Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic

Installations

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

4150 Network Circle
Santa Clara, CA 95054
U.S.A.

Part No: 817–0544–12

December 2005
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051031@13215
 Contents

Preface 5

1 Planning for a Solaris Installation From CD or DVD Media (Tasks) 9

System Requirements and Recommendations 9
Solaris Installation Program GUI or Text Installer Requirements 10
Disk Space Recommendations for Software Groups 12
Checklist for Installation 14
Where to Find Additional Installation Information 21

2 Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 23

SPARC: Performing an Installation or Upgrade With the Solaris Installation
Program 23
▼ SPARC: To Install or Upgrade With the Solaris Installation Program 24
x86: Performing an Installation or Upgrade With the Solaris Installation
Program 31
▼ x86: To Install or Upgrade With the Solaris Installation Program 31
▼ x86: To Install or Upgrade With the Solaris Installation Program With
GRUB 42

Index 55

3
4 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005
Preface

This book describes how to use CD or DVD media to install the Solaris™ Operating
System (Solaris OS) on a nonnetworked system.

This book does not include instructions about how to set up system hardware or other
peripherals.

Note – This Solaris release supports systems that use the SPARC® and x86 families of
processor architectures: UltraSPARC®, SPARC64, AMD64, Pentium, and Xeon EM64T.
The supported systems appear in the Solaris 10 Hardware Compatibility List at
http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl. This document cites any implementation
differences between the platform types.

In this document these x86 related terms mean the following:

■ “x86” refers to the larger family of 64-bit and 32-bit x86 compatible products.
■ “x64” points out specific 64-bit information about AMD64 or EM64T systems.
■ “32-bit x86” points out specific 32-bit information about x86 based systems.

For supported systems, see the Solaris 10 Hardware Compatibility List.

Who Should Use This Book

This book is intended for system administrators who are responsible for installing the
Solaris OS. This book provides basic Solaris installation information for system
administrators who perform infrequent Solaris installations or upgrades.

If you need advanced Solaris installation information, see “Related Books” on page
6 to find the book that describes the information.

5
 Related Books
Table P–1 lists related information that you need when you install the Solaris software.

TABLE P–1 Related Information

Information Description

Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based This book describes how to perform a remote Solaris
Installations installation over a local area network or a wide area network.

Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Solaris Live Upgrade and This book describes how to use CD or DVD media to
Upgrade Planning upgrade a system to the Solaris OS. This book also describes
how to use the Solaris Live Upgrade feature to create and
maintain boot environments, and how to upgrade systems to
these boot environments.

Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and This book describes how to create the files and directories
Advanced Installations necessary to perform an unattended custom JumpStart
installation. This book also describes how to create RAID-1
volumes during a JumpStart installation.

Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Solaris Flash Archives This book describes how to create a Solaris Flash archive and
(Creation and Installation) deploy the archive over the network to quickly install the
Solaris OS. This book also describes how to maintain these
archives, and how to quickly update clone systems by using
differential Flash archives.

System Administration Guide: Devices and File This book describes how to back up system files.
Systems

Solaris 10 Release Notes This book describes any bugs, known problems, software
that is being discontinued, and patches that are related to the
Solaris release.

SPARC: Solaris 10 Sun Hardware Platform Guide on This book contains information about supported hardware.
http://docs.sun.com

Solaris 10 Package List This book lists and describes the packages in the Solaris 10
OS.

x86: Solaris Hardware Compatibility List This list contains supported hardware information and
device configuration details.

6 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

Documentation, Support, and Training
The Sun web site provides information about the following additional resources:
■ Documentation (http://www.sun.com/documentation/)
■ Support (http://www.sun.com/support/)
■ Training (http://www.sun.com/training/)

Typographic Conventions
The following table describes the typographic conventions that are used in this book.

TABLE P–2 Typographic Conventions

Typeface Meaning Example

AaBbCc123 The names of commands, files, and Edit your .login file.
directories, and onscreen computer
Use ls -a to list all files.
output
machine_name% you have
mail.

AaBbCc123 What you type, contrasted with onscreen machine_name% su

computer output
Password:

aabbcc123 Placeholder: replace with a real name or The command to remove a file
value is rm filename.

AaBbCc123 Book titles, new terms, and terms to be Read Chapter 6 in the User’s
emphasized Guide.
A cache is a copy that is stored
locally.
Do not save the file.
Note: Some emphasized items
appear bold online.

7
 Shell Prompts in Command Examples
The following table shows the default UNIX® system prompt and superuser prompt
for the C shell, Bourne shell, and Korn shell.

TABLE P–3 Shell Prompts

Shell Prompt

C shell machine_name%

C shell for superuser machine_name#

Bourne shell and Korn shell $

Bourne shell and Korn shell for superuser #

Platform Conventions
The following keyboard and mouse conventions are applicable to SPARC and x86
based systems:
■ The key referred to as Return is labeled Enter on some keyboards.
■ From left to right on a three-button mouse, the default settings for CDE are
SELECT, ADJUST, and MENU. For example, the text says, “Click SELECT” instead
of “Click the left mouse button.” Otherwise, these keys are referred to as mouse
button 1, mouse button 2, and mouse button 3.
■ From left to right on a two-button mouse, the default settings are SELECT and
MENU. The ADJUST function is obtained by simultaneously pressing SELECT and
the Shift key on the keyboard (Shift-SELECT).

8 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

CHAPTER 1

Planning for a Solaris Installation From

CD or DVD Media (Tasks)

This chapter provides you with system requirements and planning information to help
you install the Solaris OS. This chapter describes the following topics.
■ “System Requirements and Recommendations” on page 9
■ “Checklist for Installation” on page 14
■ “Where to Find Additional Installation Information” on page 21

Note – This book uses the term slice, but some Solaris documentation and programs
might refer to a slice as a partition. To avoid confusion, this book distinguishes
between fdisk partitions (which are supported only in Solaris for x86 based systems)
and the divisions within the Solaris fdisk partition, which might be called slices or
partitions.

System Requirements and

Recommendations
The following tables list basic system requirements to install the Solaris OS.

9
TABLE 1–1 SPARC: Memory, Swap, and Processor Recommendations

SPARC Based System Size

Memory to install or upgrade 256 MB is the recommended size. 128 MB is the minimum size.
Note – Some optional installation features are enabled only when sufficient
memory is present. For example, if you install from a DVD with insufficient
memory, you install through the Solaris installation program’s text installer,
not through the GUI. For more information about these memory requirements,
see Table 1–3.

Swap area 512 MB is the default size.

Note – You might need to customize the swap space. Swap space is based on
the size of the system’s hard disk.

Processor requirements 200–MHz or faster processor is required.

TABLE 1–2 x86: Memory, Swap, and Processor Recommendations

x86 Based System Size

Memory to install or upgrade ■ Starting with the Solaris 10 1/06 release, 512 MB is the recommended size.
256 MB is the minimum size.
■ For the Solaris 10 3/05 release, 256 MB is the recommended size. 128 MB
is the minimum size.

Note – Some optional installation features are enabled only when sufficient
memory is present. For example, if you install from a DVD with insufficient
memory, you install through the Solaris installation program’s text installer,
not through the GUI. For more information about these memory requirements,
see Table 1–3.

Swap area 512 MB is the default size.

Note – You might need to customize the swap space. Swap space is based on
the size of the system’s hard disk.

Processor requirements 120–MHz or faster processor is recommended. Hardware floating-point

support is required.

Solaris Installation Program GUI or Text Installer

Requirements
The Solaris installation program on the Solaris 10 Operating System DVD or Solaris 10
Software - 1 CD can be run with a graphical user interface (GUI) or as an interactive
text installer in a desktop or console session. For x86 based systems, the Solaris Device
Configuration Assistant is included in the Solaris installation program.

