Sun Ultra 10

Very nice. I picked up a freebie Ultra 5 last summer. A bit slower than your U10 but otherwise they are very similar machines. The folks at Nekochan are helpful regarding Sun stuff.

Ultra 5/10s are great machines to get into Sun UltraSPARC hardware. You pretty soon reach the limits though with them, but to make it a bit more viable I recommend this:

- Get a SUN SymBIOS SCSI card (has to have a Sun ROM to boot a SPARC)

- Get *2* decent UWSCSI drives about 9-18GB. They will fit, trust me

- Upgrade to at least 512MB of RAM.

- Get a Sun UPA framebuffer if it hasn't got one already (some have Creator3d cards in the UPA slot - look for a 13W3 video connector on the top card slot at the back). If you really want to go loco you could get an Elite3d m3 or m6 card, but that's probably overkill on a U10 [] ]'>

I had one specced right up like that and it was a neat little Solaris 10 box. I ultimately sold it and bought a Dual 450MHz Processor Ultra 60/elite3d with 1.5GB RAM though [] ]'> That REALLY runs Solaris 10 well!

For all your sun needs SunHELP is invaluable, especially the SunHELP mailing lists (which I'm on several of). Don't be alarmed if the main SunHELP mailing list seems a little quiet, the daily backchatter tends to go on on other lists, but we all sub to it and help anyone who asks there.

I also suggest reading up on the machine at:

SunStuff (OSIAH)

You can look over all the other SPARC hardware there too and drool over the big enterprise servers A useful tidbit you will need there is your machine falls into the 'sun4u' architecture classification (as do all other Ultras).

If you really get stuck in a corner then you can PM me. I've been through the learning process with the same machine as you so I know them pretty much inside out. My collection has since grown to 5 Sun SPARC machines of various types, and one Sun Java Workstation (x64 Opteron).

I plan to use my U5 as a server, so don't have a monitor connected. (Unfortunately I have to leave the kbd connected so it will boot. Pretty stupid if you ask me.) It's actually a smidge faster than my main server, albeit with less RAM. I wish the SunPCi cards were usable under Solaris 10.

I've learned that Wikipedia is pretty useless for anything beyond the absolute basics about Sun hardware. I put together a nice little template for SGI hardware, and a similar one for Sun stuff would be cool, but I just don't know enough to do it.

I have a legit OpenStep Developer that I would Love to install on an Sun Machine..... Call me travestite...

I want an Ultra 45. Very nice machines. ;-)

Peace,

Drew

I have an Ultra 60 dual 450 Creator3D with 1 GB of RAM.

It'll run Debian Linux really well.

WHAT IS WITH RUNNING LINUX ON ALL DEVICES

Keep it on a pc. Dont put it on a G5,Dont Put it on a toaster. Dont put it on a sun. RUN SOLARIS on the sun.RUN OS X on the mac.

I dont see any benifit form linux besides frustration.

Debian linux would be really nice on there, I've got to agree, but yeah, may as well run Solaris, unless you just need a leightweight system on which to run an AMP for web hosting/serving.

Debian linux would be really nice on there, I've got to agree, but yeah, may as well run Solaris, unless you just need a leightweight system on which to run an AMP for web hosting/serving.

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Personally I use CoolStack from Sun for the AMP part on my U60, and it runs pretty darn well. Its a nice AMP bundle from them for Solaris 10.

You could run Aurora Linux. May as well get one specifically for the sun4u architecture.

Is Solaris still a free download for single and dual processor boxes?

Peace,

Drew

I thought it was a free download for all boxes. I've always been able to get it free for my SPARC hardware.

You are right. According to Sun, there are no restrictions. Back in the Solaris 8 days (last one I downloaded for my SPARCstation LX), you had to pay for Solaris if running it on more than 8 CPUs.

I just discovered that my Compaq Evo N600C (a freebie currrently running Kubuntu) will run Solaris 9 and 10. Hmm....

Peace,

Drew

macintoshman:

Because it works. And it has quite a lot more available applications than Solaris. I personally use both and prefer Linux simply because it has quite a few more of the applications that I need.

