Most Frequently-Asked Questions to the Solaris^TM webmaster

Document Contents:

• Solaris Intel Platform Edition
  
• Solaris SPARC Platform Edition
  
• Common Desktop Environment (CDE)
  
• Wabi
  
• WabiServer
  
• Other

Solaris^TM Intel® Platform Edition

Q: What are the hardware and system requirements for running Solaris x86?

A: You can receive the x86 Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) by sending email to x86hcl@sun.com.

Q: Where do you maintain a list of hardware compatibility for the Solaris OS?

A: By sending mail to hcl-index@sun.com, you will get an index of various HCL and supporting documents that are available via auto-responding E-mail aliases.

Q: Do you offer a "Demo" or "Trial" of Solaris?

A: Thank you for your interest in Sun products. Unfortunately we do not offer any demos or trials of Solaris currently. You might want to check with one of our resellers in your area to see if they could provide a demonstration of the product for you. If you need a referral to a reseller in your area, please call 1-800-SUNSOFT, press prompt #2 and speak with one of our product support reps.

Q: I have an Intel Pentium PC, running at 120 mhz with 32MB of RAM and 1.2 gigs of hard drive with a 6x CD-ROM. Can I run Solaris?

A: You can check the full hardware compatibility list for Solaris x86 by going to http://access1.sun.com/certify/hcl.html. This will enable you to have a better idea as to whether you hardware will support Solaris x86.

Q: Where do I find Solaris x86 support information?

A: SunSoft Support Services provides support information on the www at http://access1.sun.com, including how to download drivers, patches, and the most current hardware compatibility lists.

Q: When will Solaris x86 for pentium be available?

A: Solaris 2.5 for Intel is currently shipping and runs on x86, Pentium and Pentium Pro.

Q: When will OpenGL will be ready for Solaris x86?

A: Solaris OpenGL 1.1 will provide software rendering on Solaris platforms. This version is expected in the spring/summer 97 timeframe.

Q: What are the hardware requirements when running Solaris on an Intel based PC?

A: The basic requirements are 16MB of RAM and 300MB of available hard disk space.

Q: Does Solaris run on a Hewlett Packard Vectra VL4 5/90?

A: The HP Vectra VL4 5/90 is supported. If you'd like to see the complete hardware compatibility list please send an e-mail to x86hcl@sun.com. That's an autoresponder which will return the list to you.

Q: What are the hardware and software requirements for a Solaris Internet Server?

A: Minimum Solaris Internet Server configuration:

• Min Platform -- 486/33
• Typical Installed disk space requirement:
  • Typ. Solaris -- 200MB
  • IGS for Solaris -- 20MB
  • Misc -- 30MB
• Recommended minimum configuration:
  • Media -- CD ROM
  • RAM -- 32MB
  • Hard Disk -- 500MB (min)
• Disk space allocations:
  • Tot Inst'ld SW -- 250MB
  • Swap @2x RAM -- 64MB
  • User Disk Alloc -- 5MB/client

Solaris SPARC^TM Platform Edition

Q: Do you offer a "Demo" or "Trial" of Solaris?

A: Thank you for your interest in Sun products. Unfortunately we do not offer any demos or trials of Solaris currently. You might want to check with one of our resellers in your area to see if they could provide a demonstration of the product for you. If you need a referral to a reseller in your area, please call 1-800-SUNSOFT, press prompt #2 and speak with one of our product support reps.

Q: I am interested in finding out more specific information on Solaris 2.5, such as its memory management, its structure, and scheduling techniques.

A: The Solaris 2.5 White Paper (PostScript 1.7MB) should answer all of your questions.

Q: I've seen computer systems described with "SunOS Version 5.3, 5.4, 5.5": this is apparently a duplicate name for "Solaris 2.3, 2.4, 2.5"? Can you explain?

A: SunOS is the operating system component of the Solaris operating environment, which includes the window system (OpenWindows or CDE) and networking components (ONC+) in addition to SunOS. Each specific release of Solaris includes a corresponding release of SunOS. In the examples cited above, Solaris 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5 include SunOS versions 5.3, 5.4 and 5.5, respectively. In addition, for example, Solaris 2.5 also includes OpenWindows version 3.5 and CDE version 1.0.1.

Q: Is SunOS 3 still available?

A: Our current operating environment releases are Solaris 1.1.2 (including SunOS 4.1.4) and Solaris 2.5.1 (including SunOS 5.5.1). SunOS version 3 shipped previous to 1989 and is no longer supported by Sun.

Q: Can I purchase an upgrade from Solaris 2.3?

A: Yes. You can purchase an upgrade to Solaris 2.5 or 2.5.1.

Q: Does Solaris 2.5 support all platforms supported by the previous version 2.4?