10 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

 ■ GUI – The Solaris installation GUI provides windows, pull-down menus, buttons,
scrollbars, and iconic images to enable you to interact with the installation
program. The GUI requires a local or remote DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive or
network connection, video adapter, keyboard, monitor, and enough memory. For
more information about these memory requirements, see Table 1–3 and Table 1–4.
■ Text installer – The Solaris interactive text installer enables you to type information
in a terminal or console window to interact with the installation program. You can
run the text installer in a desktop session with a windowing environment, or in a
console session. The text installer requires a local or remote DVD-ROM or
CD-ROM drive or network connection, keyboard, and monitor. You can run the
Solaris installation text installer with the tip command. For more information, see
the man page, tip(1).

You can choose to install the software with a GUI or with or without a windowing
environment. If there is sufficient memory, the GUI is displayed by default. Other
environments are displayed by default if memory is insufficient for the GUI. You can
override defaults with the nowin or text boot options. But, you are limited by the
amount of memory in your system or by installing remotely. Also if the Solaris
installation program does not detect a video adapter, it automatically displays in a
console-based environment. Table 1–3 and Table 1–4 describe these environments and
list memory requirements for displaying them.

TABLE 1–3 SPARC: Memory Requirements for Display Options

SPARC: Memory Type of Installation Description

128–383 MB Text-based Contains no graphics, but provides a window and

the ability to open other windows.
If you install by using the text boot option and
the system has enough memory, you are installing
in a windowing environment. If you are installing
remotely through a tip line or using the nowin
boot option, you are limited to the console-based
installation.

384 MB or greater GUI-based Provides windows, pull-down menus, buttons,

scrollbars, and iconic images.

Chapter 1 • Planning for a Solaris Installation From CD or DVD Media (Tasks) 11

TABLE 1–4 x86: Memory Requirements for Display Options

x86: Memory Type of Installation Description

■ Starting with the Solaris 10 1/06 Text-based Contains no graphics, but provides a window and
release: 256–511 MB the ability to open other windows.
■ For the Solaris 10 3/05 release: If you install by using the text boot option and
128–383 MB the system has enough memory, you are installing
in a windowing environment. If you are installing
remotely through a tip line or using the nowin
boot option, you are limited to the console-based
installation.

■ Starting with the Solaris 10 1/06 GUI-based Provides windows, pull-down menus, buttons,
release: 512 MB scrollbars, and iconic images.
■ For the Solaris 10 3/05 release:
384 MB

You can also specify the installer you want to use during the installation by entering a
selection or special command at a prompt. For instructions, see the procedures in
Chapter 2.

Disk Space Recommendations for Software Groups

The Solaris software groups are collections of Solaris packages. Each software group
includes support for different functions and hardware drivers.
■ For an initial installation, you select the software group to install, based on the
functions that you want to perform on the system.
■ For an upgrade, you must upgrade to a software group that is installed on the
system. For example, if you previously installed the End User Solaris Software
Group on your system, you cannot use the upgrade option to upgrade to the
Developer Solaris Software Group. However, during the upgrade you can add
software to the system that is not part of the currently installed software group.

When you are installing the Solaris software, you can choose to add or remove
packages from the Solaris software group that you selected. When you are selecting
which packages to add or remove, you need to know about software dependencies
and how the Solaris software is packaged.

The following figure shows the grouping of software packages. Reduced Network
Support contains the minimal number of packages and Entire Solaris Software Group
Plus OEM Support contains all the packages.

12 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

 Entire Plus OEM

Entire

Developer

End User

Core

Reduced
Network
Support

FIGURE 1–1 Solaris Software Groups

Table 1–5 lists the Solaris software groups and the recommended amount of disk space
that you need to install each group.

Note – The disk space recommendations in Table 1–5 include space for the following
items.
■ Swap space
■ Patches
■ Additional software packages

You might find that the software groups require less disk space than the amount that
is listed in this table.

For additional information about how to plan your disk space, see “Allocating Disk
and Swap Space” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations.

Chapter 1 • Planning for a Solaris Installation From CD or DVD Media (Tasks) 13

TABLE 1–5 Disk Space Recommendations for Software Groups

Software Group Description Recommended Disk Space

Entire Solaris Software Contains the packages for the Entire Solaris Software 6.8 Gbytes
Group Plus OEM Support Group plus additional hardware drivers, including
drivers for hardware that is not on the system at the
time of installation.

Entire Solaris Software Contains the packages for the Developer Solaris 6.7 Gbytes
Group Software Group and additional software that is needed
for servers.

Developer Solaris Software Contains the packages for the End User Solaris 6.6 Gbytes
Group Software Group plus additional support for software
development. The additional software development
support includes libraries, include files, man pages,
and programming tools. Compilers are not included.

End User Solaris Software Contains the packages that provide the minimum code 5.3 Gbytes
Group that is required to boot and run a networked Solaris
system and the Common Desktop Environment.

Core System Support Contains the packages that provide the minimum code 2.0 Gbytes
Software Group that is required to boot and run a networked Solaris
system.

Reduced Network Support Contains the packages that provide the minimum code 2.0 Gbytes
Software Group that is required to boot and run a Solaris system with
limited network service support. The Reduced
Network Support Software Group provides a multiuser
text-based console and system administration utilities.
This software group also enables the system to
recognize network interfaces, but does not activate
network services.

Checklist for Installation

Use the following checklist to gather the information that you need to install the
Solaris OS. You do not need to gather all of the information that is requested on the
checklist. You only need to collect the information that applies to your system.

Use this checklist if you are performing an initial installation. If you are upgrading
your system, see “Checklist for Upgrading” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Solaris Live
Upgrade and Upgrade Planning.

14 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

TABLE 1–6 Installation Checklist

Answer — Defaults are noted

Information for Installation Description or Example with an asterisk (*)

Network connection Is the system connected to a network? Networked/

Non-networked

DHCP Can the system use Dynamic Host Configuration Yes/No*

Protocol (DHCP) to configure its network interfaces?
DHCP provides the network parameters that are
necessary for installation.

If you are IP Address If you are not using DHCP, supply the IP address for the
not using system.
DHCP, note
Example: 172.31.255.255
the network
address. To find this information on a running system, type the
following command.
# ypmatch host-name hosts

Subnet If you are not using DHCP, is the system part of a

subnet?
If yes, what is the netmask of the subnet?
Example: 255.255.255.0
To find this information on a running system, type the
following command.
# more /etc/netmasks

IPv6 Do you want to enable IPv6 on this machine? Yes/No*

IPv6 is a part of the TCP/IP Internet protocol that
facilitates IP addressing by adding better security and
increasing Internet addresses.

Host Name Host name that you choose for the system.
To find this information on a running system, type the
following command.
# uname -n

Chapter 1 • Planning for a Solaris Installation From CD or DVD Media (Tasks) 15

TABLE 1–6 Installation Checklist (Continued)
Answer — Defaults are noted
Information for Installation Description or Example with an asterisk (*)

Kerberos Do you want to configure Kerberos security on this Yes/No*

machine?
If yes, gather this information:

Default Realm:
Administration Server:
First KDC:
(Optional) Additional KDCs:

The Kerberos service is a client-server architecture that

provides secure transactions over networks.

If the Name Service Which name service should this system use? NIS+/NIS/DNS/
system uses LDAP/None
To find this information on a running system, type the
a name
following command.
service,
provide the # cat /etc/nsswitch.conf
following
information. A naming service stores information in a central place,
which enables users, machines, and applications to
communicate across the network. Examples of
information that is stored are host names and addresses
or user names and passwords.

Domain Provide the name of the domain in which the system

Name resides.
To find this information on a running system, type the
following command.
# domainname

NIS+ and NIS Do you want to specify a name server or let the Specify One/Find One*
installation program find one?
If you want to specify a name server, provide the
following information.

Server’s host name:

■ For NIS clients, type the following command to

display the server’s host name.
# ypwhich
■ For NIS+ clients, type the following command to
display the server’s host name.
# nisping

Server’s IP Address:

16 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

TABLE 1–6 Installation Checklist (Continued)
Answer — Defaults are noted
Information for Installation Description or Example with an asterisk (*)

■ For NIS clients, type the following command to

display the server’s IP address.
# ypmatch nameserver-name hosts
■ For NIS+ clients, type the following command to
display the server’s IP address.
# nismatch nameserver-name
hosts.org_dir

Network Information Service (NIS) makes network

administration more manageable by providing
centralized control over a variety of network
information, such as machine names and addresses.

