Solaris 10 Newbie Questions and First Impressions.

[Database Administrator]

First Impressions are for those who haven't tried Solaris or would
like to to know how it is from a newbie's eyes. I then have some
Solaris 10 questions later.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

I just installed Solaris 10 11/06. I have to say that Solaris 10 is
the easiest OS I have ever installed (OS X was a close second). All
one has to do is click next a few times and wolla, Solaris 10 is
installed. Much easier than Linux and FreeBSD (both of whom required
me to run Xorg -config). Easier than Windows where one has to have
their driver disks ready at all times.

So I booted up and the boot times were very speedy. Probably 8
seconds to the Java Desktop login screen. This is a bit faster than
OS X where it takes about 10 seconds to boot (this could be an issue
with having a G5 instead of an Intel CPU though). Linux takes about
a minute or more to boot. FreeBSD does it in a non too shabby 20
seconds. I think SUN's new SMF technology probably takes credit for
this speedy boot time because IIRC it is binary whereas the other
systems have to read a textual /etc/rc.d startup scripts which is
slower. Kudos to SUN for thinking of this.

I then logged into the Java Desktop which is probably the nicest GNOME
desktop themes ever. StarOffice 7 was there as well as email
clients. I must say this is as CLICK and DROOL (TM) as one can get
(in a good way!). No Command Line Interface in sight for those who
fear them. :-). I think SUN has the right idea here and has the most
user friendly *nix desktop in existance besides OS X. (I've tried
Redhat, SUSE, Fedora Core, CentOS, FreeBSD 5.4 + 6.2). StarOffice 7
looks a bit dated though compared with the new MS Office with Ribbon
menus. I don't really use MS office much anymore though so I don't
mind. Everything I do is typed in Emacs, which sadly, is not in the
Solaris 10 install. Even OS X has emacs, why can't Solaris?

A very good OS. Here is the list of easy to install OSes from easiest
to hardest from my exprience:
1. Solaris 10
2. OS X
3. Windows
4. FreeBSD
5. Plan9
6. Linux

MY SOLARIS 10 NEWBIE QUESTIONS:

Solaris 10's Java Desktop is so easy even the biggest illiterate
Windows moron would have no trouble using it. Java Desktop is
possibly even easier to use for a windows moron than windows itself.It
is intuitive and useful for even a power user not to get bored.

Gaming is the only place Solaris 10 falls flat on its face when
compared to MS Windows. SUN should make a DirectX competitor, maybe
using OpenGL as the base. Idea: use Java syntax but have it compile
straight to c code, you can call it JavaX.

I know that Solaris is not just a desktop OS though and in fact has
some serious Server goodies for the enterprise. These server goodies
are so advanced that no other operating system *nix, VMS, or Windows
has them. They are Zones (Ok, FreeBSD has Jails...), DTrace , and
ZFS. SMF is a debatable goody some like it some hate it. SMF
replaces the /etc/rc.d scripts with a binary service management
system.

So here are my questions:

The Solaris man pages are better than linux or OS X's. But FreeBSD
still makes the best man pages on earth because they include detailed
examples of command usage. Hence, I have questions on how to use the
advanced solaris 10 features.

1. I tried compiling PostgreSQL 8.2.3 on Solaris 10 11/06. It
failed because it could not find a c compiler. Yet in (IIRC) /usr/sft/
bin/ there is gcc, gmake etc. How do I compile postgresql so it
works? (p.s. I know there is an earlier PostgreSQL version, I got it
working but 8.2.3 has dtrace built in which I want to try).

2. When installing, I let solaris do choose the partitioning. I want
to try out ZFS. I did a cat /etc/vfstab and there seems to be a
partition on /export/home that has nothing in it. "df -m " said so.
I'd like to move the home directories to possibly /usr/home or /home
and then use that /export/home partition to create a ZFS filesystem
for my postgresql 8.2.3 database that I hopefully will be able to
compile in question 1. Is this a good idea and how do I do this? I
got confused on Pooling and where to mount them.

