Sun Ultra 5/10 Setup Instructions


BIOS Flash:

Before SCS will install the Solaris operating system on a Sun workstation, you make sure the computer has the latest version of BIOS firmware installed. Here's how to check the version and update it, if necessary:

  1. Boot the computer and look at the BIOS version (you'll see "Openboot #.##"). If the version is 3.31, you don't need to update the BIOS. If it's older than 3.31, continue to the next step.

  2. Get the Sun BIOS Flash CD-ROM and BIOS Update instruction booklet from SCS.

  3. Turn on the computer and press STOP+A.

  4. Put the BIOS flash CD-ROM in the drive.

  5. At the ok prompt, type 'boot cdrom /flash-update-Ultra510-latest'.

  6. If the BIOS update procedure returns an error about permission to update the BIOS or incorrect jumper settings:

Finding out what's inside your Sun box

The Sun Ultra 5 boxes all look identical on the outside, but the internal hardware configuration varies from box to box. Your box must meet some minimum hardware requirements before SCS will install the Solaris operating system on it.

SCS hardware requirements:

  • RAM: at least 128 MB
  • Hard disk: at least 9 GB
  • CPU speed: no requirement that I know of

    The amount of RAM, hard disk size, and CPU speed are not printed on the outside of the box. To find out about these parameters, you have to boot up the workstation. Here's how you do it:

    Determining the RAM, CPU speed, and hard disk size

    1. Turn on the computer. At the top of the screen, you'll see the amount of RAM and the CPU speed.

    2. Press STOP+A.

    3. At the prompt, type 'probe-ide'. This will probe the disks in the system. Device 0 is the hard disk drive. The probe-ide command returns a product code which identifies the hard disk. Sometimes the size of the disk is evident from this code, but most of the time it is not. If the disk size is not obvious, try doing a google search for the code. If that fails, take the cover off of the computer and check to see if the disk size is printed on the outside of the hard disk.
      Note: if probe-ide returns no information about Device 0, you may have a dead hard disk in your system.

    Getting Solaris to work:

    1. Fill out a nodename request form and give it to Terri Lahey. For this for you'll need:
    2. After Terri Lahey grants you a nodename and IP address, fill out the SCS Solaris install request form on the web. You'll need:
    3. SCS will email you with directions for remote installation.

    Stephen Schuh, 27-Oct-2004