Preface

This book describes how to install and upgrade the Solaris^TM Operating System (OS) on both networked and nonnetworked SPARC® and x86 architecture based systems. This book covers using the custom JumpStart installation method and the creation of RAID-1 volumes during installation.

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 OS: Hardware Compatibility Lists 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 OS: Hardware Compatibility Lists.

Who Should Use This Book

This book is intended for system administrators responsible for installing the Solaris OS. This book provides both of the following types of information.

Advanced Solaris installation information for enterprise system administrators who manage multiple Solaris machines in a networked environment
Basic Solaris installation information for system administrators who perform infrequent Solaris installations or upgrades

Related Books

Table P–1 lists documentation for system administrators.

Table P–1 Are You a System Administrator Who is Installing Solaris?


Description	Information
Do you need system requirements or high-level planning information? Or want a high-level overview of Solaris ZFS^TM installations, booting, Solaris Zones partitioning technology, or creating RAID-1 volumes?	Solaris 10 10/08 Installation Guide: Planning for Installation and Upgrade
Do you need to install a single system from DVD or CD media? The Solaris installation program steps you through an installation.	Solaris 10 10/08 Installation Guide: Basic Installations
Do you need to upgrade or patch your system with almost no downtime? Save system downtime when upgrading by using Solaris Live Upgrade.	Solaris 10 10/08 Installation Guide: Solaris Live Upgrade and Upgrade Planning
Do you need to install a secure installation over the network or Internet? Use WAN boot to install a remote client. Or, do you need to install over the network from a network installation image? The Solaris installation program steps you through an installation.	Solaris 10 10/08 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations
Do you need to install or patch multiple systems quickly? Use Solaris Flash^TM software to create a Solaris Flash archive and install a copy of the OS on clone systems.	Solaris 10 10/08 Installation Guide: Solaris Flash Archives (Creation and Installation)
Do you need to back up your system?	Chapter 23, Backing Up and Restoring UFS File Systems (Overview), in System Administration Guide: Devices and File Systems
Do you need troubleshooting information, a list of known problems, or a list of patches for this release?	Solaris Release Notes
Do you need to verify that your system works on Solaris?	SPARC: Solaris Sun Hardware Platform Guide
Do you need to check on which packages have been added, removed, or changed in this release?	Solaris Package List
Do you need to verify that your system and devices work with Solaris SPARC and x86 based systems and other third-party vendors.	Solaris Hardware Compatibility List for x86 Platforms

Documentation, Support, and Training

The Sun web site provides information about the following additional resources:

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 directories, and onscreen computer output	Edit your `.login` file. Use `ls -a` to list all files. `machine_name% you have mail.`
`AaBbCc123`	What you type, contrasted with onscreen computer output	`machine_name%` `su` `Password:`
`aabbcc123`	Placeholder: replace with a real name or value	The command to remove a file is `rm` `filename`.
AaBbCc123	Book titles, new terms, and terms to be emphasized	Read Chapter 6 in the User's Guide. A cache is a copy that is stored locally. Do not save the file. Note: Some emphasized items appear bold online.

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	`#`