Linux on a Sun Ultra 60

[SaxSymbol73]

I just got an Ultra 60 with dual 450's and a gig of ram. The Solaris installation is corrupt and I'm thinking about installing Linux. As a novice UNIX user (I've used it only for apps with a dash of line command thrown in) what are peoples recommendations--is it a good idea or should I try reinstall Solaris? I'm willing to try Linux though--any preferred distributions?

Thanks in advance

[S0larfluX]

http://www.sun.com/solaris/programs/solaris9ea/
http://www.sun.com/software/reply/solaris9ea/instructions.html

[ 27 March 2002: Message edited by: S0larfluX ]

[epseps]

Originally posted by SaxSymbol73:
<STRONG>I just got an Ultra 60 with dual 450's and a gig of ram. The Solaris installation is corrupt and I'm thinking about installing Linux. As a novice UNIX user (I've used it only for apps with a dash of line command thrown in) what are peoples recommendations--is it a good idea or should I try reinstall Solaris? I'm willing to try Linux though--any preferred distributions?

Thanks in advance</STRONG>

I think the real question we need to be asking you is HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET A BOX LIKE THAT??!!!

I am Jealous.

I'd play around with all the *nix distros that run on SPARC and then write up a review for the rest of us.

[SaxSymbol73]

I sort of fell into the box--I work for a major telecom and the research group I worked for was shut down. We had workstations to access our PDM and manufacturing tools, but I used mine primarily for FrameMaker.

I've downloaded the 7.1 distribution from Mandrake. However, the box now won't get past it's initial startup. . . I get all the way to x-windows but at that point the system starts saying the it can't find it's host configuration. I've tried a &lt;boot -s&gt; but it still it looking for something . . . any ideas on how I can get past that?

[epseps]

Originally posted by SaxSymbol73:
<STRONG>I sort of fell into the box--I work for a major telecom and the research group I worked for was shut down. We had workstations to access our PDM and manufacturing tools, but I used mine primarily for FrameMaker.

I've downloaded the 7.1 distribution from Mandrake. However, the box now won't get past it's initial startup. . . I get all the way to x-windows but at that point the system starts saying the it can't find it's host configuration. I've tried a &lt;boot -s&gt; but it still it looking for something . . . any ideas on how I can get past that?</STRONG>

So mandrake is installed? If so and it runs everything but X do an ifconfig to see if the loopback is running. Also I have no idea if Linux reads Sparc hardware as eth0 or hme0 for the ethernet, so tell us cuz I'm curious.

Thats about as far as I can get you now. I never set up Linux on Sparc.

Also does Linux have access to eeprom? You might be able to set things up from there if ifconfig gives you screwy readings.

Really cool that you got that box.

[pointreyes]

Why not just install Solaris 8 from Sun's web site? Sun stopped the downloading of the Intel based Solaris OS but not the Sparc based.
http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/binaries/get.html

If you cannot get an OS installed on the box-send it to me. :D

[ 03 April 2002: Message edited by: pointreyes ]

[TC]

I have quite a few Sparc's running Debian. The latest one I installed was a Ultra 2 SMP. Use the the sparc cd iso's from Debian. When you boot hit 'stop A' keys. At the prompt type: boot cdrom

The Debian cd will boot and follow instructions to install potato.
once installed type:

apt-get update
apt-get upgrade


If you use potato and want woody, then edit the /etc/apt/list.sources file with woody sites from Debian:
http://www.debian.org/releases/testing/

copy the lines again and type in woody where you see testing also. You may want to leave the potato sites for now until your finished.

type as root: apt-get update

then: apt-get install dpkg guile1.4 apt-utils

when finished then: apt-get dist-upgrade

keep redoing apt-get dist-upgrade until you are clean of packages.

If you screw up just reinstall again, practice makes perfect

:D :cool:

[ 03 April 2002: Message edited by: TC ]

[javierm]

If you have 2 disk drives, why don't you install
solaris in the main drive (c0t0d0s2) and then something like suse linux 7.3 (www.linuxiso.org) in the second drive. To see if you have 2 drives,
at the ok prompt type show-devs,probe-pci. Careful with any probe-commands, first type
setenv auto-boot? false , then type reset and then probe-pci.

I have tried different versions of linux on the sparc. Versions like redhat 6.2 ; mandrake 7.1 and debian as well. I like suse the best. :)

[SaxSymbol73]

Well thanks to all of your help, I've installed Mandrake 7.1 and Debian 2.2. Mandrake has a strange GUI installer--you have to be careful that you click the OK boxes, otherwise, you can exit the app without getting everything configured. Mandrake also has some strange things going on with users--anyone I add during setup (except root) can only use KDE. If I add them manually using &lt;useradd&gt; the same results. Any thoughts on that would be cool

I'll download Suse next and give that a whirl. Once I've settled on a stable install, I'll figure out a way to test it. Any ideas on that ;)

[S0larfluX]

Putting Linux on a Sun Ultra 60 is BLASPHEMY. But that's JMNSHO...

:cool:

[epseps]

Originally posted by S0larfluX:
<STRONG>Putting Linux on a Sun Ultra 60 is BLASPHEMY. But that's JMNSHO...

:cool:</STRONG>

Gawd I wish I had that box. If I had it I'd throw NetBSD on it to experiment. But I think I would settle on Solaris 8. Maybe get one of those PCI cards with a Celeron in it to run Linux or x86 *BSD (I forget what they are called now..)

[epseps]

Originally posted by S0larfluX:
<STRONG>Putting Linux on a Sun Ultra 60 is BLASPHEMY. But that's JMNSHO...

:cool:</STRONG>

Gawd I wish I had that box. If I had it I'd throw NetBSD on it to experiment. But I think I would settle on Solaris 8. Maybe get one of those PCI cards with a Celeron in it to run Linux or x86 *BSD (I forget what they are called now..)

[javierm]

I don't think that putting linux on that box would be a waste. I work for a company where I have access to a lot of hardware
(can we spell 4500s, 3500s, 450s and even 1
E15k).

I am not saying linux is better than solaris or the other way around. But with that hardware, you have room to install both and play with them.

One warning, your boot drive in solaris is (c0t0d0s2)Use the second drive if you have it (c0t1d0s2). Then at the ok prompt, type boot disk for solaris and boot disk1 for linux.