Glossary

archive

A file that contains all of the files copied from a master system. The file also contains identification information about the archive, such as name and the date you created the archive. When you select to install an archive on a system, the system then contains the exact configuration of the master system you used to create the archive.

begin script

A user-defined Bourne shell script, specified within the rules file, that performs tasks before the Solaris software is installed on the system. You can use begin scripts only with custom JumpStart installations.

boot server

A server that provides boot services to systems on the same subnet. A boot server is required to install over the network if the install server is on a different subnet than the systems on which Solaris software is to be installed.

client

A system connected to a network.

clone system

A system that you installed by using a Web Start Flash archive. The clone system has the exact same installation configuration as the master system.

cluster

A logical grouping of software packages. The Solaris 8 software is divided into software groups, which are each composed of clusters and packages.

Core

A software group that contains the minimum software required to boot and run the Solaris operating environment on a system. It includes some networking software and the drivers required to run the Common Desktop Environment (CDE) or OpenWindows desktop. It does not include the CDE or OpenWindows software.

custom JumpStart

A type of installation in which the Solaris 8 software is automatically installed on a system based on a user-defined profile. You can create customized profiles for different types of users and systems. A custom JumpStart installation is a JumpStart installation you create.

custom probes file

A file, which must be located in the same JumpStart directory as the rules file, is a Bourne shell script that contains two types of functions: probe and comparison. Probe functions gather the information you want or does the actual work and sets a corresponding SI_ environment variable you define. Probe functions become probe keywords. Comparison functions call a corresponding probe function, compare the output of the probe function, and return 0 if the keyword matches or 1 if the keyword doesn't match. Comparison functions become rule keywords. See also rules file.

derived profile

A profile that is dynamically created by a begin script during a custom JumpStart installation.

Developer System Support

A software group that contains the End User System Support software group plus the libraries, include files, man pages, and programming tools for developing software.

DHCP

DHCP, or Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, is an application-layer protocol that enables individual computers, or clients, on a TCP/IP network to extract an IP address and other network configuration information from a designated and centrally maintained DHCP server or servers. This facility reduces the overhead of maintaining and administering a large IP network.

disk configuration file

A file that represents a structure of a disk (for example, bytes/sector, flags, slices). Disk configuration files enable you to use pfinstall from a single system to test profiles on different sized disks.

diskless client

A networked system that does not have its own disk, so it relies completely on an OS server for software and file storage.

domain

A part of the Internet naming hierarchy. It represents a group of systems on a local network that share administrative files.

domain name

The identification of a group of systems on a local network. A domain name consists of a sequence of component names separated by periods (for example: tundra.mpk.ca.us). As you read a domain name from left to right, the component names identify more general (and usually remote) areas of administrative authority.

End User System Support

A software group that contains the Core software group plus the recommended software for an end user, including OpenWindows or the Common Desktop Environment (CDE) and DeskSet software.

Entire Distribution

A software group that contains the entire Solaris 8 release.

Entire Distribution Plus OEM Support

A software group that contains the entire Solaris 8 release, plus additional hardware support for OEMs. This software group is recommended when installing Solaris software on SPARC based servers.

EISA

Extended Industry Standard Architecture. A type of bus on IA based systems. EISA bus standards are “smarter” that ISA bus systems, and attached devices can be automatically detected when they have been configured via the “EISA configurator” program supplied with the system. See also ISA.

/etc

A directory that contains critical system configuration files and maintenance commands.

/export

A file system on an OS server that is shared with other systems on a network. For example, the /export file system can contain the root file system and swap space for diskless clients and the home directories for users on the network. Diskless clients rely on the /export file system on an OS server to boot and run.

fdisk partition

A logical partition of a disk drive dedicated to a particular operating system on IA based systems. To install the Solaris software, you must set up at least one Solaris 8 fdisk partition on an IA based system. IA based systems are designed to support up to four different operating systems on each drive; each operating system must be located on a unique fdisk partition.

file server

A server that provides the software and file storage for systems on a network.

file system

A collection of files and directories that, when set into a logical hierarchy, make up an organized, structured set of information. File systems can be mounted from your local system or a remote system.

finish script

A user-defined Bourne shell script, specified within the rules file, that performs tasks after the Solaris software is installed on the system, but before the system reboots. You can use finish scripts only with custom JumpStart installations.

host name

The name by which a system is known to other systems on a network. This name must be unique among all the systems within a given domain (usually, this means within any single organization). A host name can be any combination of letters, numbers, and minus signs (-), but it cannot begin or end with a minus sign.

initial installation option

An option presented by the Solaris Web Start program and the Solaris 8 Interactive Installation Program that overwrites the disk(s) with a new version of Solaris. The initial installation option is presented for systems that can be upgraded. However, the disk(s) that contain the old version of Solaris software (including the local modifications) are overwritten if you choose the initial installation option.

install server

A server that provides the Solaris 8 CD images from which other systems on a network can install Solaris (also known as a media server). You can create an install server by copying the Solaris 8 CD images to the server's hard disk.

interactive installation

A type of installation where you have full, hands-on interaction with the installation program that installs the Solaris 8 software on a system.

