Chapter 2: Installing Solaris 10 Software

Overview

As you learned in the previous chapter, your computer is composed of hardware and software: software applications run on the software system called the operating system, which in turn runs on the computer hardware. To build a Solaris 10 system, you need to install Solaris 10 OS on a compatible hardware machine and then install the applications that your system will be running. The applications in the Sun Solaris world are distributed in the form of so-called packages. Sometimes, in between the two releases of an OS, a problem needs to be fixed or a new feature needs to be added to keep the system up to date. This is accomplished through the use of what are called patches.

So, the central question to think about in this chapter is: how to install Solaris software and keep your system up to date? In search of an answer, we will explore three thought streams: installing Solaris 10 OS, installing and uninstalling packages, and installing and uninstalling patches.