Quote:

"Beacouse it works"

Answer: NO. Too much time to get it configured on a standard PIII pc. My idea of an OS is one that has an application binary standard :Ex .app .bin .exe and does not have to compile 1/2 of the applications out there. I gave liniux 3 chances, well, they are used up. It does not have complete functionality out of the box. For instance, it took 2 hours to get ubuntu to play a mp3! A DARN MP3! At least firefox and flash worked... But, my Idea of an OS is one that you don't have to configure for a month. I got my macbook like home in 2 hours. In that time frame, I put all the apps I needed, got all my Docs on there, and customized it. In Linux, i could not even get 1/2 that done. Now on a usability standpoint: It sucks for people who are used to DOS commands (Me). The commands are soooooo different. Also, for someone who is 100%GUI I imagine it would be like hell. You know now the iPhone now has a higher presentage of web share than web browsers on Linux? Shows you how many people use it for day-to-day as there main machine. NOW, I am only bashing usability. The Linux kernel could be used for something great. It is a wonderful server platform, and It is wonderful for embedded use. It could be great if Mr.Torvaldes took charge of the Linux OS again. He needs to make a set of core standards beyond the kernel.

Rant form the users eye.

Macintoshman, yeah what I love about Solaris is how you can use programs from previous versions just fine, there's a standard packaging system, and in general, compatibility is excellent. Even Solaris 10 today still has SunOS 4.x compatibility (hint: SunOS 4.x became Solaris 1.x). You can run programs from even the late 1980s on modern Solaris releases. Try that with an early Linux program without recompiling.

macintoshman, you sound as if you have been scarred by Linux.

While your experience may have been unsatisfactory, please understand that there are hundreds (indeed thousands) more for whom Linux has been quite satisfactory and useable. You are certainly entitled to your own opinions, and no one can doubt your particular experience if you say it is so, but please don't think that it is the same for everyone else. Everyone else is also entitled to their opinions and have their own experiences with Linux. To assume that everyone else has exactly the same expectations for use that you do is arrogant and short sighted. It is patently untrue. If it had any truth at all, Linux simply wouldn't exist.

Peace,

Drew

Yeah I agree on the Linux thing, much more complex than it need be. Very nice once you get it up and running and all the problems worked out though.

oh, and I have an Ultra 60, but I can't get any video out of it. I have a Belkin sun adapter, a PS/2 keyboard, VGA monitor, but no PS/2 mouse. I am told that Sun machines require a mouse to be connected in order to boot, is that probably what the problem is ?

The keyboard/mouse on Sun hardware isn't PS/2. Its a special miniDIN-8 connection. The mouse plugs into the keyboard. You're not getting video because its not detecting a keyboard connected, so its operating in serial console mode, therefore no video.

The keyboard/mouse on Sun hardware isn't PS/2. Its a special miniDIN-8 connection. The mouse plugs into the keyboard. You're not getting video because its not detecting a keyboard connected, so its operating in serial console mode, therefore no video.

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Yeah I know it's not PS/2 but I have a sun adapter that lets me use PS/2 devices... will it do the same thing if no mouse is plugged in?

Macintoshman:

I have to say that if you took 2 hours to get Ubuntu to play an MP3 then I don't know exactly what you're doing wrong. You click Applications, go to the bottom, click Add/Remove, go to 'Sound & Video,' and select any application that says 'Media Player' in the description.

Besides, I'm pretty sure Ubuntu has built-in MP3 support... Been so long since I installed that I don't remember. Debian does; Ubuntu is based on Debian, so I would assume that it does.

Take another look at Ubuntu, and this time use the handy Add/Remove Programs tool. Much more useful than the Windows version. Stick to the programs in there(which provide workable replacements for most if not all of the programs needed for home/office/video editing/etc use) and you'll be fine. True, LINUX doesn't have a standard package, but Ubuntu(again, based on Debian, which is one of the most used distributions when you count all of its children) does, and it's actually far easier to install programs on Ubuntu than on a Mac.

