Guidelines for Partitioning a System During an Interactive Installation

On an x86 based system, you can select, create, or modify partitions during an interactive installation. For the text installer only, you can select, create, or modify Solaris VTOC slices during an interactive installation.

Note - Changes you make to disk partitioning or slices are not implemented until you finish making the installer panel selections and the installation begins. At any point prior to the installation, you can cancel your changes and restore the original settings.

When setting up x86 partitions or extended partitions during an interactive installation, keep the following in mind:

Only one Solaris partition is allowed.
A Solaris partition must be used for the installation.
If there is an existing Solaris partition, that partition is selected by default. The partition can be a logical partition within an existing extended partition.
If the existing partition table cannot be read, proposed partitioning information is displayed.

Caution - In this case, all of the existing data on the disk is destroyed during the installation.
During the installation, if you select the “Partition the Disk” option, the panel displays the existing fdisk partitions for the selected disk. Up to four primary partitions are displayed in the same order that they are laid out on the disk. Unused disk space is displayed for these primary partitions. The partition type, current size, and maximum available disk space for each partition are also displayed. If an extended partition exists, its logical partitions are also displayed in the disk layout order, within the extended partition.

x86: Setting Up Partitions During an Interactive Installation

For installations on the x86 platform, you can make changes to disk partitioning by directly editing the entries in the installation screens, as they are displayed. As you proceed through the installation, the recommended and minimum sizes for installing the software are also displayed.

The following table describes the disk partitioning options that you can choose from. Use this table to help you determine which option best suits your needs.

Table 2-2 Options for Partitioning a Disk During an Interactive Installation

Partitioning Option	Description and User Action (if required)
Use the existing Solaris partition.	This option installs Oracle Solaris 11 Express on the existing Solaris partition using its current size. Select the Partition a Disk option. No other changes are required.
Create a new Solaris partition.	If there is currently no existing Solaris partition on the system, you can create a new Solaris partition. To do so, select a primary partition or a logical partition and then change its type to Solaris. During an installation, this modification erases the existing partition contents.
Increase the space that is allocated to a Solaris partition and install on that partition.	If there is enough available disk space, you can increase the size that is allocated to a Solaris partition before installing the software on that partition. The available space contains any contiguous unused space before or after the selected partition. If you enlarge the partition, unused space after the partition is used first. Then, unused space before the partition is used, which changes the starting cylinder of the selected partition.
Install Oracle Solaris 11 Express on a different primary partition.	You can install the operating system on a different primary partition. To do so, you must first change the existing Solaris partition type to Unused. You can then select another partition and change its type to Solaris. During an installation, this modification erases the existing partition contents for both the previous Solaris partition and the new Solaris partition.
Create a new Solaris partition within an extended partition.	You can create a new Solaris partition within an extended partition. If a Solaris partition already exists, change its type to Unused. Then, to create a new extended partition, change the partition type to Extended. You can resize the extended partition, then change one of the logical partitions in the extended partition to a Solaris partition. Also, you can enlarge the logical partition up to the size of the extended partition that contains that logical partition.
Delete an existing partition.	You can delete an existing partition by changing its type to Unused. During an installation, the partition is destroyed, and its space is made available when resizing adjacent partitions.

Setting Up Solaris VTOC Slices With the Text Installer

For text installations on the SPARC platform, you can modify VTOC slices during the installation. For text installations on the x86 platform, you can modify a slice within a partition, if that partition has not already been modified during the installation.

When setting up VTOC slices, keep the following in mind:

The installer displays the existing slices. The slices are displayed in the order in which they are laid out. The current size and maximum available size for each slice are also displayed.
Oracle Solaris must be installed in an Oracle ZFS root pool. By default, the slice that contains the root pool is labeled rpool by the installer. If you want to install the operating system on a slice that does not contain the root pool, change the type for that slice to rpool in the installer. During the installation, a ZFS root pool will be created on that slice.