IP address

Internet protocol address. A unique number that identifies a networked system so it can communicate via Internet protocols. It consists of four numbers separated by periods (192.9.9.1, for example). Most often, each part of the IP address is a number between 0 and 225; however, the first number must be less than 224 and the last number cannot be 0.

IP addresses are logically divided into two parts: the network (similar to a telephone area code), and the local system on the network (similar to a phone number). The numbers in a Class A IP address, for example, represent "network.local.local.local" and the numbers in a Class C IP address represent "network.network.network.local".

Class	Range (xxx is a number 0 to 255)	Number of Available IP Addresses
Class A	1.xxx.xxx.xxx - 126.xxx.xxx.xxx	Over 16 million
Class B	128.0.xxx.xxx - 191.255.xxx.xxx	Over 65,000
Class C	192.0.0.xxx - 223.255.255.xxx	256

IPv6

IPv6 is a new version (version 6) of Internet Protocol (IP) designed to be an evolutionary step from the current version, IPv4 (version 4). It is an increment to IPv4. Deploying IPv6, using defined transition mechanisms, does not disrupt current operations. In addition, IPv6 provides a platform for new Internet functionality.

IPv6 is described in more detail in “Overview of IPv6” in System Administration Guide, Volume 3.

ISA

Industry Standard Architecture. A type of bus found in IA based systems. ISA bus systems are “dumb” and provide no mechanism the system can use to detect and configure devices automatically.See also EISA.

JumpStart directory

When using a profile diskette for custom JumpStart installations, the JumpStart directory is the root directory on the diskette that contains all the essential custom JumpStart files. When using a profile server for custom JumpStart installations, the JumpStart directory is a directory on the server that contains all the essential custom JumpStart files.

JumpStart installation

A type of installation in which the Solaris 8 software is automatically installed on a system by using the factory-installed JumpStart software.

Kerberos

A network authentication protocol that uses strong, secret-key cryptography to enable a client and server to identify themselves to each other over an insecure network connection.

locale

A specific language associated with a region or territory.

master system

A system that you use to create a Web Start Flash archive. The system configuration is saved in the archive.

media server

See install server.

miniroot

The smallest possible bootable Solaris root file system. A miniroot contains a kernel and just enough software to install the Solaris environment on a hard disk. The miniroot is the file system that is copied to a machine in the initial installation.

mount

The process of making a remote or local file system accessible by executing the mount(1M) command. To mount a file system, you need a mount point on the local system and the name of the file system to be mounted (for example, /usr).

mount point

A directory on a system where you can mount a file system that exists on the local or a remote system.

name server

A server that provides a name service to systems on a network.

name service

A distributed network database that contains key system information about all the systems on a network, so the systems can communicate with each other. With a name service, the system information can be maintained, managed, and accessed on a network-wide basis. Sun supports the following name services: NIS and NIS+. Without a name service, each system has to maintain its own copy of the system information (in the local /etc files).

network installation

A way to install software over the network—from a system with a CD-ROM drive to a system without a CD-ROM drive. Network installations require a name server and an install server.

networked systems

A group of systems (called hosts) connected through hardware and software, so they can communicate and share information; referred to as a local area network (LAN). One or more servers are usually needed when systems are networked.

NIS

Network Information Service. A type of name service that is standard on SunOS 3.x, 4.x, and Solaris 1.x systems.

NIS+

Network Information Service, Plus. The replacement for NIS that provides automatic information updating and adds security features such as authorization and authentication. NIS+ is the standard on Solaris 2.x, Solaris 7, and Solaris 8 systems.

non-networked systems

Systems that are not connected to a network or do not rely on other systems.

/opt

A file system that contains the mount points for third-party and unbundled software.