3. I'd like to put that postgresql 8.2.3 database that I've just
compiled into a solaris 10 zone. The man pages lack sufficient
examples. I was able to get a FreeBSD jail going just on the man
pages alone! Sun make your man pages as good as FreeBSD's! I've read
that Zones are easier than jails, yet I was able to set up a jail but
not a zone mostly because of the excellent FreeBSD man pages detailed
examples!

4. I would like to run DTrace on postgresql, what are some of your
favorite postgresql dtrace scripts? Can you share them?

5. My last question is this. In Linux and FreeBSD one can do an "alt-
F1" - "alt-F9" to get into a tty login screen. It doesn't work in
solaris 10's JavaDesktop. How can one enable this or what are the key
combinations for this?

Thats all!

regards,

karen.

[Database Administrator]

Karen Hill wrote:
> First Impressions are for those who haven't tried Solaris or would
> like to to know how it is from a newbie's eyes. I then have some
> Solaris 10 questions later.
>
> FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
>
> I just installed Solaris 10 11/06. I have to say that Solaris 10 is
> the easiest OS I have ever installed (OS X was a close second). All
> one has to do is click next a few times and wolla, Solaris 10 is
> installed. Much easier than Linux and FreeBSD (both of whom required
> me to run Xorg -config). Easier than Windows where one has to have
> their driver disks ready at all times.
>
> So I booted up and the boot times were very speedy. Probably 8
> seconds to the Java Desktop login screen. This is a bit faster than
> OS X where it takes about 10 seconds to boot (this could be an issue
> with having a G5 instead of an Intel CPU though). Linux takes about
> a minute or more to boot. FreeBSD does it in a non too shabby 20
> seconds. I think SUN's new SMF technology probably takes credit for
> this speedy boot time because IIRC it is binary whereas the other
> systems have to read a textual /etc/rc.d startup scripts which is
> slower. Kudos to SUN for thinking of this.
>
> I then logged into the Java Desktop which is probably the nicest GNOME
> desktop themes ever. StarOffice 7 was there as well as email
> clients. I must say this is as CLICK and DROOL (TM) as one can get
> (in a good way!). No Command Line Interface in sight for those who
> fear them. :-). I think SUN has the right idea here and has the most
> user friendly *nix desktop in existance besides OS X. (I've tried
> Redhat, SUSE, Fedora Core, CentOS, FreeBSD 5.4 + 6.2). StarOffice 7
> looks a bit dated though compared with the new MS Office with Ribbon
> menus. I don't really use MS office much anymore though so I don't
> mind. Everything I do is typed in Emacs, which sadly, is not in the
> Solaris 10 install. Even OS X has emacs, why can't Solaris?
>
> A very good OS. Here is the list of easy to install OSes from easiest
> to hardest from my exprience:
> 1. Solaris 10
> 2. OS X
> 3. Windows
> 4. FreeBSD
> 5. Plan9
> 6. Linux
>
> MY SOLARIS 10 NEWBIE QUESTIONS:
>
> Solaris 10's Java Desktop is so easy even the biggest illiterate
> Windows moron would have no trouble using it. Java Desktop is
> possibly even easier to use for a windows moron than windows itself.It
> is intuitive and useful for even a power user not to get bored.
>
> Gaming is the only place Solaris 10 falls flat on its face when
> compared to MS Windows. SUN should make a DirectX competitor, maybe
> using OpenGL as the base. Idea: use Java syntax but have it compile
> straight to c code, you can call it JavaX.
>
> I know that Solaris is not just a desktop OS though and in fact has
> some serious Server goodies for the enterprise. These server goodies
> are so advanced that no other operating system *nix, VMS, or Windows
> has them. They are Zones (Ok, FreeBSD has Jails...), DTrace , and
> ZFS. SMF is a debatable goody some like it some hate it. SMF
> replaces the /etc/rc.d scripts with a binary service management
> system.
>
> So here are my questions:
>
> The Solaris man pages are better than linux or OS X's. But FreeBSD
> still makes the best man pages on earth because they include detailed
> examples of command usage. Hence, I have questions on how to use the
> advanced solaris 10 features.
>
> 1. I tried compiling PostgreSQL 8.2.3 on Solaris 10 11/06. It
> failed because it could not find a c compiler. Yet in (IIRC) /usr/sft/
> bin/ there is gcc, gmake etc. How do I compile postgresql so it
> works? (p.s. I know there is an earlier PostgreSQL version, I got it
> working but 8.2.3 has dtrace built in which I want to try).

