Introduction to Solaris 2.4

1

This book provides an introduction to Solaris 2.4. It is meant to answer the general questions that users and system administrators may have about the features, enhancements, and latest changes to Solaris 2.4.

This manual briefly covers the following topics:

New features in the Solaris 2.4 release
Enhancements to previous Solaris features
SPARC and x86 platforms, and how to install and support Solaris on both
The transition from previous Solaris releases to Solaris 2.4
System administration, including printing, electronic mail, file systems, networks, naming services, Administration Tool, and more
Solaris documentation, including AnswerBook on-line documents and printed books

Solaris 2.4 is a robust and sophisticated software environment. There are many Solaris topics that cannot be touched upon or covered in this book. For more information on the Solaris documentation that covers these topics, and for information on additional resources, see Chapter 5, "Solaris Documentation."

The Solaris 2.4 Software Environment

The Solaris 2.4 software environment provides users and system administrators with the following:

SPARC^{^(R)} and x86 cross-functional compatibility enabling the Solaris 2.4 operating system to run on SPARC as well as Intel 386, 486, and PentiumTM hardware
32-bit Solaris 2.4 operating system
Industry standards: UNIX System V Release 4 (SVR4) and the ONC family of networking protocols
OpenWindowsTM 3.4 graphical user interface (GUI) in the OPEN LOOK^{^(R)} Window Manager and DeskSetTM environment for increased productivity
OPEN LOOK Administration Tool as the base for object-oriented system administration

New Features in Solaris 2.4

The Solaris 2.4 release includes some new features, as well as enhancements to previously provided Solaris features. For information about Solaris 2.4 enhancements, see Chapter 2, "Solaris 2.4 Enhancements."

Table 1-1

Solaris 2.4 New Features	Description
AccessXTM enabling technology	Enabling technology to provide handicapped access with a variety of keyboard modifications.
OSF/Motif^{^(R)} Runtime Environment	A Runtime Environment used to run Motif applications.
^(R) Motif installation GUI	A new graphical user interface (GUI)--provides step- by-step instructions for installing Solaris software.
Transparent Overlays	A graphics application programmer interface (API) allowing temporary graphical imagery in application windows.

Differences Between SPARC and x86

Solaris 2.4 runs on both SPARC and x86 platforms. In most cases the differences between these two environments are minimal. However, a few differences do exist. These are:

x86 hard disks have standard PC fdisk partitioning as well as standard Sun label partitioning
Many x86 peripherals require manual hardware and software configuration. In general, the variety of hardware is greater with x86
x86 systems have more pointing devices and display devices available
x86 keyboards do not have Meta or L-keys; key sequences are used to provide the same functions
x86 systems require a boot diskette (in addition to a local or remote CD-ROM drive) to install
x86 secondary boot (ufsboot, inetboot) has a shell-like interpreter interface

How Solaris is Packaged

The Solaris 2.4 release is shipped on a single CD (compact disc) for SPARC systems. For x86 systems there is both a CD and a single boot diskette.

Installing Solaris Software

Before installing Solaris software, you should have:

Supported hardware--see SPARC Hardware Compatibility List or Solaris 2.4 x86 Hardware Compatibility List.
Minimum required hardware--see SPARC: Installing Solaris Software and x86: Installing Solaris Software.

Note - If you are making the transition to Solaris 2.4 from SunOS 4.x for SPARC or from Solaris 2.1 for x86, see Chapter 3, "Making the Transition to Solaris 2.4," before installing Solaris software.

For step-by-step instructions on installing Solaris software on systems using the JumpStart, interactive, or custom JumpStart methods, see:

SPARC: Installing Solaris Software
x86: Installing Solaris Software

To add or remove software packages after Solaris is installed, you can use:

pkgadd(1M) and pkgrm(1M)--command-line utilities that are described in the Software and AnswerBook Packages Administration Guide.
Software Manager swmtool(1M)--an OPEN LOOK graphical user interface that is described in Software and AnswerBook Packages Administration Guide.

The OpenWindows 3.4 Environment

The OpenWindows Version 3.4 environment provides the following features:

The OPEN LOOK Window Manager (OLWM), a client to the OpenWindows server, manages the following:
· Window placement
· Workspace Programs menu
· Window and icon opening and closing
· Application starting and exiting
Internationalization, which enables you to select the local language, time format, and numeric format for the workspace and the DeskSet applications.
If you have a localized version of the Solaris 2.4 release, you can install localization packages that provide support for European or Asian locales.
The OpenWindows server, the platform of the OpenWindows environment for window applications.
The OpenWindows server is a program that is the foundation for the OpenWindows environment. It is the X11R5 sample server with a Display PostScript^{^(TM)} (DPS) imaging system extension and considerable SunSoft added value. The OpenWindows server also includes several X extensions and DPS font enhancements.
Solaris 2.4 AnswerBook software, a document viewing system for on-line documentation.

AccessX

The Solaris AccessX software allows handicapped users to customize their keyboard behavior for easier access to the Solaris operating environment. It is fully described in Solaris User's Guide.

Motif 1.2.3 Runtime Environment

You should install the Motif runtime environment (RTE) if users at your site run Motif applications that were developed and linked with Sun's version of OSF/Motif 1.2.3 dynamic libraries.

The Motif 1.2.3 runtime environment includes:

The Motif widget library (libXm)
The Motif resource manager library (libMrm)
The Motif User Interface Language library (libUil)
Header files for Xm, uil, Mrm and bitmaps
Default key bindings for Motif on Sun
An executable, xmbind, which allows you to change your keybindings without restarting olwm.

Note - The Motif 1.2.3 RTE lets you run Motif applications and is delivered with Solaris software. To develop Motif 1.2.3 applications you need the Solaris Software Developer Kit (SDK), a Solaris option that must be purchased separately.

The Motif 1.2.3 RTE package contents are listed in Table 1-2.

Table 1-2

Package Name	Package Contents	Default Installation Location
`SUNWmfrun`	Motif dynamic libraries and Motif keybindings	`/usr/dt/lib`
	Header files for Motif libraries	`/usr/dt/include`
	`xmbind`	`/usr/dt/bin`
	Man page for `xmbind`	`/usr/dt/man/man1`

To install the Motif RTE, select the entire distribution software group, or select another software group and add the SUNWmfrun package.

For more information on using Motif in your environment, see OSF Application Environment Specification (AES) User Environment Volume, Revision C, (PTR Prentice Hall).