DNS Provide IP addresses for the DNS server. You must enter
at least one IP address, but you can enter up to three
addresses.

Server’s IP Address:

To display the server’s IP address, type the following

command.
# getent ipnodes dns

You can enter a list of domains to search when a DNS

query is made.

Search Domain:
Search Domain:
Search Domain:

The domain name system (DNS) is the name service that

the Internet provides for TCP/IP networks. DNS
provides host names to the IP address service. DNS
simplifies communication by using machine names
instead of numerical IP addresses. DNS also serves as a
database for mail administration.

LDAP Provide the following information about your LDAP

profile.

Profile Name:

Profile Server:

If you specify a proxy credential level in your LDAP

profile, gather this information.

Proxy-bind distinguished name:

Chapter 1 • Planning for a Solaris Installation From CD or DVD Media (Tasks) 17

TABLE 1–6 Installation Checklist (Continued)
Answer — Defaults are noted
Information for Installation Description or Example with an asterisk (*)

Proxy-bind password:

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) defines a

relatively simple protocol for updating and searching
directories that are running over TCP/IP.

Default Route Do you want to specify a default route IP address or let Detect one*/Specify
the Solaris installation program find one? one/None
The default route provides a bridge that forwards traffic
between two physical networks. An IP address is a
unique number that identifies each host on a network.
You have the following choices:
■ You can specify the IP address. An
/etc/defaultrouter file is created with the
specified IP address. When the system is rebooted,
the specified IP address becomes the default route.
■ You can let the Solaris installation program detect an
IP address. However, the system must be on a subnet
that has a router that advertises itself by using the
ICMP router discovery protocol. If you are using the
command-line interface, the software detects an IP
address when the system is booted.
■ You can choose None if you do not have a router or
do not want the software to detect an IP address at
this time. The software automatically tries to detect
an IP address on reboot.

Time Zone How do you want to specify your default time zone? Geographic region*
Offset from GMT
Time zone file

Root Password Provide the root password for the system.

Locales For which geographic regions do you want to install

support?

SPARC: Power Do you want to use Power Management? Yes*/No

Management (only
Note – If your system has Energy Star version 3 or later,
available on SPARC systems
you are not prompted for this information.
that support Power
Management)

Automatic reboot or Reboot automatically after software installation? Yes*/No

CD/DVD ejection
Eject CD/DVD automatically after software installation? Yes*/No

18 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

TABLE 1–6 Installation Checklist (Continued)
Answer — Defaults are noted
Information for Installation Description or Example with an asterisk (*)

Default or Custom Install Do you want to perform a default installation, or Default

customize the installation? installation*/Custom
■ Select Default installation to format the entire hard installation
disk and install a preselected set of software.
■ Select Custom installation to modify the hard disk
layout and select the software that you want to
install.

Note – The text installer does not prompt you to select a

Default or Custom Installation. To perform a default
installation, accept the default values that are provided
in the text installer. To perform a custom installation,
edit the values in the text installer screens.

Software Group Which Solaris Software Group do you want to install? Entire Plus OEM
Entire*
Developer
End User
Core
Reduced Networking

Custom Package Selection Do you want to add or remove software packages from
the Solaris Software Group that you install?
Note – When you select which packages to add or
remove, you need to know about software dependencies
and how Solaris software is packaged.

Select Disks On which disks do you want to install the Solaris

software?
Example: c0t0d0

x86: fdisk partitioning Do you want to create, delete, or modify a Solaris fdisk
partition?
Each disk that is selected for file system layout must
have a Solaris fdisk partition.
If your system currently has a service partition, the
Solaris installation program preserves the service
partition by default. If you do not want to preserve the
service partition, you must customize the fdisk
partitions. For more information about preserving a
service partition, see “Default Boot-Disk Partition
Layout Preserves the Service Partition” in Solaris 10
Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations.

Chapter 1 • Planning for a Solaris Installation From CD or DVD Media (Tasks) 19

TABLE 1–6 Installation Checklist (Continued)
Answer — Defaults are noted
Information for Installation Description or Example with an asterisk (*)

Select Disks for fdisk Partition Customization? Yes/No*

Customize fdisk partitions? Yes/No*

Preserve Data Do you want to preserve any data that exists on the Yes/No*
disks where you are installing the Solaris software?

Auto-layout File Systems Do you want the installation program to automatically Yes*/No
lay out file systems on your disks?
If yes, which file systems should be used for
auto-layout?
Example: /, /opt, /var
If no, you must provide file system configuration
information.
Note – The Solaris installation GUI lays out file systems
automatically by default.

Mount Remote File Systems Does this system need to access software on another file Yes/No*
system?
If yes, provide the following information about the
remote file system.

Server:

IP Address:

Remote File System:

Local Mount Point:

If you are installing through Ensure that your window display is at least 80 columns
a tip line, follow these wide and 24 rows long. For more information, see
instructions. tip(1).
To determine the current dimensions of your tip
window, use the stty command. For more information,
see the man page, stty(1).

Check your Ethernet If the system is part of a network, verify that an Ethernet
connection. connector or similar network adapter is connected to
your system.

20 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

TABLE 1–6 Installation Checklist (Continued)
Answer — Defaults are noted
Information for Installation Description or Example with an asterisk (*)

Review the planning ■ Review the entire planning chapter or specific

chapter and other relevant sections in Chapter 3, “Solaris Installation and
documentation. Upgrade (Planning),” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide:
Network-Based Installations.
■ Review the Solaris 10 Release Notes on
http://docs.sun.com and vendor release notes
to ensure that the software you use is supported in
the new Solaris release.
■ Review the Solaris 10 Sun Hardware Platform Guide to
ensure that your hardware is supported.
■ Review the documentation that accompanied your
system to ensure that your system and devices are
supported by the Solaris release.

Where to Find Additional Installation

Information
For additional information about requirements and recommendations for installing
the Solaris OS, see the following documents.
■ For information about new installation features, see Chapter 1, “What’s New in
Solaris Installation,” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations.
■ For disk space guidelines and recommendations, see “Allocating Disk and Swap
Space” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.
■ For additional requirements and recommendations for upgrading to the Solaris OS,
see “Upgrade” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Solaris Live Upgrade and Upgrade
Planning.
■ For information about working with x86 partitions during your installation, see
“Partitioning Recommendations” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart
and Advanced Installations.
■ For a road map of the overall installation process, see “Task Map: Installing or
Upgrading the Solaris Software” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart
and Advanced Installations.
■ For information about all the new features in the Solaris OS, see Solaris 10 What’s
New.

These documents are available at http://docs.sun.com.

Chapter 1 • Planning for a Solaris Installation From CD or DVD Media (Tasks) 21

22 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005
CHAPTER 2

Installing With the Solaris Installation

Program (Tasks)

This chapter explains how to use the Solaris installation program on the Solaris 10
Operating System DVD or Solaris 10 Software - 1 CD to install or upgrade Solaris
software.

This chapter contains the following topics:

■ “SPARC: Performing an Installation or Upgrade With the Solaris Installation
Program” on page 23
■ “x86: Performing an Installation or Upgrade With the Solaris Installation Program”
on page 31

For information about new installation features, see Chapter 1, “What’s New in Solaris
Installation,” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations. For information
about all the new features in the Solaris OS, see Solaris 10 What’s New.

SPARC: Performing an Installation or

Upgrade With the Solaris Installation
Program
You can either install or upgrade the Solaris OS by using the Solaris installation
program. This section lists the tasks you need to perform to install the Solaris OS, and
provides detailed instructions about how to install the Solaris OS from DVD or CD
media.

23
 ▼ SPARC: To Install or Upgrade With the Solaris
Installation Program
This procedure describes how to install a standalone SPARC based system from CD or
DVD media.