And as for the commands being different; 'cd' and 'dir' are exactly the same(though 'dir' isn't technically a unix command, it's there to make migrating from DOS easier. the rreal command is 'ls') 'del' is 'rm' etc

Plus, when was the last time you used Ubuntu, and what version? It has a six month release schedule, and a LOT has happened since, say, last January. Almost an unimaginable amount since two Januarys ago.

alk:

Thanks for mentioning Aurora. Hadn't seen that before. My SS5 currently has Debian 4.0 on it(and Solaris 7 for historic value) but I'm looking for something more specific to the Sun arch.

Yeah, if only someone made a well-supported UNIX for SPARC hardware... wouldn't that be great?

Macintoshman, yeah what I love about Solaris is how you can use programs from previous versions just fine, there's a standard packaging system, and in general, compatibility is excellent. Even Solaris 10 today still has SunOS 4.x compatibility (hint: SunOS 4.x became Solaris 1.x). You can run programs from even the late 1980s on modern Solaris releases. Try that with an early Linux program without recompiling.

Click to expand...

Except for device drivers... I really want my SunPCi to work under Solaris 10.

WHAT IS WITH RUNNING LINUX ON ALL DEVICES

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Mostly because then I can use the same Firefox and Thunderbird on every system in the house, and only have to learn one OS!

WHAT IS WITH RUNNING LINUX ON ALL DEVICES
Keep it on a pc. Dont put it on a G5,Dont Put it on a toaster. Dont put it on a sun.

Click to expand...

Yeah! That's what NetBSD is for!

[] ]'> [] ]'>

WHAT IS WITH RUNNING LINUX ON ALL DEVICES

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Mostly because then I can use the same Firefox and Thunderbird on every system in the house, and only have to learn one OS!

Click to expand...

Where's the fun in that!

Rhapsody FTW!

Quote:"Beacouse it works"

Answer: NO.

Click to expand...

Oh STFU. Solaris is great, I love it a lot on the Sun's I run it on, it even works great on a PC. But it is a GODS OWN BITCH (apologies in advance to any sensitive religious folk) to install Open Source software on to (compared to say Debian, or Fedora).

The package repository systems available are immature and all work to different rules (in a UNIX system that is so good because it is so holistic). It is in dire need of a system akin to atp-get or rpm so you're not left to install packages ad nauseam with Suns package installer and wrestle un-handled dependencies manually. Sun, thank the lord, are working to provide a lightweight, open source, more Linux-like OS based off of the Solaris kernel and frameworks, that will hopefully grow a decent, 21st century package system that keeps true to the holistic UNIX-like Solaris approach. Solaris is unique among old-industry UNIX as a UNIX that is slowly adapting to the 21st century, instead of pedaling the same UNIX from 1989 that everyone got used to. At the same time though, it also is keeping a vital element of integrity and continuity that Linux lost many years ago.

You have no right to tell people what OS to run on any machine. You're opinion is yours, and one I share for the most part, but frankly the way you express it is wrong, your attitude stinks. If you want to scream and rant go to digg.com. Computers are there to do what you want to do with them. If you can't do it with the 'native' OS then you have to look elsewhere. Linux is a versatile and portable OS, so it deserves to be run wherever it can thrive. It sucks on some platforms, but then again it's what your used to, and what support that platform has. Debian is very well supported on non-x86 platforms (it's one of few Linux distros that really has that diversity, normally reserved for BSDs).

Do what you want, with what you have, but don't try to be the voice and hands of others.

Linux Airlines

Disgruntled employees of all the other OS airlines decide to start their own airline. They build the planes, ticket counters, and pave the runways themselves. They charge a small fee to cover the cost of printing the ticket, but you can also download and print the ticket yourself. When you board the plane, you are given a seat, four bolts, a wrench and a copy of the seat-HOWTO.html. Once settled, the fully adjustable seat is very comfortable, the plane leaves and arrives on time without a single problem, the in-flight meal is wonderful. You try to tell customers of the other airlines about the great trip, but all they can say is, "You had to do what with the seat?"