Does your PATH include the directory containing gcc, gmake, etc? If it
does, everything should "just work". If not, all your commands will
have to include the explicit path to the executables for gcc, gmake, etc.

FWIW, the Sun compiler is supposed to produce better (faster) code than
GCC. Since it's free, you might want to try it.

[Database Administrator]

On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 19:50:29 -0400, Richard B. gilbert wrote:

> Karen Hill wrote:


Be Careful. Karen Hill is regarded as a troll in the linux advocacy group.

[Database Administrator]

On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 14:52:49 -0700, Karen Hill wrote:

> Much easier than Linux and FreeBSD (both of whom required
> me to run Xorg -config).

Well I don't know how long ago you install Linux but pretty much all
modern distros are very simple to install and do a very good job of
detecting and setup X.

[Database Administrator]

__/ [ Freeride ] on Wednesday 11 April 2007 03:33 \__

> On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 14:52:49 -0700, Karen Hill wrote:
>
>> Much easier than Linux and FreeBSD (both of whom required
>> me to run Xorg -config).
>
> Well I don't know how long ago you install Linux but pretty much all
> modern distros are very simple to install and do a very good job of
> detecting and setup X.

I think it's a troll post. Many of these facts are other massaged or totally
made up.

Also see:

Install Linux in half an hour

,----[ Quote ]
| So why is this seen by many (mostly journos) as such a complex thing?
| I don't know. It works. The price is right.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=38799

Someone is spreading the FUD in non-Linux newsgroups and the name "Karen
Hill" pretty much confirms this. Can someone confirm?

--
~~ With kind regards

Roy S. Schestowitz | It is no longer uncommon to be uncommon
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU is Not UNIX | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
roy pts/0 Wed Apr 11 04:22 still logged in
http://iuron.com - proposing a non-profit search engine

[Database Administrator]

On 2007-04-10 22:52:49 +0100, "Karen Hill" said:

> 2. When installing, I let solaris do choose the partitioning. I want
> to try out ZFS. I did a cat /etc/vfstab and there seems to be a
> partition on /export/home that has nothing in it. "df -m " said so.
> I'd like to move the home directories to possibly /usr/home or /home
> and then use that /export/home partition to create a ZFS filesystem
> for my postgresql 8.2.3 database that I hopefully will be able to
> compile in question 1. Is this a good idea and how do I do this? I
> got confused on Pooling and where to mount them.

What I do:

unmount /export/home, commenting out line in vfstab
check /export is empty (it should be other than the /export/home mount point)
rm -rf /export
make a zpool called export (will sit on /export by default)
create a zfs filesystem within export called home (now you have
/export/home back)
.... and any other zfs filesystems you might want, as you need them.

[Database Administrator]

Roy Schestowitz wrote:
[snip]
>
> I think it's a troll post. Many of these facts are other massaged or
> totally made up.
>
[snip]
>
> Someone is spreading the FUD in non-Linux newsgroups and the name "Karen
> Hill" pretty much confirms this. Can someone confirm?
>

A well known troll. This is just flamebait. Best to just /ignore.

-Jason

[Database Administrator]

quoting Richard B. gilbert (Tue, 10 Apr 2007 19:50:29 -0400):

> FWIW, the Sun compiler is supposed to produce better (faster) code
> than GCC. Since it's free, you might want to try it.

Better code? Maybe. But the (gnu) software that I compile (vim, mc,
rxvt, i.e) gets larger executables with the sun compiler. From 30-50%
and that's much I think.

