17 2496 Ch14 10/30/00 9:25 AM Page 320 CHAPTER 14 Installing a Server The following test objectives are covered in this chapter: I Understanding the server environment I Installing software using the interactive installation program I Understanding Solstice AdminSuite I Installing Solstice AdminSuite I Understanding the client/server relationship 17 2496 Ch14 10/30/00 9:25 AM Page 321 hapter 3, “Installing the Solaris 7 Software,” discussed setting up a single stand-alone system. In this chapter, the emphasis is on installing and configuring a server. I begin by describing a server, its role, and its C relationship to other systems on the network. Then, I describe how to install the operating system and some of the additional software packages that differentiate a server from a stand-alone system. The Server A server is a system that provides services and/or file systems, such as home directories or mail files, to other systems on the network. An operating system (OS) server is a server that provides the Solaris software to other systems on the network. For diskless clients, OS servers provide /usr, root (/), and swap file systems. For AutoClient systems, an OS server provides all system software required to set up the individual root (/) and /usr file systems required for local swapping and caching. There are file servers, startup servers, database servers, license servers, print servers, installation servers, and even servers for particular applications. Systems that rely on servers are called clients. In other words, a client is a system that uses remote services from a server. Some clients have limited disk storage capacity, or perhaps none at all; these clients must rely on remote file systems from a server to function. Diskless and AutoClient clients are examples of this type of client. Other clients might use remote services, such as installation software, from a server. These clients don’t rely on a server to function and are referred to as stand-alone systems. System types are defined by how they access the root (/) and /usr file systems, including the swap area. Stand-alone and server systems mount these file systems from a local disk, whereas diskless and AutoClient clients mount the file systems remotely, relying on servers to provide these services. A stand-alone system has all its Solaris software on its local disk and does not require services from an OS server. Both networked and non-networked systems can be stand-alone systems in the Solaris operating environment. The following is a brief description of the various clients you’ll find in the Solaris 7 environment: I Diskless client—A client that has no local disk or file systems. The diskless client boots from the server; remotely mounts its root (/), /usr, and /export/home file sys- tems from a server; allocates swap space on the server; and gets all its data from the server. Any files created are stored on the server. 17 2496 Ch14 10/30/00 9:25 AM Page 322 322 CHAPTER 14 INSTALLING A SERVER I JavaStation—A client that has no local file system and whose /home is accessed from a server across the network. The JavaStation runs only applications that are 100 percent pure Java. All data, applications, and configuration information reside on a centralized server that is running Netra J software, a Solaris operating environment. Java applications are downloaded on demand and are executed locally. I AutoClient—A client system type that caches (locally stores copies of data as it is referenced) all its needed system software from a server. The AutoClient system has a local disk, but the root (/) and /usr file systems are accessed across the network from a server and are loaded in a local disk cache. Files in the / and /usr file systems are copied to the cache disk as they are referenced. If a Solstice AutoClient client accesses an application that is not already in its disk cache, that application is down- loaded. If the application already resides in the client’s disk cache, the application is accessed locally. AutoClient replaced the dataless client in Solaris 2.6. Prerequisites for the Server The server must meet a few minimum requirements before Solaris 7 can be installed: I The Solaris 7 release supports all sun4c, sun4d, sun4u, and sun4m platforms. Some sun4c systems might not be supported in future releases of Solaris 7 beyond the 11/99 release. Check with your hardware vendor if you have a sun4c system to make sure it is supported before proceeding. I To run a graphical user interface (GUI) installation, the system must have a minimum of 32MB of RAM. As a server, however, it is typical to have 256MB of RAM or more. I The disk needs to be large enough to hold the Solaris OS, swap space, and the addi- tional software, such as Solstice AdminSuite and AutoClient. You’ll also need to allo- cate additional disk space on an OS server in the /export file system for diskless clients or Solstice AutoClient systems. Plan on a minimum of 1GB of disk space, but realistically you should have 2GB or more. Installing Solaris 7 on the Server Before beginning the installation, let’s go over a preinstallation checklist. First, gather the system identification information about your server. If the system is run- ning, you can gather all this information by using the commands listed in Table 14-1. 17 2496 Ch14 10/30/00 9:25 AM Page 323 INSTALLING SOLARIS 7 ON THE SERVER 323 Table 14-1 System Identification Information Information Required Command(s) Used to Gather the Information System name /usr/bin/uname -u Primary network interface ifconfig -a IP address ypmatch <system_name> <host> nismatch <system_name> more /etc/inet/hosts Domain name /usr/bin/domainname Whether part of a subnet more /etc/netmasks What name service is used more /etc/nsswitch.conf Next, verify that you have enough disk space for Solaris 7 and all the copackaged and third- party software you plan to add. (Refer to Chapter 3 to find the total size of each software configuration cluster.) Normally, a server would have several gigabytes of disk space avail- able for the operating system, so you’ll be installing the full distribution cluster. Also, you need to check with your software vendor regarding space requirements for any third-party software packages as well as swap space requirements. In addition, make sure you have enough disk space if you plan to run the following software: I AnswerBook2 I Desktop Power Pack I Internet Mail Service I ODBC Driver Manager I OpenGL I Solstice AdminSuite I Solstice AutoClient I Solstice Backup I Solstice DiskSuite I Solaris 7 documentation I Sun Hardware AnswerBook I Sun MediaCenter One I Sun WebServer 17 2496 Ch14 10/30/00 9:25 AM Page 324 324 CHAPTER 14 INSTALLING A SERVER These packages occasionally change in size as they are updated, so contact Sun to obtain current disk space requirements for each of these packages. TIP. Software can be installed from a local CD or from a CD-ROM located on a system connected to the network. However, for speed, I recommend loading the software from a local CD-ROM drive. Installing Software Using the Interactive Installation Program You are now ready to install your software. I recommend one of two methods to install the operating system: interactive or Web Start. The interactive installation process is described in this chapter. This option offers you the most flexibility when installing the OS. Web Start, described in Appendix E, “Web Start,” does not let you set up additional disks, only the system disk. Use the Web Start option if you don’t have a bitmapped system console attached to your system but you do have access to a Web browser attached to the same network. The following steps provide an overview of the interactive software installation procedure: 1. Insert the Solaris 7 software CD in the CD-ROM drive. 2. At the OpenBoot ok prompt, type boot cdrom The system starts from the CD-ROM. After a few minutes, you’ll enter the system identification section of the installation. Follow the system prompts, entering the information as it is presented. You are asked to select a language and locale. You’ll also need to enter your system’s hostname, IP address, and network information, so have this information available. 3. After the system identification section, you’ll see the following dialog: Solaris Interactive Installation: This system is upgradeable, so you have two options for installing Solaris software. The upgrade option updates the Solaris software on the system to the new release, saving as many modifications as possible that you’ve made to the previous version of Solaris software. You should back up the system before using the upgrade option. 17 2496 Ch14 10/30/00 9:25 AM Page 325 INSTALLING SOFTWARE USING THE INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION 325 PROGRAM The initial option overwrites the system’s disks with the new version of Solaris software. Backing up any modifications that you’ve made to the previous version of Solaris software is recommended before starting the initial option. This option also lets you preserve any existing file systems. After selecting an option and completing the tasks that follow, a summary of your selections will be displayed. F2_Upgrade F4_Initial F5_Exit F6_Help CAUTION! All data on the OS partitions will be lost. These partitions include / (root), /usr, /opt, and /var. 4. Press F4 to select a complete reinstallation of the software. You’ll see the following dialog: You’ll be using the initial option for installing Solaris software on the system.