Note – If you want to install the Solaris OS on a machine or domain that does not have
a directly attached DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive, you can use a DVD-ROM or
CD-ROM drive that is attached to another machine. For detailed instructions, refer to
Appendix B, “Installing or Upgrading Remotely (Tasks),” in Solaris 10 Installation
Guide: Network-Based Installations.

Before You Perform the following tasks before you begin your installation.
Begin
■ Ensure that you have the following media.
■ For a DVD installation, the Solaris 10 Operating System for SPARC Platforms
DVD
■ For a CD installation:
■ Solaris 10 Software CDs.
■ Solaris 10 Languages for SPARC Platforms CD – The installation program
prompts you for this CD if necessary to support languages for specific
geographic regions.

Note – If you want to upgrade a system that has non-global zones installed,
you cannot use the Solaris 10 Software CDs. You must use the Solaris 10
Operating System DVD or a DVD-based network installation image.

■ Verify that your system meets the minimum requirements.

Your system should meet the following requirements.
■ Memory – 128 Mbytes or greater
■ Disk space – 6.8 Gbytes or greater
■ Processor speed – 200 MHz or greater

For detailed information about system requirements, see “System Requirements

and Recommendations” on page 9.
■ Gather the information you need to install the Solaris OS.
■ For a nonnetworked system, gather the following information.
■ Host name of the system that you are installing
■ Language and locales that you intend to use on the system
■ For a networked system, gather the following information.

24 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

 ■ Host name of the system that you are installing
■ Language and locales that you intend to use on the system
■ Host IP address
■ Subnet mask
■ Type of name service (for example, DNS, NIS, or NIS+)
■ Domain name
■ Host name of the name server
■ Host IP address of the name server
■ Root password

For information that you need to gather to install your system, see “Checklist for
Installation” on page 14. If you are upgrading your system, see “Checklist for
Upgrading” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Solaris Live Upgrade and Upgrade
Planning.
■ (Optional) Back up your system.
If you want to preserve any existing data or applications, back up the system. For
detailed instructions about how to back up your system, see Chapter 24, “Backing
Up and Restoring File Systems (Overview),” in System Administration Guide: Devices
and File Systems.

Steps 1. Insert the Solaris 10 Operating System for SPARC Platforms DVD or Solaris 10
Software for SPARC Platforms - 1 CD.

2. Boot the system.

■ If the system is new, out-of-the-box, turn on the system.

■ If you want to install a system that is currently running, shut down the
system.

The ok prompt is displayed.

3. Start the Solaris installation program.

■ To boot from the local DVD or CD and start the Solaris installation GUI, type
the following command.
ok boot cdrom

■ To boot from the local DVD or CD and start the text installer in a desktop
session, type the following command.
ok boot cdrom - text

text Specifies to run the text installer in a desktop session. Use this option
to override the default GUI installer.

■ To boot from the local DVD or CD and start the text installer in a console
session, type the following command.
ok boot cdrom - nowin

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 25

 nowin Specifies to run the text installer in a console session. Use this option
to override the default GUI installer.

For detailed information about the Solaris installation GUI and text installer, see
“Solaris Installation Program GUI or Text Installer Requirements” on page 10.

The installation begins. The installation program prompts you to select a language
to use during the installation.

4. Select the language you want to use during the installation, and press Enter.
After a few seconds, the Solaris Installation Program Welcome screen appears.
■ If you are running the Solaris GUI installation program, the screen that is
shown in Figure 2–1 is displayed.
■ If you are running the Solaris text installer in a desktop session, the screen that
is shown in Figure 2–2 is displayed.

FIGURE 2–1 Solaris GUI Installation Program Welcome Screen

26 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

FIGURE 2–2 Solaris Text Installer Welcome Screen

5. Click Next to begin the installation. If you are prompted, answer the system
configuration questions.
■ If you preconfigured all of the system information, the installation program
does not prompt you to enter any configuration information. See Chapter 6,
“Preconfiguring System Configuration Information (Tasks),” in Solaris 10
Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations for more information.
■ If you did not preconfigure all the system information, the installation program
prompts you for this information on several screens. Use the “Checklist for
Installation” on page 14 to help you answer the configuration questions.

After you answer the configuration questions, the Welcome to Solaris dialog box
appears.

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 27

FIGURE 2–3 Welcome to Solaris Screen

The Installer Questions screen appears.

6. Decide if you want to reboot the system automatically and if you want to
automatically eject the disc. Click Next.
The Specify Media screen appears.

7. Specify the media you are using to install. Click Next.

The License panel appears.

8. Accept the license agreement to continue the installation. Click Next.

The Solaris installation program then determines if the system can be upgraded. To
upgrade, the system must have an existing Solaris root (/) file system. The Solaris
installation program detects the necessary conditions and then upgrades the
system.

The Select Upgrade or Initial Install screen appears.

9. Decide if you want to perform an initial installation or an upgrade. Click Next.

If you are upgrading a system that has non-global zones installed, follow these
steps.

a. When you are prompted to select initial installation or upgrade, choose

Upgrade. Click Next.

28 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

 b. If your system has multiple root (/) partitions, select the partition that you
want to upgrade on the Select Version to Upgrade panel.
The Solaris installation program displays a message that indicates that you
cannot customize your upgrade. The Solaris installation program analyzes your
system to determine if the system can be upgraded. The Ready to Upgrade
panel is displayed.

If your system has only one root partition, the Solaris installation program does
not prompt you to select a partition to upgrade. The partition is automatically
selected.

c. If you want to continue the upgrade, click Install Now on the Ready to
Upgrade panel.
The Solaris installation program begins to upgrade your system. After the
upgrade is completed, you might need to correct some local modifications that
were not preserved. For more information, go to Step a in Step 12.

If you do not want to continue the upgrade, click Back to perform an initial
installation.

10. Select the type of installation you want to perform. Click Next.

■ Select Default Install to install the Entire Solaris Software Group.

■ Select Custom Install if you want to perform the following tasks.

■ Install a specific software group
■ Install additional software
■ Install specific software packages
■ Install a specific locale
■ Customize the disk layout

For more information about software groups, see “Disk Space

Recommendations for Software Groups” on page 12.

Note – The text installer does not prompt you to select a Default or Custom
Installation. To perform a default installation, accept the default values that are
provided in the text installer. To perform a custom installation, edit the values in
the text installer screens.

11. If you are prompted, answer any additional configuration questions.

When you have provided the information that is required to install the system, the
Ready to Install screen is displayed.

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 29

 FIGURE 2–4 Solaris Installation Ready to Install Screen

12. Click Install Now to install the Solaris software. Follow the instructions on the
screen to install the Solaris software.
When the Solaris installation program finishes installing the Solaris software, the
system reboots automatically or prompts you to reboot manually.

If you are installing additional products, you are prompted to insert the DVD or
CD for those products. For installation procedures, refer to the appropriate
installation documentation.

After the installation is finished, installation logs are saved in a file. You can find
the installation logs in the /var/sadm/system/logs and
/var/sadm/install/logs directories.

■ If you are performing an initial installation, the installation is complete. Go

to Step 13.

■ If you are upgrading the Solaris software, you might need to correct some
local modifications that were not preserved. Continue to Step a.

a. Review the contents of the

/a/var/sadm/system/data/upgrade_cleanup file to determine
whether you need to correct local modifications that the Solaris
installation program could not preserve.

b. Correct any local modifications that were not preserved.

30 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

 13. If you did not select automatic reboot during the installation, reboot the system.
# reboot

Troubleshooting If you encountered any problems during the installation or upgrade, see Appendix A,
“Troubleshooting (Tasks),” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and
Advanced Installations.

x86: Performing an Installation or

Upgrade With the Solaris Installation
Program
You can either install or upgrade the Solaris OS by using the Solaris installation
program. This section lists the task you need to perform to install the Solaris OS, and
provides detailed instructions about how to install the Solaris OS from DVD or CD
media.

Choose one of the following procedures.