--
Dick Hoogendijk -- PGP/GnuPG key: F86289CE
++ http://nagual.nl/ | Solaris 10 11/06 ++

[Database Administrator]

On 2007-04-10 23:52, Karen Hill wrote:
> First Impressions are for those who haven't tried Solaris or would
> like to to know how it is from a newbie's eyes. I then have some
> Solaris 10 questions later.
> .....

>
> A very good OS. Here is the list of easy to install OSes from easiest
> to hardest from my exprience:
> 1. Solaris 10
> 2. OS X
> 3. Windows
> 4. FreeBSD
> 5. Plan9
> 6. Linux
> .....

>
> I know that Solaris is not just a desktop OS though and in fact has
> some serious Server goodies for the enterprise. These server goodies
> are so advanced that no other operating system *nix, VMS, or Windows
> has them. They are Zones (Ok, FreeBSD has Jails...), DTrace , and
> ZFS. SMF is a debatable goody some like it some hate it. SMF
> replaces the /etc/rc.d scripts with a binary service management
> system.
>

Solaris IS for the enterprise, and thats why things are made different
then a default Linux dist, for example /home

>
> 2. When installing, I let solaris do choose the partitioning. I want
> to try out ZFS. I did a cat /etc/vfstab and there seems to be a
> partition on /export/home that has nothing in it. "df -m " said so.
> I'd like to move the home directories to possibly /usr/home or /home
> and then use that /export/home partition to create a ZFS filesystem
> for my postgresql 8.2.3 database that I hopefully will be able to
> compile in question 1. Is this a good idea and how do I do this? I
> got confused on Pooling and where to mount them.

Your /home is probably read-only , if autofs is running, it's a mount-point
for auto_home.

The users on a local standalone machine is in /export/home. but the passwd
file will set their $home to /home/$user.

Since /export/home is empty, I can guess you did not add any users to the
system, and that is why it was so simple to install , no questions asked,
no configuration made, not ready to use before you do this job.

You need at least an /etc/auto_home with the contents:
* localhost:/export/home/&

And add a user, since you will very fast mess up the machine if you run
the desktop as root.


>
> Thats all!

All for this time maybe :-)

> regards,
>
> karen.
>

/birre

[Database Administrator]

Karen Hill wrote:

> First Impressions are for those who haven't tried Solaris or would
> like to to know how it is from a newbie's eyes. I then have some
> Solaris 10 questions later.
>
> FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
>
> I just installed Solaris 10 11/06. I have to say that Solaris 10 is
> the easiest OS I have ever installed (OS X was a close second). All
> one has to do is click next a few times and wolla, Solaris 10 is
> installed.

No it isn't. You aren't telling the truth here. It asks a lot of
questions and one area has to do with networking questions. A noob
would be lost.
And your comment about OS X is a close second... did you install it on a
non Apple PC? If so, then you may be right.

> Much easier than Linux and FreeBSD (both of whom required
> me to run Xorg -config). Easier than Windows where one has to have
> their driver disks ready at all times.
>
> So I booted up and the boot times were very speedy. Probably 8
> seconds to the Java Desktop login screen. This is a bit faster than
> OS X where it takes about 10 seconds to boot (this could be an issue
> with having a G5 instead of an Intel CPU though). Linux takes about
> a minute or more to boot. FreeBSD does it in a non too shabby 20
> seconds. I think SUN's new SMF technology probably takes credit for
> this speedy boot time because IIRC it is binary whereas the other
> systems have to read a textual /etc/rc.d startup scripts which is
> slower. Kudos to SUN for thinking of this.

Erm... solaris always did boot up fairly quickly. They didn't do that
much to the o/s to cause code bloat.
I moved back to Solaris 8 x86 as Solaris 10 x86 CD4 won't install
completely.

>
> I then logged into the Java Desktop which is probably the nicest GNOME
> desktop themes ever.

I agree there.

> StarOffice 7 was there as well as email
> clients. I must say this is as CLICK and DROOL (TM) as one can get
> (in a good way!). No Command Line Interface in sight for those who
> fear them. :-).

Oh, it's right there on the task bar.
And you'll need it too.

