[OpenIndiana-discuss] A poor SPARC user's introduction

[Jim Klimov]

Hello,

   Since your home zoo includes a number of weird machines, you
might consider setting up a networked installation server.

   In case of Solaris on SPARC that would involve BOOTP to give
an IP address, TFTP to load the installer miniroot, and NFS to
feed the rest of the distro.

   I am not sure if the recent OpenSXCE includes such an option,
but Solaris 10 distros certainly should - see the subdirectory
/Solaris_10/Tools for the script which should configure the
install server on another Solaris machine and copy itself into
the provided path. You can start this from a loopback-mounted
ISO image of the distro that you can just download onto your
installation server, bypassing matters of DVD media completely.
Linux should suffice too, but you'd probably have to google up
the procedure.

   Then on your UltraSPARC enter the OpenBOOT prompt (by BREAK
over serial console or Stop+A on keyboard) and issue:
ok>  boot net

   This should get your installation going - maybe quite slowly
at first while it detects addresses and fetches the installer.

PS: I am not sure if USB-DVD is not an option...

Good luck,
//Jim