■ For the Solaris 10 3/05 release, see “x86: To Install or Upgrade With the Solaris
Installation Program” on page 31 for instructions about how to install the Solaris
OS.
■ Starting with the Solaris 10 1/06 release, see “x86: To Install or Upgrade With the
Solaris Installation Program With GRUB” on page 42 for instructions about how
to install the Solaris OS.

▼ x86: To Install or Upgrade With the Solaris

Installation Program
For the Solaris 10 3/05 release, follow this procedure to install a standalone x86 based
system from CD or DVD media.

Starting with the Solaris 10 1/06 release, the Solaris installation programs for x86
based systems use the GRUB boot loader. For instructions about how to install the
Solaris OS with GRUB, see “x86: To Install or Upgrade With the Solaris Installation
Program With GRUB” on page 42.

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 31

 Note – If you want to install the Solaris OS on a machine or domain that does not have
a directly attached DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive, you can use a DVD-ROM or
CD-ROM drive that is attached to another machine. For detailed instructions, refer to
Appendix B, “Installing or Upgrading Remotely (Tasks),” in Solaris 10 Installation
Guide: Network-Based Installations.

Before You Perform the following tasks before you begin your installation.
Begin
■ Ensure that you have the following media.
■ If you are installing from a DVD, use the Solaris 10 Operating System for x86
Platforms DVD.
■ If you are installing from CD media, use the following:
■ Solaris 10 Software CDs.
■ Solaris 10 Languages for x86 Platforms CD – The installation program
prompts you for this CD if necessary to support languages for specific
geographic regions.

Note – If you want to upgrade a system that has non-global zones installed,
you cannot use the Solaris 10 Software CDs. You must use the Solaris 10
Operating System DVD or a network installation image.

■ Check your system BIOS to make sure you can boot from CD or DVD media. If
your system must boot from a diskette, complete the steps described in
“Solaris 10 3/05 for x86: Copying the Boot Software to a Diskette” in Solaris 10
Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations.
■ Acquire any install time updates (ITUs) or drivers that you need to install the
Solaris OS on your hardware. To determine if you need an ITU or additional
drivers, see your hardware documentation.
■ Verify that your system meets the minimum requirements.
Your system should meet the following requirements.
■ Memory – 128 Mbytes or greater
■ Disk space – 6.8 Gbytes or greater
■ Processor speed – 120 MHz or greater with hardware floating point

For detailed information about system requirements, see “System Requirements

and Recommendations” on page 9.

If you are installing the Solaris OS on a system that is not produced by Sun
Microsystems, Inc., check the Solaris Hardware Compatibility List at
http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl before you begin to install.

32 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

 ■ You cannot use the Solaris installation program to upgrade to the Solaris 10 7/05
release on a system that has non-global zones installed. For information about how
to upgrade a system that has non-global zones installed, see Chapter 27,
“Upgrading a Solaris 10 System That Has Installed Non-Global Zones,” in System
Administration Guide: Solaris Containers-Resource Management and Solaris Zones.
■ Gather the information you need to install the Solaris OS.
■ For a nonnetworked system, gather the following information.
■ Host name of the system that you are installing
■ Language and locales that you intend to use on the system
■ For a networked system, gather the following information.
■ Host name of the system that you are installing
■ Language and locales that you intend to use on the system
■ Host IP address
■ Subnet mask
■ Type of name service (for example, DNS, NIS, or NIS+)
■ Domain name
■ Host name of the name server
■ Host IP address of the name server
■ Root password

For information that you need to gather to install your system, see “Checklist for
Installation” on page 14. If you are upgrading your system, see “Checklist for
Upgrading” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Solaris Live Upgrade and Upgrade
Planning.
■ If your system must boot from diskette, copy the Solaris Device Configuration
Assistant to diskette. To determine if your system must boot from diskette, check
the system BIOS.
For instructions, see “Solaris 10 3/05 for x86: Copying the Boot Software to a
Diskette” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations.
■ (Optional) Back up your system.
If you want to preserve any existing data or applications, back up the system. For
detailed instructions about how to back up your system, see Chapter 24, “Backing
Up and Restoring File Systems (Overview),” in System Administration Guide: Devices
and File Systems.

Steps 1. Insert the appropriate media in your system.

■ If you boot from the Solaris 10 Operating System DVD or the Solaris 10
Software - 1 CD, insert the disc. Your system’s BIOS must support booting from
a DVD or CD.
You might need to manually set your BIOS to boot from a DVD or CD. See your
hardware documentation for more information about how to set the BIOS.

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 33

 ■ If you boot from a diskette, insert a Solaris 10 Device Configuration Assistant
diskette into the system’s diskette drive.

2. Boot the system by shutting it down and then turning it off and on.

3. If you need to manually set the BIOS to boot from CD or DVD, type the
appropriate key sequence to interrupt your system boot process.
Modify the boot priority in the BIOS, and exit the BIOS to return to the installation
program.

A memory test and hardware detection are executed. The screen refreshes. The
Solaris Booting System screen is displayed.

4. Decide if you need to modify device settings.

You might need to modify device settings if you want to perform the following
tasks:
■ Install device drivers
■ Install ITUs
■ Disable Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)
■ Set up a serial console
■ Reset the default boot device

■ If you do not need to modify device settings, continue.

■ If you need to modify device settings with the Solaris Device Configuration
Assistant, press the ESC key.

Note – You must press the ESC key within five seconds to interrupt the
installation and modify device settings.

The Solaris Device Configuration Assistant (DCA) screen is displayed. Follow

the instructions on the DCA screens to modify the device settings.

The Solaris installation program checks the default boot disk for the requirements
to install or upgrade the system. If the Solaris installation cannot detect the system
configuration, the program prompts you for any missing information.

When the check is completed, the installation selection screen is displayed.

5. Select an installation type.

The installation selection screen displays the following options.
Select the type of installation you want to perform:

1 Solaris Interactive
2 Custom JumpStart

34 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

 3 Solaris Interactive Text (Desktop session)
4 Solaris Interactive Text (Console session)

Enter the number of your choice followed by the <ENTER> key.

Alternatively, enter custom boot arguments directly.

If you wait 30 seconds without typing anything,

an interactive installation will be started.

■ To install with the Solaris installation GUI, type 1, then press Enter.

■ To perform an unattended custom JumpStart installation, type 2, then press

Enter.
For information about the custom JumpStart installation method, see Solaris 10
Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

■ To install with the text installer in a desktop session, type 3, then press Enter.
You can also type b - text at the prompt.
Select this installation type to override the default GUI installer and run the text
installer.

■ To install with the text installer in a console session, type 4, then press Enter.
You can also type b - nowin at the prompt.
Select this installation type to override the default GUI installer and run the text
installer.

For detailed information about the Solaris installation GUI and text installer, see
“Solaris Installation Program GUI or Text Installer Requirements” on page 10.

The system configures the devices and interfaces, and searches for configuration
files. After a few seconds, the Solaris Installation Program screen is displayed.

6. On the Solaris Installation Program screen, press F2_Continue.

■ If the installation program detects the type of keyboard, display, and mouse on
your system, the Select a Language screen is displayed. Go to Step 12.
■ If the installation program does not detect the type of keyboard, display, and
mouse on your system, the kdmconfig – Introduction screen is displayed. Go to
Step 7.

7. (Optional) Configure your system to use the keyboard, display, and mouse.

■ If you want to install the Solaris OS with the text installer in a console
session, press F4_Bypass. Go to Step 12.

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 35

 ■ If you want to install the Solaris OS with the Solaris interactive installation
GUI or the text program in a desktop session, press F2_Continue.
The kdmconfig utility detects the drivers that are necessary to configure the
keyboard, display, and mouse on your system. The kdmconfig utility displays
the results of this search in the kdmconfig – View and Edit Window System
Configuration screen.

Note – If the kdmconfig utility cannot detect the video driver for your system,
the kdmconfig utility selects the 640x480 VGA driver. The Solaris installation
GUI cannot be displayed with the 640x480 VGA driver. As a result, the Solaris
installation text installer is displayed. To use the Solaris installation GUI, use
the kdmconfig utility to select the correct video driver for your system.

