Glossary

A-C

add_install_client

A command used with the JumpStart automatic installation method to inform the server about the clients that can use network installation.

address resolution protocol (ARP)

A TCP/IP protocol and a utility based on the protocol that is used by a machine to resolve layer-3 (Network layer) addresses such as IP addresses to layer-2 (Data Link layer) MAC addresses such as Ethernet addresses.

ARP

See address resolution protocol (ARP).

AutoFS

A kernel file system that supports automatic mounting and unmounting of remote file systems.

automount

A command used to update the autofs mount points when necessary, after the system is up and running.

automountd

An NFS daemon that handles mount and unmount requests from the autofs service.

banner

A command used at the boot prompt to display the current power-on banner.

block

A unit of disk space occupied by a file. The blocks are measured in two sizes: physical block size, which is the size of the smallest block that the disk controller can read or write; and logical block size, which is the size of the block that UNIX (Solaris in our case) uses to read or write files. The physical block size is usually 512 bytes, and the logical block size is set (by default) to the page size of the system, which is 8 Kbytes for a UFS file system, the default file system for Solaris.

block size

See block.

boot

The process, also called bootstrapping, that takes the machine from the point where the machine is turned on to the point where the operating system takes over the machine.

bootblk

A primary program loaded by PROM that finds the secondary boot program ufsboot located in the UFS file system on the default boot device, and loads it into the memory, which in turn loads the kernel into the memory.

boot block

The area (sectors 1 to 15) on the hard disk or other bootable device such as a CD-ROM that stores the boot program, bootblk.

boot server

The server that provides information that a JumpStart client (the machine on which JumpStart will install Solaris) needs to boot over the network.

bootstrap

See boot.

Bourne shell

A UNIX shell introduced by S. R. Bourne of Bell Laboratories in New Jersey.

byte

The smallest group of binary digits (bits) that the computer works with. The most common byte size is 8 bits, also called octal.

CacheFS

Cache File System; uses the local disk drives to cache the data from the slow file systems such as CD-ROM drives or network file systems (NFS). This helps improve system performance.

CDE

Common Desktop Environment; a windowing environment that offers some GUI tools such as the CDE process manager to view and manage system processes.

chmod

A command used to modify permissions of existing files and directories.

CLI

A console or terminal session in which commands are issued at the command prompt.

client

A host machine (or an application) that can make a request for a service provided by another application running most probably on another machine on the network called a server. An example is a web browser making a request to a web server for a web page.

client/server networking

A networking model in which some machines are clients and other machines are servers. The client makes a request for a service and the server host responds to that request. Most of the existing networks are based on the client/server model.

cluster

A logical collection of multiple packages (software modules) that are related to each other by their functionality.

command line interface

See CLI.

Common Desktop Environment

See CDE.

concatenation volume

A volume that writes data on multiple components sequentially; that is, it writes the data to the first available component until it is full and then moves to write to the next component; no parallel access.

configuration server

A server that contains the customized configuration files used to install Solaris in the JumpStart installation method.

core files

Files that are created when a process or an application crashes. They contain the crash information used for debugging the problem.

Core System Support Software Group

The software group that contains the packages that provide the minimum support required to boot and run a networked Solaris system.

cp

A command used to copy a file to a file, a file (or files) to a directory, or a directory to a directory.

cpio

A command used to copy file archives in and out: "copy in" means extract files from the standard input, and "copy out" means read a list of file path names from the standard input and copy those files to the standard output. You can use this command to transfer individual files or groups of files from one file system to another file system.

crash dump files

Files that are created when the system crashes. They contain the crash information used for debugging the problem.

C shell

A UNIX shell that was written to resemble the C programming language.

cylinder

The space on a disk that consists of a set of tracks with the same radius, one from each platter from the stack.