This procedure outlines the installation of Sun Solaris 8 on the Intelx86 architecture. Sun Microsystems  is a leader in the Enterprise Server, Desktop, and Networking environments.  The Solaris OS line contains a wealth of utilities, development tools, and desktop/server applications. Sun's development community has grown significantly after migrating into the Open Source arena. Although Solaris is a powerful OS, it is by no means for the faint of heart. Solaris is unique and can be difficult at times to administer oftentimes requiring specific customization to work properly. Being a UNIX OS, in some ways it is similar to Linux but not as easy to work with. I am sure that is why the Solaris Admins make the big $!

The first step to installing Solaris is to determine system requirements and hardware compatibility. The Solaris 8 list can be found here http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/806-1054/6jac8mms2?a=view . Solaris is very hardware specific and I recommend that only hardware contained in the list be used. The OS will however run on certain hardware not specifically listed and if it does, please help others by reporting working hardware to Sun.

The next step is to get the software. I purchased the Solaris 8 Media Kit which came with all software CD's, documentation, as well as Star Office and Oracle 8i. It may also be downloaded  from Sun's download center for free after registering. This option requires the use of the Sun Download Manager and ISO CD burning capability such as Roxio or Nero. Specific downloading and burning instructions are explained in detail on the downloads page.

Now it is time to install the system. There will be several prompts for configurations which will be determined based on your network environment.

Procedure 1 - Solaris Desktop/Server behind a cable modem and router.

After installation is complete and the system is running log in as Root and enter the following to connect to the Internet.

1. Create file /etc/defaultrouter and enter the router IP: 
   

   192.168.2.1

   #this is my router IP enter yours here

2. Create file /etc/resolv.conf and enter: 
   

   nameserver 192.168.2.1

   #mine is the router enter your nameserver IP here

3. In the /etc directory issue the following command:

   cp nsswitch.dns nsswitch.conf

   #I like to back up files before editing them so cp nsswitch.conf nsswitch.conf_default first to save the file if you like.

4. Edit the /etc/hosts file and add the defaultrouter:
   

   192.168.2.1      defaultrouter

   #IP address is your router's IP

5. Reboot the system and you should be able to access the Internet!

Procedure 2 - Solaris Desktop/Server on a Fully Qualified Domain Network.

To set up Solaris on a fully qualified domain network follow the above procedure with the following modifications.

Common Issues:

Solaris installer is searching the system's hard disks for a location
to place the Solaris installer software.

No disks that meet the criteria in the Solaris installer documentation
found.  Please check the system or try another installation option.

I have found 2 ways to solve this problem.

1. Reformat the entire hard drive writing 0's and 1's using a drive utility which can usually be downloaded from the manufacturers website.
2. Install the system using the Solaris Disk 1 instead of the Solaris Install Disk.