8. Examine the configuration information on the kdmconfig – View and Edit

Window System Configuration screen and make any changes you need.
If any of the devices that are listed are not properly configured, follow these steps.

a. Select the device you want to change, and press F2_Continue.

b. Select the appropriate driver for the device, and press F2_Continue.

c. Repeat Step a through Step b for each device you need to change.

9. When you are finished, select No changes needed – Test/Save and Exit and press
F2_Continue.
The kdmconfig Window System Configuration Test screen appears.

10. Press F2_Continue.

The screen refreshes and the kdmconfig Window System Configuration Test palette
and pattern screen appears.

11. Move the pointer and examine the colors that are shown on the palette to ensure
that they are displayed accurately.

■ If the colors are not displayed accurately, click No. If possible, press any key
on the keyboard, or wait until kdmconfig exits the kdmconfig Window
System Configuration Test screen automatically. Repeat Step 7 through
Step 11 until the colors are displayed accurately and you can move the
pointer as expected.

■ If the colors are displayed accurately, click Yes.

After a few seconds, the Select a Language screen is displayed.

12. Select the language you want to use during the installation, and press Enter.
After a few seconds, the Solaris Installation Program screen appears.

36 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

■ If you are running the Solaris GUI installation program, the screen that is
shown in Figure 2–5 is displayed.
■ If you are running the Solaris text installer in a desktop session, the screen that
is shown in Figure 2–6 is displayed.

FIGURE 2–5 Solaris GUI Installation Program Welcome Screen

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 37

FIGURE 2–6 Solaris Text Installation Program Welcome Screen

13. Click Next to begin the installation. If you are prompted, answer any remaining
configuration questions.
■ If you preconfigured all of the system information, the installation program
does not prompt you to enter any configuration information. See Chapter 6,
“Preconfiguring System Configuration Information (Tasks),” in Solaris 10
Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations for more information.
■ If you did not preconfigure all the system information, the installation program
prompts you for this information on several screens. Use the “Checklist for
Installation” on page 14 to help you answer the configuration questions.

After you answer the configuration questions, the Welcome to Solaris dialog box
appears.

38 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

FIGURE 2–7 Welcome to Solaris Screen

14. Decide if you want to reboot the system automatically and if you want to
automatically eject the disc. Click Next.
The Specify Media screen appears.

15. Specify the media you are using to install. Click Next.
The License screen appears.

16. Accept the license agreement to continue the installation. Click Next.
The Solaris installation program then determines if the system can be upgraded. To
upgrade, the system must have an existing Solaris root (/) file system. The Solaris
installation program detects the necessary conditions and then upgrades the
system.

The Select Upgrade or Initial Install screen appears.

17. Decide if you want to perform an initial installation or an upgrade. Click Next.

Note – If you restored the diagnostic or service partition on your system before you
started the installation, you might not be able to upgrade to the Solaris OS. For
more information, see “Upgrade” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Solaris Live Upgrade
and Upgrade Planning.

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 39

 18. Select the type of installation you want to perform. Click Next.

■ Select Default Install to install the Entire Solaris Software Group.

■ Select Custom Install if you want to perform the following tasks.

■ Install a specific software group
■ Install additional software
■ Install specific software packages
■ Install a specific locale
■ Customize the disk layout

For more information about software groups, see “Disk Space Recommendations
for Software Groups” on page 12. For information about customizing fdisk
partitions, see “Partitioning Recommendations” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide:
Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

Note – The text installer does not prompt you to select a Default or Custom
Installation. To perform a default installation, accept the default values that are
provided in the text installer. To perform a custom installation, edit the values in
the text installer screens.

19. If you are prompted, answer any additional configuration questions.

When you have provided the information that is required to install the system, the
Ready to Install screen is displayed.

40 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

 FIGURE 2–8 Solaris Installation Ready to Install Screen

20. Click Install Now to install the Solaris software. Follow the instructions on the
screen to install the Solaris software and any additional software on the system.
When the Solaris installation program is finished installing the Solaris software, the
system reboots automatically or prompts you to reboot manually.

After the installation is finished, installation logs are saved in a file. You can find
the installation logs in the /var/sadm/system/logs and
/var/sadm/install/logs directories

■ If you are performing an initial installation, the installation is complete. Go

to Step 21.

■ If you are upgrading the Solaris software, you might need to correct some
local modifications that were not preserved. Go to Step a.

a. Review the contents of the

/a/var/sadm/system/data/upgrade_cleanup file to determine
whether you need to correct local modifications that the Solaris
installation program could not preserve.

b. Correct any local modifications that were not preserved.

21. If you did not select automatic reboot during the installation, reboot the system.
# reboot

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 41

Troubleshooting If you encounter any problems during the installation or upgrade, see Appendix A,
“Troubleshooting (Tasks),” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and
Advanced Installations.

▼ x86: To Install or Upgrade With the Solaris

Installation Program With GRUB
Starting with the Solaris 10 1/06 release, the Solaris installation programs for x86
based systems use the GRUB boot loader. This procedure describes how to install a
standalone x86 based system with the GRUB bootloader from CD or DVD media. For
overview information about the GRUB boot loader, see Chapter 4, “GRUB Based
Booting For Solaris Installation,” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based
Installations.

For the Solaris 10 3/05 release, see “x86: To Install or Upgrade With the Solaris
Installation Program” on page 31 for instructions about how to install the Solaris OS
from CD or DVD.

Note – If you want to install the Solaris OS on a machine or domain that does not have
a directly attached DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive, you can use a DVD-ROM or
CD-ROM drive that is attached to another machine. For detailed instructions, refer to
Appendix B, “Installing or Upgrading Remotely (Tasks),” in Solaris 10 Installation
Guide: Network-Based Installations.

Before You Perform the following tasks before you begin your installation.
Begin
■ Ensure that you have the following media.
■ If you are installing from a DVD, use the Solaris 10 Operating System for x86
Platforms DVD.
■ If you are installing from CD media, use the following:
■ Solaris 10 Software CDs.
■ Solaris 10 Languages for x86 Platforms CD – The installation program
prompts you for this CD if necessary to support languages for specific
geographic regions.

Note – If you want to upgrade a system that has non-global zones installed,
you cannot use the Solaris 10 Software CDs. You must use the Solaris 10
Operating System DVD or a DVD-based network installation image.

42 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

■ Check your system BIOS to make sure you can boot from CD or DVD media.
■ Acquire any install time updates (ITUs) or drivers that you need to install the
Solaris OS on your hardware. To determine if you need an ITU or additional
drivers, see your hardware documentation.
■ Verify that your system meets the minimum requirements.
Your system should meet the following requirements.
■ Memory – 256 Mbytes or greater
■ Disk space – 6.8 Gbytes or greater
■ Processor speed – 120 MHz or greater with hardware floating point

For detailed information about system requirements, see “System Requirements

and Recommendations” on page 9.

If you are installing the Solaris OS on a system that is not produced by Sun
Microsystems, Inc., check the Solaris Hardware Compatibility List at
http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl before you begin to install.
■ Gather the information you need to install the Solaris OS.
■ For a nonnetworked system, gather the following information.
■ Host name of the system that you are installing
■ Language and locales that you intend to use on the system
■ For a networked system, gather the following information.
■ Host name of the system that you are installing
■ Language and locales that you intend to use on the system
■ Host IP address
■ Subnet mask
■ Type of name service (for example, DNS, NIS, or NIS+)
■ Domain name
■ Host name of the name server
■ Host IP address of the name server
■ Root password

For information that you need to gather to install your system, see “Checklist for
Installation” on page 14. If you are upgrading your system, see “Checklist for
Upgrading” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Solaris Live Upgrade and Upgrade
Planning.
■ (Optional) Back up your system.
If you want to preserve any existing data or applications, back up the system. For
detailed instructions about how to back up your system, see Chapter 24, “Backing
Up and Restoring File Systems (Overview),” in System Administration Guide: Devices
and File Systems.

