OpenSolaris™ Bible

Chapter 2. Installing OpenSolaris

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Overview of OpenSolaris distributions

• Determining hardware compatibility with OpenSolaris

• Downloading OpenSolaris and burning a CD

• Booting the OpenSolaris live CD

• Installing OpenSolaris on hardware

• Installing OpenSolaris in a VMware virtual machine

A surprisingly large number of distributions are derived from the OpenSolaris source base, given the relative youth of the OpenSolaris community. This chapter covers the basics of the distributions created through mid-2008:

• Solaris Express Community Edition (SXCE)

• Schillix

• BeleniX

• NexentaCore

• MartUX

• MilaX

• OpenSolaris

The OpenSolaris distribution is specifically created for users new to the OpenSolaris community and technology, and is a special focus of this book. After getting a feel for what the other OpenSolaris-based distributions are about and the reasons why you might be interested in them, you'll walk through the process of downloading, installing, and updating OpenSolaris. By the end of this chapter you should have a clear idea about which OpenSolaris-based distribution is likely to be right for you; and if you've chosen OpenSolaris itself, you'll have a working installation to use to explore further. (If you find the multiple meanings of OpenSolaris confusing, you may find it helpful to review Chapter 1.)

Tip

In addition to the download site for each distribution, a community-run mirror of all of the redistributable distribution downloads is provided at http://genunix.org.

Solaris Express Community ...