A: No, Solaris 2.5 no longer supports the sun4 (4/1xx, 4/2xx, 4/3xx, 4/4xx series) or sun4e system architectures, nor does it support the GS or GT frame buffers. All of those systems and components were supported in Solaris 2.4.

Q: What are the system requirements for Solaris 2.5.1? Should I upgrade to Solaris 2.5.1?

A: The system requirements and upgrade information are located on the Solaris 2.5.1 overview page

Q: When will SunSoft officially stop support for SunOS 4.x?

A: SunSoft has not announced an end-of-life plan for Solaris 1.x releases (i.e., what you call SunOS 4.x). This information will be posted to our Solaris web page when it is available.

Q: I was told by your local guy that a version of YP for Solaris 2 was available for download through you web page. Is this true?

A: The NIS Kit v1.2 Software may be obtained for free from the Solaris Migration WWW page at http://www.sun.com/smcc/solaris-migration.

Q: Where can I find information on NIS+?

A: Check the Solaris 2.5 AnswerBook if you don't have that check the 2.4 Answerbook, or the 2.3 Answerbook, failing that try the Second Edition of the Rick Ramsey book "All About ADMINISTERING NIS+".

Q: I need to get performance stats for the OS, I/O and network and do some benchmarking.

A: Performance data for Solaris gets published through third-parties (i.e., not directly by SunSoft). For example, AIM Technologies is one company who publishes this type of information.

Q: We have a number of Sun Machines Running Solaris. I would like to establish a service agreement and be able to access tech support for the questions I may have.

A: If you got a hardware support agreement with the purchase of your Sun systems, then you should also have support for Solaris. If not, you can call 1-800-SUNSOFT, prompt 4 for more information on how to sign up for support.

Q: If I bought a server just before Solaris went to v. 2.5, can I get a free upgrade?

A: Since you purchased the Solaris Operating Environment with your new hardware, your support for the OS is probably covered under your hardware agreement. You should check with the sales rep who sold you the hardware.

Q: I would like documentation related to DDX porting and Device Driver porting.

A: The only documentation available on moving drivers from Solaris 2.4 to 2.5 is available in the Device Driver Kit (DDK). The DDK also covers DDX porting. If you want more information on the DDK, call 1-800-SUNSOFT, prompt 1.

Q: Does Solaris 2.5 ship with Wabi? If so, what version of Wabi?

A: The Solaris 2.5 Desktop product includes Wabi 2.1.

Q: What are the hardware and software requirements for a Solaris internet server?

A: Minimum Solaris Internet Server configuration:

• Min Platform -- SPARC 5
• Typical Installed disk space requirement:
  • Typ. Solaris -- 200MB
  • IGS for Solaris -- 20MB
  • Misc -- 30MB
• Recommended minimum configuration:
  • Media -- CD ROM
  • RAM -- 32MB
  • Hard Disk -- 500MB (min)
• Disk space allocations:
  • Tot Inst'ld SW -- 250MB
  • Swap @2x RAM -- 64MB
  • User Disk Alloc -- 5MB/client

Q: Will applications compiled for Solaris 2.4 run properly under Solaris 2.5?

A: This is always a tricky question because it depends on how the application was written which we have no control over. If the developer used the public Solaris interfaces and didn't hardwire anything into the application, then the answer is yes. The best thing to do is contact the developer and ask if their application supports Solaris 2.5.

Q: In Novell I can Mirror two Servers in two sites in case of disaster. Can I do this with Solaris? We have a SPARC Server 1000 and Solaris 2.3.

A: We don't do it as generally as is implied by the question, but we can mirror over longer distances than normally thought of as disk distance. The FibreChannel can be run up to 2KM, which is usually sufficient for most types of disaster recovery. It is NOT sufficient to avoid problems like typhoons or large bombs. Copying the mirror over longer (ie WAN) distances is not something we do today.

Q: Can I run Solaris 2.4 and Solaris 2.5 on a Sparc 2?

A: Solaris 2.4 or 2.5 will both run on a Sparc 2.

Q: I own a Sun SPARCstation IPX with 32 megabytes of ram and a 1 gig hard drive. I am using the machine as a web server. What benefits would I receive from using Solaris opposed to the SunOS 4.1.3 operating system I now have?

A: Some of the advantages include:

• support for symmetric multiprocessing with a multithreaded kernel which allow for concurrent processing
• Real-time enhancements which provide deterministic scheduling response.
• Security features (Shadow password File, three authentication modes, etc.)

All of which is probably important for someone with a web server.

CDE

Q: What are the system requirements for CDE?

A: The system requirements for cde are:

• SPARC/SX6/Pentium system or compatible
• 16 MB of memory (32 or more recommended)
• 179.3 MB of file storage space for total distribution
• Monochrome or color graphics monitor
• Solaris 2 (version 2.4 or later) operating system

Q: Is the mwm included in CDE?