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 43

 Steps 1. Insert the appropriate media in your system.
If you boot from the Solaris 10 Operating System DVD or the Solaris 10 Software -
1 CD, insert the disc. Your system’s BIOS must support booting from a DVD or CD.

You might need to manually set your BIOS to boot from a DVD or CD. See your
hardware documentation for more information about how to set the BIOS.

2. Boot the system by shutting it down and then turning it off and on.

3. If you need to manually set the BIOS to boot from CD or DVD, type the
appropriate key sequence to interrupt your system boot process.
Modify the boot priority in the BIOS, and exit the BIOS to return to the installation
program.

A memory test and hardware detection are executed. The screen refreshes. The
GRUB menu is displayed.
GNU GRUB version 0.95 (631K lower / 2095488K upper memory)
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Solaris |
| Solaris Serial Console ttya |
| Solaris Serial Console ttyb (for lx50, v60x and v65x) |
| |
| |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Use the ^ and v keys to select which entry is highlighted.
Press enter to boot the selected OS, ’e’ to edit the
commands before booting, or ’c’ for a command-line.

4. Select the appropriate installation option.

■ If you want to install the Solaris OS from CD or DVD on your current

system, select Solaris, then press Enter.
Select this option if you want to install the system by using the default values.

■ If you want to install the Solaris OS and send the screen output to serial
console ttya (COM1), select Solaris Serial Console ttya.
Select this option if you want to change the system display to a device that is
connected to serial port COM1.

■ If you want to install the Solaris OS and send the screen output to serial
console ttyb (COM2), select Solaris Serial Console ttyb.
Select this option if you want to change the system display to a device that is
connected to serial port COM2.

■ If you want to install the Solaris OS with specific boot arguments, follow
these steps.
You might want to use specific boot arguments to customize the system
configuration during the installation.

44 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

 a. On the GRUB menu, select the installation option you want to edit, then
press e.
Boot commands that are similar to the following text are displayed in the
GRUB menu.
kernel /boot/multiboot kernel/unix -B install_media=cdrom
module /boot/x86.miniroot

b. Use the arrow keys to select the boot entry that you want to edit, then
press e.
The boot command that you want to edit is displayed in the GRUB edit
window.

c. Edit the command by typing the boot arguments or options you want to
use.
The command syntax for the Grub edit menu is as follows.
grub edit>kernel /boot/multiboot kernel/unix/ \
install [url|ask] -B options install_media=media_type

For information about boot arguments and command syntax, see Chapter
10, “Preparing to Install From the Network (Command Reference),” in
Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations.

d. To go back to the GRUB menu, press Enter.

The GRUB menu is displayed. The edits you made to the boot command are
displayed.

e. To begin the installation, type b in the GRUB menu.

The Solaris installation program checks the default boot disk for the requirements
to install or upgrade the system. If the Solaris installation cannot detect the system
configuration, the program prompts you for any missing information.

When the check is completed, the installation selection screen is displayed.

5. Select an installation type.

The installation selection screen displays the following options.
Select the type of installation you want to perform:

1 Solaris Interactive
2 Custom JumpStart
3 Solaris Interactive Text (Desktop session)
4 Solaris Interactive Text (Console session)
5 Apply driver updates
6 Single user shell

Enter the number of your choice followed by the <ENTER> key.

Alternatively, enter custom boot arguments directly.

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 45

 If you wait 30 seconds without typing anything,
an interactive installation will be started.

■ To install the Solaris OS, choose from the following options.

■ To install with the Solaris interactive installation GUI, type 1, then press
Enter.

■ To install with the interactive text installer in a desktop session, type 3,

then press Enter.
Select this installation type to override the default GUI installer and run the
text installer.

■ To install with the interactive text installer in a console session, type 4,

then press Enter.
Select this installation type to override the default GUI installer and run the
text installer.

If you want to perform an unattended custom JumpStart installation (option 2),

see Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

For detailed information about the Solaris installation GUI and text installer, see
“System Requirements and Recommendations” on page 9.

The system configures the devices and interfaces, and searches for configuration
files. The kdmconfig utility detects the drivers that are necessary to configure
the keyboard, display, and mouse on your system. The installation program
begins. Go to Step 6 to continue the installation.

■ To perform system administration tasks before your installation, choose from

the following options.

■ To update drivers or install an install time update (ITU), insert the update
media, type 5, then press Enter.
You might need to update drivers or install an ITU to enable the Solaris OS
to run on your system. Follow the instructions for your driver update or ITU
to install the update.

■ To perform system administration tasks, type 6, then press Enter.

You might want to launch a single user shell if you need to perform any
system administration tasks on your system before you install. For
information about system administration tasks you can perform prior to
installation, see System Administration Guide: Basic Administration.

After you perform these system administration tasks, the previous list of
options is displayed. Select the appropriate option to continue the installation.

6. Decide if you need to modify the configuration settings.

46 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

Note – If the kdmconfig utility cannot detect the video driver for your system, the
kdmconfig utility selects the 640x480 VGA driver. The Solaris installation GUI
cannot be displayed with the 640x480 VGA driver. As a result, the Solaris
installation text installer is displayed. To use the Solaris installation GUI, use the
kdmconfig utility to select the correct video driver for your system.

■ If you do not need to modify the configuration settings, let the Window
System Configuration for Installation screen time out. Go to Step 12.

■ If you need to modify the configuration settings follow these steps,

a. Press the ESC key.

Note – You must press the ESC key within five seconds to interrupt the
installation and modify device settings.

The kdmconfig – Introduction screen is displayed.

b. Examine the configuration information on the kdmconfig – View and Edit

Window System Configuration screen, and determine which devices you
need to edit.

c. Select the device you want to change, and press F2_Continue.

d. Select the appropriate driver for the device, and press F2_Continue.

e. Repeat Step a through Step b for each device you need to change.

f. When you are finished, select No changes needed – Test/Save and Exit and
press F2_Continue.
The kdmconfig Window System Configuration Test screen appears.

g. Press F2_Continue.
The screen refreshes and the kdmconfig Window System Configuration Test
palette and pattern screen appears.

h. Move the pointer and examine the colors that are shown on the palette to
ensure that they are displayed accurately.

■ If the colors are not displayed accurately, click No. If possible, press
any key on the keyboard, or wait until kdmconfig exits the kdmconfig
Window System Configuration Test screen automatically. Repeat Step 7
through Step 11 until the colors are displayed accurately and you can
move the pointer as expected.

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 47

 ■ If the colors are displayed accurately, click Yes.

After a few seconds, the Select a Language screen is displayed.

7. Select the language you want to use during the installation, and press Enter.
After a few seconds, the Solaris Installation Program screen appears.
■ If you are running the Solaris GUI installation program, the screen that is
shown in Figure 2–5 is displayed.
■ If you are running the Solaris text installer in a desktop session, the screen that
is shown in Figure 2–6 is displayed.

FIGURE 2–9 Solaris GUI Installation Program Welcome Screen

48 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

FIGURE 2–10 Solaris Text Installation Program Welcome Screen

8. Click Next to begin the installation. If you are prompted, answer any remaining
configuration questions.
■ If you preconfigured all of the system information, the installation program
does not prompt you to enter any configuration information. See Chapter 6,
“Preconfiguring System Configuration Information (Tasks),” in Solaris 10
Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations for more information.
■ If you did not preconfigure all the system information, the installation program
prompts you for this information on several screens. Use the “Checklist for
Installation” on page 14 to help you answer the configuration questions.

After you answer the configuration questions, the Welcome to Solaris dialog box
appears.

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 49

FIGURE 2–11 Welcome to Solaris Screen

9. Decide if you want to reboot the system automatically and if you want to
automatically eject the disc. Click Next.
The Specify Media screen appears.

10. Specify the media you are using to install. Click Next.
The License screen appears.

11. Accept the license agreement to continue the installation. Click Next.
The Solaris installation program then determines if the system can be upgraded. To
upgrade, the system must have an existing Solaris root (/) file system. The Solaris
installation program detects the necessary conditions and then upgrades the
system.

The Select Upgrade or Initial Install screen appears.