OS server

A system that provides services to systems on a network. To serve diskless clients, an OS server must have disk space set aside for each diskless client's root file system and swap space (/export/root, /export/swap).

package

A functional grouping of files and directories that form a software application. The Solaris 8 software is divided into software groups, which are each composed of clusters and packages.

patch analyzer

A script you run manually or as part of the Solaris 8 Interactive Installation Program that performs an analysis on your system to determine which (if any) patches will be removed by upgrading to a Solaris 8 Update.

platform group

A vendor-defined grouping of hardware platforms for the purpose of distributing specific software. Examples of valid platform groups are i86pc and sun4u.

platform name

The output of the uname -i command. For example, the platform name for the Ultra 60 is SUNW,Ultra-60.

Power Management

Software that automatically saves the state of a system and turns it off after it is idle for 30 minutes. When you install the Solaris software on a system that complies with Version 2 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star guidelines—a sun4u SPARC system, for example—the Power Management software is installed by default, and you are prompted after subsequently rebooting to enable or disable the Power Management software.

Energy Star guidelines require that systems or monitors automatically enter a “sleep state” (consume 30 watts or less) after the system or monitor becomes inactive.

probe keyword

A syntactical element that extracts attribute information about a system without your having to set up a matching condition and run a profile as you would for a rule. See also rule.

profile

A text file that defines how to install the Solaris software (for example, which software group to install). Every rule specifies a profile that defines how a system is to be installed when the rule is matched. You usually create a different profile for every rule; however, the same profile can be used in more than one rule. See also rules file.

profile diskette

A diskette that contains all the essential custom JumpStart files in its root directory (JumpStart directory).

profile server

A server that contains all the essential custom JumpStart files in a JumpStart directory.

/ (root)

The file system at the top of the hierarchical file tree on a system. The root directory contains the directories and files critical for system operation, such as the kernel, device drivers, and the programs used to start (boot) a system.

rule

A series of values that assigns one or more system attributes to a profile.

rules file

A text file that contains a rule for each group of systems (or single systems) that you want to install automatically. Each rule distinguishes a group of systems based on one or more system attributes, and it links each group to a profile, which is a text file that defines how the Solaris 8 software is to be installed on each system in the group. See also profile.

rules.ok file

A generated version of the rules file. It is required by the custom JumpStart installation software to match a system to a profile. You must use the check script to create the rules.ok file.

server

See OS server.

slice

An area on a disk composed of a single range of contiguous blocks. A slice is a physical subset of a disk. Before you can create a file system on a disk, you must format it into slices.

software group

A logical grouping of the Solaris software (clusters and packages). During a Solaris installation, you can install one of the following software groups: Core, End User System Support, Developer System Support, or Entire Distribution, and for SPARC systems only, Entire Distribution Plus OEM Support.

Solaris 8 CD images

The Solaris 8 software that is installed on a system, which you can access on the Solaris 8 CDs or an install server's hard disk to which you have copied the Solaris 8 CD images.

Solaris 8 Interactive Installation Program

A graphical user interface (GUI) or command–line interface (CLI), menu-driven, interactive script that enables you to set up a system and install the Solaris 8 software on it.

Solaris Web Start program

A graphical user interface (GUI) or command–line interface (CLI) installation program that uses wizard panels to guide you step-by-step through installing the Solaris 8 software and third party software.

standalone

A system that has its own root (/) file system, swap space, and /usr file system, which are located on its local disk(s); it does not require boot or software services from an OS server. A standalone system can be connected to a network.

subnet

A working scheme that divides a single logical network into smaller physical networks to simplify routing.

subnet mask

A bit mask, which is 32 bits long, used to determine important network or system information from an IP address.

swap space

Disk space used for virtual memory storage when the system does not have enough system memory to handle current processes. Also known as the /swap or swap file system.

sysidcfg file

A file in which you specify a set of special system configuration keywords that preconfigure a system.

time zone

Any of the 24 longitudinal divisions of the earth's surface for which a standard time is kept.

upgrade option

An option presented by the Solaris 8 Interactive Installation Program. The upgrade procedure merges the new version of Solaris with existing files on your disk(s), and it saves as many local modifications as possible since the last time Solaris was installed.

/usr

A file system on a standalone system or server that contains many of the standard UNIX programs. Sharing the large /usr file system with a server rather than maintaining a local copy minimizes the overall disk space required to install and run the Solaris 8 software on a system.

/var

A file system or directory (on standalone systems) containing system files that are likely to change or grow over the life of the system. These include system logs, vi files, mail files, and uucp files.

Volume Manager

A program that provides a mechanism to administer and obtain access to the data on CD-ROMs and diskettes.

Web Start Flash

A Solaris installation feature that enables you to create an archive of the files on a system, known as the master system. You can then use the archive to install other systems, making the other systems identical in their configuration to the master system.