2007/07/27

Installing OpenSolaris b63 on VMware Workstation 5

I've got the Big Disk Server (an x4500) and since it's going to be an iSCSI target, I have to install it for now with OpenSolaris post-build-54. b54 is where the iscsitgt code got its putback.

Anyway, I've installed b63 on that monster, but before I can get everything working, I have a week-long "vacation" to learn EMC Control Center administration. So what should I do while I'm free? I'll work on setting up the rest of the administrative nicities that I need for the BDS.

Since I already have VMware Workstation on my new laptop, I'll install a b63 box, give it a couple of virtual disks for the ZFS layer, and see what code I can crank out while I'm gone.

It's never that easy, though.

Bug1: recent builds of OpenSolaris (specifically the mpt driver) cause VMware to crash. So it's IDE disks for me.
Bug2: the default X config makes the screen resolution bigger than my laptop's LCD, so I have to scroll through. Since I prefer a text-based install, I'd rather turn off X entirely.
Bug3: There's almost no documentation on how to get it to do that. There's the old "nowin" command line option (still in this version according to the docs) but I can't figure out how to pass that to grub. And the menu I'm given has 3 options (Install, Add drivers, or Shell) rather than the 7 the documentation shows.
Bug4: I don't want to install the whole distribution. The damn thing beeps if I haven't selected things correctly. Even though I have my laptop muted. And the VMware audio disconnected. And a headphone plug in the jack. How the fsck is it getting the beep through?

Bug3's workaround is to use the "Solaris Express" menu option in grub, rather than "Solaris Express Developer Edition". Grr.

--Joe

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