • Start the Device Driver Utility on an installed system.

     To start the Device Driver Utility from the desktop of an installed system, choose Applications -> System Tools -> Device Driver Utility from the main menu.

   The Device Driver Utility scans your system and then displays a list of the devices that are detected. For each device that is detected, the list displays information, such as manufacturer, model, and the name of the driver that is currently managing the device. If the utility detects a device that does not have a driver attached, that device is selected on the device list. From here, you can display more information about the device and install the missing driver.

2. To display more details about a particular device:
   1. Right-click the device, then select Show Details from the popup menu.

      The Device and Driver Details window is displayed. The device name, vendor name, node name, driver name, and other detailed information about the device is displayed in this window.

   2. To display more details about a missing driver, click the Info link for the selected device.

      If no driver is currently managing the device, the Driver column of the device list displays a status for the driver of that device.

      • If there is a missing driver in one of your configured IPS package repositories, the driver status for that device entry is IPS.

      • If there is a missing driver in a System V Revision 4 package (SVR4), the driver status for that device entry is SVR4.

      • If there is a missing driver in a DU package, the driver status for that device entry is DU.

      • If the Device Driver Utility cannot locate an Oracle Solaris driver for this device, the driver status is UNK.

3. Install the missing drivers, as follows:
   • To install an IPS driver, do the following:
     1. Click the Info link in the corresponding row of the table to get information about the IPS package that contains the driver for the device.

        When you click the Info link, the text field for the Package radio button is populated with the relevant package information. The correct publisher is selected from the drop-down menu.

     2. Click the Install button to install the package.
        • If the Info link lists an IPS package from a publisher that is not configured, follow these steps:
          1. Select Add Repository from the repositories drop-down menu.

             The Repositories manager window is displayed.

          2. Add the name and URI of the new repository, then click Add.
        • If the Package field is not populated, type the name of the IPS package from the Info link, then click Install.
   • To install SVR4 or DU drivers, do the following:
     • If a URL for the package is provided, type the URL in the File/URL field, then click Install.
     • If you have a copy of the package on your system, use the Browse button to select the package, then click Install.
   • If the driver status is displayed as UNK, do the following:
     1. Click the name of the device that you want this driver to manage.
     2. Type the relevant package information in either the Package field or the File/URL field, then click Install.
     3. (Optional) To share information about a driver that works for the device, click the Submit button.
4. (Optional) To list your system and its components as “Reported to work” on the HCL click the Submit button.

   The Submit Information To Hardware Compatibility List window opens. This window displays all of the information that was collected about your system.

   1. From the drop-down list, select the System Type.
   2. Type the appropriate information in any of the fields that were not automatically populated.

      • The Manufacturer Name is the name of the system maker, for example, Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard, or Dell.

      • Provide the complete model number.

        The BIOS/Firmware Maker is the information on the BIOS Setup screen that is usually displayed while the system is booting.

      • The CPU Type is the name of the CPU maker.

   3. Provide your name and Email address.
   4. In the General Notes field, add any additional comments, then click Submit.
      • If you do not have Internet access, click the Save button, and submit the report later.

   For more information about using the Device Driver Utility, click the Help button.

How to Use the Oracle Device Detection Tool

As an alternative to the Device Driver Utility, you can use the Oracle Device Detection Tool to determine whether the current release includes drivers for all of the devices on your system.

Before You Begin

Review the information in the System Requirements for Installing Oracle Solaris section.

1. Open a web browser and go to http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl/hcts/device_detect.jsp.
2. In the Using the Device Detection Tool section, click the Start Oracle Device Detection Tool option.
3. Accept the license agreement.
4. Click the ddtool download link.
5. Select the Open with JavaWS option, then select Run.

   The tool runs, but it is not installed on your system.

6. Select the Target Operating System for which you want to check driver availability.

   For additional information, click the Help button.