A: CDE was defined by several companies including Sun, HP, SCO, IBM, OSF, etc. The user interface agreed to for CDE is Motif, so yes, it does support the Motif Window Manager. For more information, check out the CDE home page http://www.sun.com/solaris/cde/.

Wabi

Q: Can Wabi run on the AIX platform?

A: Wabi has been developed for the AIX platform, but you should contact IBM for information about product availability. The Sun Wabi version runs only on Solaris.

Q: Can Wabi include textual as well as graphics in a single document?

A: It can include whatever the Windows application you're using supports.

Q: Can Wabi import the document to the PC for use in Microsoft Word for Windows or WordPerfect?

A: You can edit a document in Wabi and use it on a PC as well. No importing is required. The file format for any given application is the same whether it is in Wabi or DOS/Windows on a PC.

Q: If I have Solaris v.2.5 that came with WABI v.2.1, do I have to pay for the upgrade to WABI v.2.2?

A: Yes, you would either need to upgrade WABI ($80 list price - available through our reseller channels or SunExpress), or upgrade Solaris to version 2.5.1, which includes WABI version 2.2.

Q: Where can I get the Wabi evaluation software?

A: You can download an evaluation version (good for 60 days after installation) from http://www.sun.com/solaris/products/wabi/support/distribute/wabi22demo.html

Q: Can you run Wabi 2.0 with Solaris 2.5?

A: Wabi 2.0 will run on Solaris 2.5, but Wabi 2.0 does not include a kernel driver for Solaris 2.5. When Wabi runs without a kernel driver you get the following results:

First, you will get a Warning message about the kernel driver every time you start Wabi. Just ignore it.

Second, Wabi's "file sharing" functionality will be disabled. You may not receive any notice if two applications access the same file at the same time. We recommend that if you run Wabi without its kernel driver you do not use it for production and you do not access files anywhere other than on your local disk.

And third, the interface between Wabi and the Volume Manager will not work properly. As a result, if the Volume Manager is handling the floppy drive, Wabi will not be able to access floppy disks.

WARNING: Do not attempt to use one of the kernel drivers for a previous release of Solaris because this might cause your system's kernel to panic.

Wabiserver

Q: Are there any known problems using WabiServer with CDE?

A: WabiServer includes a version of the Motif Run Time kit package (SUNWmfrun) If you have already installed software that includes a newer version of this package (such as CDE or Triteal desktops) you should NOT install the SUNWmfrun package from the WabiServer CD-ROM.

To determine if you have a newer version, enter the command:
pkginfo -l SUNWmfrun

If the version listed is newer than 1.2.3,REV=5.3 DO NOT install SUNWmfrun. If you do, other software (such as CDE or the Triteal desktop) will not work correctly.

If you already installed the older WabiServer version of SUNWmfrun, overwriting a newer version, you can recover by removing all versions of the SUNWmfrun package and reinstalling the new one.

As root, remove all SUNWmfrun packages listed in response to the pkginfo command, for example:
pkgrm SUNWmfrun
pkgrm SUNWmfrun.2

Place the CD-ROM containing the newer SUNWmfrun package (most likely CDE or Triteal) in the CD-ROM drive and install it:
pkgadd -d /cdrom/<path-to-SUNWmfrun-package>

Other

Q: Is it possible to run Solaris 2.5 on a Mac?

A: The Solaris operating system is available for the SPARC and Intel platforms. No Apple or Mac versions though.

Q: How do I order an upgrade?

A: Contact your local reseller, Sun or SunSoft Sales office or distributor.

Q: How can I get a SunSoft newsletter sent to me?

A: We post SunProgrammer and the SunSoft Communicator quarterly newsletters online. You can either keep in touch with these URLs, or you can request hardcopy by calling 1-800-SUNSOFT, prompt 1 (SunProgrammer) or via directions on the web page (SunSoft Communicator).

Q: Do you have application software?

A: Neither SunSoft or Sun Microsystems produce application software. If you're using the Solaris operating system you might want to check the listings of compatible third party software at http://catalyst.sun.com/

Q: I have a SPARCstation 20 with a CDROM drive. I am unable to play my Beatles CD through headphones. I was told that I need the MIDI Player software. Where can I get this software?

A: You could try Workman. It is a freeware that only plays audio CDs, but is not a MIDI program. It was written by Steven Grimm.

Q: Is Sun, or any other software maker, going to make a product to allow Sun machines to talk with Macs?

A: Apple makes a product called Macintosh Application Environment (MAE) which allows you to run your Mac applications on Solaris. For more information on MAE, you'll need to check with Apple, or visit http://www.mae.apple.com.

Q: Is it possible to enable syslogd to pass the IP address when lacking the hostname in resolver tables?

A)This feature will be available in Solaris 2.6.