> I think SUN has the right idea here and has the most
> user friendly *nix desktop in existance besides OS X. (I've tried
> Redhat, SUSE, Fedora Core, CentOS, FreeBSD 5.4 + 6.2). StarOffice 7
> looks a bit dated though compared with the new MS Office with Ribbon
> menus. I don't really use MS office much anymore though so I don't
> mind. Everything I do is typed in Emacs, which sadly, is not in the
> Solaris 10 install. Even OS X has emacs, why can't Solaris?
>

But you can download it tho. Beats me why they didn't include emacs.
But did CD4 install completely? I think that that is where emacs resides.

> A very good OS. Here is the list of easy to install OSes from easiest
> to hardest from my exprience:
> 1. Solaris 10
> 2. OS X
> 3. Windows
> 4. FreeBSD
> 5. Plan9
> 6. Linux
>
> MY SOLARIS 10 NEWBIE QUESTIONS:
>
> Solaris 10's Java Desktop is so easy even the biggest illiterate
> Windows moron would have no trouble using it. Java Desktop is
> possibly even easier to use for a windows moron than windows itself.It
> is intuitive and useful for even a power user not to get bored.
>
> Gaming is the only place Solaris 10 falls flat on its face when
> compared to MS Windows. SUN should make a DirectX competitor, maybe
> using OpenGL as the base. Idea: use Java syntax but have it compile
> straight to c code, you can call it JavaX.
>
> I know that Solaris is not just a desktop OS though and in fact has
> some serious Server goodies for the enterprise. These server goodies
> are so advanced that no other operating system *nix, VMS, or Windows
> has them. They are Zones (Ok, FreeBSD has Jails...), DTrace , and
> ZFS. SMF is a debatable goody some like it some hate it. SMF
> replaces the /etc/rc.d scripts with a binary service management
> system.
>
> So here are my questions:
>
> The Solaris man pages are better than linux or OS X's. But FreeBSD
> still makes the best man pages on earth because they include detailed
> examples of command usage. Hence, I have questions on how to use the
> advanced solaris 10 features.

Yeah, but what happened to their AnswerBook2? That was much better than
the man pages.

>
> 1. I tried compiling PostgreSQL 8.2.3 on Solaris 10 11/06. It
> failed because it could not find a c compiler. Yet in (IIRC) /usr/sft/
> bin/ there is gcc, gmake etc. How do I compile postgresql so it
> works? (p.s. I know there is an earlier PostgreSQL version, I got it
> working but 8.2.3 has dtrace built in which I want to try).
>

Yeup. It is there, but your CD4 didn't install completely.
The files aren't finished being installed. The paths aren't set either.
Under Solaris 8 they are a done deal.

> 2. When installing, I let solaris do choose the partitioning. I want
> to try out ZFS. I did a cat /etc/vfstab and there seems to be a
> partition on /export/home that has nothing in it. "df -m " said so.
> I'd like to move the home directories to possibly /usr/home or /home
> and then use that /export/home partition to create a ZFS filesystem
> for my postgresql 8.2.3 database that I hopefully will be able to
> compile in question 1. Is this a good idea and how do I do this? I
> got confused on Pooling and where to mount them.
>
> 3. I'd like to put that postgresql 8.2.3 database that I've just
> compiled into a solaris 10 zone. The man pages lack sufficient
> examples. I was able to get a FreeBSD jail going just on the man
> pages alone! Sun make your man pages as good as FreeBSD's! I've read
> that Zones are easier than jails, yet I was able to set up a jail but
> not a zone mostly because of the excellent FreeBSD man pages detailed
> examples!
>
> 4. I would like to run DTrace on postgresql, what are some of your
> favorite postgresql dtrace scripts? Can you share them?
>
> 5. My last question is this. In Linux and FreeBSD one can do an "alt-
> F1" - "alt-F9" to get into a tty login screen. It doesn't work in
> solaris 10's JavaDesktop. How can one enable this or what are the key
> combinations for this?
>

It isn't part of the XSun server and not part of CDE or Java Desktop.
You did realize that CDE is still there?
Bottom line... Sun needs to double check their installation CDs on a
run-of-the-mill PC.