Note - Because there can only one ZFS pool named rpool, if there already is an rpool on the device, the installer names any new pool using the format rpool#.
The size of a slice can be increased up to the maximum available size. You can change a slice to Unused, thereby making its space available to adjacent slices.
If the slice is not explicitly altered, the content of the slice is preserved during the installation.

The following table describes the options for modifying slices during a text installation.

Table 2-3 Options for Modifying VTOC Slices During a Text Installation

Option	Description and User Action (if required)
Use an existing slice.	This option installs Oracle Solaris 11 Express on an existing VTOC slice using its current size. Select the target slice, then change its type to `rpool`.
Resize a slice.	You can only change the size of a newly created `rpool` slice. Type the new size in the field, up to the maximum size available.
Create a new slice.	Select an unused slice. For example, change its type from Unused to `rpool`.
Delete an existing slice.	You can delete an existing slice by changing its type to Unused. During the installation, the slice is destroyed and its space is made available when resizing adjacent slices.

How to Prepare to Install Oracle Solaris From the Live CD or Text Installer

Before You Begin

For x86 based systems, from the live CD, you can install the operating system either on your system or in a virtual machine.

Alternatively, for both SPARC and x86 based systems, you can install Oracle Solaris by using a text installer. The text installer can be used on systems that do not have graphics cards.

Note - Depending on your system configuration, the text installer may require less memory. If the GUI installer on the live CD does not work on your system, use the text installer instead.

You can download the live CD bootable image or the text installer image at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/solaris11/downloads/index.html.

You also have the option to download a USB image for x86 based systems.

After you download the image, do one of the following:
- Copy the image to removable media, such as a CD, DVD, or USB stick, then continue to Steps 2 and 3.
- For the live CD ISO image or the text installer image, you can save the image to your system and then run it in a virtual machine. See Running Oracle Solaris 11 Express in VirtualBox.
Check the requirements and limitations for running the installer on your system:
1. Verify that your system meets all of the necessary system requirements. See System Requirements for Installing Oracle Solaris.
2. Review the Additional Installation Considerations.
3. Verify that you have all of the necessary device drivers. See Ensuring That You Have the Proper Device Drivers.
  Note - The Device Driver Utility can require at least 1.5 GB of memory. If your system has an adequate complement of devices to perform an installation, first complete the installation, then boot the installed hard disk before running the Device Driver Utility. Then, the utility can take advantage of the swap space on the installed system.
Choose one of the following options for installing Oracle Solaris 11 Express:
- If Oracle Solaris 11 Express is the only operating system that is to be installed on your system, see the instructions for Installing Oracle Solaris 11 Express by Using an Interactive Installer.
- If you are setting up an environment that supports the installation of multiple operating systems, do the following:
  1. Review the specifications in Preparing a Boot Environment That Supports the Installation of Multiple Operating Systems.
    
    Caution - If you already have an Oracle Solaris fdisk partition on your system, the installation overwrites this partition.
  2. Back up your system.
    When partitioning your system, this step is strongly recommended. For instructions, see Step 1 of Guidelines for Partitioning a System Prior To Installation.
  3. If you plan to partition your system prior to installation, see Guidelines for Partitioning a System Prior To Installation.
Follow the instructions in Installing Oracle Solaris 11 Express by Using an Interactive Installer.

Preparing to Run Oracle Solaris 11 Express in a Virtual Machine

The following are the various options for running Oracle Solaris in a virtual machine:

Run the Oracle Solaris live CD ISO image as a “guest” in the VirtualBox software. For instructions, see Running Oracle Solaris 11 Express in VirtualBox.
Use the distribution constructor to design and build your own pre-installed Oracle Solaris virtual machine.
If you are installing Oracle Solaris 11 Express on a system that is running Mac OS X, and Parallels is also installed, see Running Oracle Solaris on a Mac OS X System With Parallels Installed.

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