12. Decide if you want to perform an initial installation or an upgrade. Click Next.

Note – If you restored the diagnostic or service partition on your system before you
started the installation, you might not be able to upgrade to the Solaris OS. For
more information, see “Upgrade” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Solaris Live Upgrade
and Upgrade Planning.

50 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

 If you are upgrading a system that has non-global zones installed, follow these
steps.

a. When you are prompted to select initial installation or upgrade, choose

Upgrade. Click Next.

b. If your system has multiple root (/) partitions, select the partition that you
want to upgrade on the Select Version to Upgrade panel.
The Solaris installation program displays a message that indicates that you
cannot customize your upgrade. The Solaris installation program analyzes your
system to determine if the system can be upgraded. The Ready to Upgrade
panel is displayed.

If your system has only one root partition, the Solaris installation program does
not prompt you to select a partition to upgrade. The partition is automatically
selected.

c. If you want to continue the upgrade, click Install Now on the Ready to
Upgrade panel.
The Solaris installation program begins to upgrade your system. After the
upgrade is completed, you might need to correct some local modifications that
were not preserved. For more information, go to Step a in Step 15.

If you do not want to continue the upgrade, click Back to perform an initial
installation.

13. Select the type of installation you want to perform. Click Next.

■ Select Default Install to install the Entire Solaris Software Group.

■ Select Custom Install if you want to perform the following tasks.

■ Install a specific software group
■ Install additional software
■ Install specific software packages
■ Install a specific locale
■ Customize the disk layout

For more information about software groups, see “Disk Space Recommendations
for Software Groups” on page 12. For information about customizing fdisk
partitions, see “Partitioning Recommendations” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide:
Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

Note – The text installer does not prompt you to select a Default or Custom
Installation. To perform a default installation, accept the default values that are
provided in the text installer. To perform a custom installation, edit the values in
the text installer screens.

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 51

 14. If you are prompted, answer any additional configuration questions.
When you have provided the information that is required to install the system, the
Ready to Install screen is displayed.

FIGURE 2–12 Solaris Installation Ready to Install Screen

15. Click Install Now to install the Solaris software. Follow the instructions on the
screen to install the Solaris software and any additional software on the system.
When the Solaris installation program is finished installing the Solaris software, the
system reboots automatically or prompts you to reboot manually.

After the installation is finished, installation logs are saved in a file. You can find
the installation logs in the /var/sadm/system/logs and
/var/sadm/install/logs directories

■ If you are performing an initial installation, the installation is complete. Go

to Step 21.

■ If you are upgrading the Solaris software, you might need to correct some
local modifications that were not preserved. Go to Step a.

a. Review the contents of the

/a/var/sadm/system/data/upgrade_cleanup file to determine
whether you need to correct local modifications that the Solaris
installation program could not preserve.

b. Correct any local modifications that were not preserved.

52 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

 16. If you did not select automatic reboot during the installation, reboot the system.
# reboot

More Next Steps

Information
If you install multiple operating systems on your machine, you need to instruct the
GRUB boot loader to recognize these operating systems in order to boot. For more
information, see “Modifying the Solaris Boot Behavior by Editing the GRUB Menu” in
System Administration Guide: Basic Administration.

Troubleshooting If you encounter any problems during the installation or upgrade, see Appendix A,
“Troubleshooting (Tasks),” in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and
Advanced Installations.

Chapter 2 • Installing With the Solaris Installation Program (Tasks) 53

54 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005
 Index

A D
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface default boot device, resetting, 34
(ACPI), disabling, 34 Developer Solaris Software Group
description, 12-14
size, 13
device drivers, installing, 34, 45
B device settings, modifying, 34, 46
BIOS disabling Advanced Configuration and Power
requirements, 32, 43 Interface (ACPI), 34
setting boot priority, 34, 44 disk space
boot priority requirements
setting in system BIOS, 34, 44 for software groups, 13
booting the system display, configuring for x86 based systems, 35,
SPARC based systems, 25 46
x86 based systems, 34, 44

E
C End User Solaris Software Group
checklist of installation information, 14-21 description, 12-14
commands to start an installation size, 13
SPARC based systems, 25 Entire Solaris Software Group
x86 based systems, 34, 45 description, 12-14
configuring the keyboard, display, and pointing size, 13
device, 35, 46 Entire Solaris Software Group Plus OEM
Core System Support Software Group Support
description, 12-14 description, 12-14
size, 13 size, 13
custom installation, description, 29

G
gathering information before installing, 14-21

55
graphical user interface (GUI) memory requirements for displaying the Solaris
command to start (SPARC based installation program, 11
systems), 25 modifying device settings during
command to start (x86 based systems), 35, installation, 34, 46
46 mouse, configuring for x86 based systems, 35,
description, 11 46
memory requirements, 11
GRUB, installing x86 based systems with, 42-53

O
output files, upgrade log, 30
I
information required for installation, 14-21
install time updates (ITUs), installing, 34, 45
installing P
device drivers, 34, 45 partition, description, 9
information required, 14-21 preparing for installation
install time updates (ITUs), 34, 45 information you need before
SPARC based systems, 23-31 installing, 14-21
x86 based systems, 31-53, 44 SPARC based systems, 24
installing, x86 systems with GRUB, 42-53 x86 based systems, 32, 42
instructions prerequisites for installing
installing SPARC based systems, 23-31 SPARC based systems, 24
installing x86 based systems, 31-53 x86 based systems, 32, 42
IP addresses, specifying a default route, 18

R
K Ready to Install screen, 29-30
kdmconfig, configuring peripheral devices Reduced Network Support Software Group
with, 35, 46 description, 12-14
Kerberos, information to configure, 16 size, 13
keyboard, configuring for x86 based requirements, 9-14
systems, 35, 46 BIOS, 32, 43
for displaying Solaris installation
program, 11
media
L SPARC based systems, 24
languages, selecting during installation, 26, 36, x86 based systems, 32, 42
48 memory, 10
log files, upgrade installation, 30 resetting the default boot device, 34

M S
media required to install serial console, 34, 44
SPARC based systems, 24 setting boot priority in system BIOS, 34, 44
x86 based systems, 32, 42 setting up a serial console, 34, 44

56 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005

slice, description, 9 T
software groups text installer
descriptions, 13 command to start in console session (SPARC
sizes, 13 based systems), 25
Solaris Device Configuration Assistant, command to start in console session (x86
accessing, 34 based systems), 35, 46
Solaris installation program, 23-53 command to start in desktop session (SPARC
description, 10-12 based systems), 25
graphical user interface (GUI) command to start in desktop session (x86
command to start (SPARC based based systems), 35, 46
systems), 25 description, 11
command to start (x86 based memory requirements, 11
systems), 35, 46
description, 11
GRUB instructions, 42-53
memory requirements, 11 U
Ready to Install screen upgrade, log file, 30
SPARC based systems, 29-30 upgrading
x86 based systems, 40-41, 52 postinstallation tasks
text installer SPARC based systems, 30
command to start in console session x86 based systems, 41, 52
(SPARC based systems), 25 SPARC based systems, 23-31
command to start in console session (x86 systems with non-global zones installed
based systems), 35, 46 SPARC based systems instructions, 24-31
command to start in desktop session x86 based systems instructions, 42-53
(SPARC based systems), 25 x86 based systems, 31-53
command to start in desktop session (x86
based systems), 35, 46
description, 11
upgrading systems with non-global zones X
installed x86 based systems
SPARC based systems instructions, 24-31 BIOS requirements, 32, 43
x86 based systems instructions, 42-53 booting, 34, 44
SPARC based systems installing with GRUB, 42-53
instructions to install, 23-31 instructions to install, 31-53
preparing to install, 24 preparing to install, 32, 42
upgrading with non-global zones upgrading with non-global zones
installed, 24-31 installed, 42-53
starting an installation
SPARC based systems, 25
x86 based systems, 35, 46
stty command, 20 Z
system requirements, 9-14 zones, upgrading systems with
SPARC based systems instructions, 24-31
x86 based systems instructions, 42-53

57
58 Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations • December 2005