# Linux (SOLARIS 9) and Windows (XP) Dual boot



## scottydont2841 (Aug 3, 2005)

Ok, so as the title states, i wanna create a dual boot of solaris 9 (not 10) with the existing XP i already have on there. But im not sure about how to partition it, and how to set up the solaris with XP, because i think there is a selection of bootloaders to choose from?

any advice on how to do it would be appreciated,

cheers guys.


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## uninc4709 (Jan 27, 2007)

well if it is anything like ubuntu all you have to do is download the ISO put it on a DVD boot it and install it. it comes with boot loaders and good stuff like that


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## K-B (Oct 24, 2005)

No idea. Solaris is not Linux.


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## scottydont2841 (Aug 3, 2005)

Unix though? Similar thing anyway.


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## K-B (Oct 24, 2005)

scottydont2841 said:


> Unix though? Similar thing anyway.


You're right, based on Unix.


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## Kalim (Nov 24, 2006)

The last time I did it was Solaris 2.6 IIRC and using Bootpart.

Its supposed to be pretty difficult: http://multiboot.solaris-x86.org


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## hal8000 (Dec 23, 2006)

Solaris 9 is a little out of date and may not have some of the features of Solaris 10. I have a multiboot with Solaris 10, FreeBSD and several linuxes and Win Xp on one hard drive.

To multiboot:
Windows MUST always have the first partition (condition of windoze I believe)

Make sure you use grub as the boot loader and not lilo.

For Solaris (and FreeBSD) you must be installing to a primary partition.

You can only have 4 primary partitions, so if you have an IDE or UDMA hard drive
then it will be partitioned like this
Partition 1 (windows ) /dev/hda1 in linux
Partition 2 (solaris) /dev/hda2 in linux terms
Partition 3 unused

Partition 4 will be blank unless you are using extended partitions.

To install solaris the partition created has to be type "bf". You may find it easier to use either aefdisk from windows or acronis partition manager to create a partition.

Once you have created a solaris partition you can start installing Solaris.
Solaris (and FreBSD) use what is know as a disk slice; a slice is part of a partition, and can only contain 8 slices on a solaris system. The best advice is to let the solaris installer choose the disk slices for you..... and just when you thought this sounds difficult, it gets harder.
The disk partitioner for solaris does not use the relatively easy partition labelling of linux e.g. /dev/hda5 but uses name like:
/dev/dsk/c0d0p0
where /dev/dsk represents a hard disk, c is the controller, 0 being first controller, d , disk attached to controller, and P partition on the controller.

If you have never used Unix or Linux before then this will be an almost impossible task for you as a newbie. You really do need unix or linux experience as you will otherwise be lost with the partitioning schemes.

If youve never used unix/linux then download Knoppix 5.11 live CD. It will run entirely from ram, not touch your hard drive and chances are recognise almost all of your hardware. You can safely open a linux terminal and practise a few commands. HTH


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## hal8000 (Dec 23, 2006)

This may also help. If you were to install a linux distribution first in an extended partition,
you could use the versatile linux fdisk to create and change partitions. Modern distros i,e, Suse 10 and higher allow you to resize existing ntfs partitions and create additional partitions.
From linux this is what a hard drive with Solaris, FreeBSD, Linux and WinXp looks like
orac:/home/anc # fdisk -l /dev/hda

Disk /dev/hda: 163.9 GB, 163928604672 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19929 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 7649 61440561 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2 * 7650 8669 8193150 bf Solaris
/dev/hda3 8670 10194 12249562+ a5 FreeBSD
/dev/hda4 10195 19929 78196387+ 5 Extended
/dev/hda5 10195 10204 80293+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda6 10205 10255 409626 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/hda7 10256 11040 6305481 83 Linux
/dev/hda8 11041 11302 2104483+ 83 Linux
--snip--

The important partitions are the first 4 primary partitions, a primary partition must be reserved for Windows, Solaris FreeBSD and other operating systems like Syllable.
Linux may be installed into a primary partition also, but if you plan on using Solaris,
keep the remaining primary partitions available.


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## scottydont2841 (Aug 3, 2005)

Ok great. Thanks for all the advice.


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## scottydont2841 (Aug 3, 2005)

Whats the diff between the SPARC ultimate edition and x86 ultimate edition?


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## hal8000 (Dec 23, 2006)

scottydont2841 said:


> Whats the diff between the SPARC ultimate edition and x86 ultimate edition?



The SPARC is for SPARC hardware, Scaleable Processor Archietecture, as youre running XP, youre definately on a PC so will need to load the x86 edition. The x86 edition is for PC's made to the Intel specification.Hardware as in 80286, 80386 processors. If you've not installed Solaris before then you may want to check the hardware compatibility list:


http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl/data/sol/


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## Kalim (Nov 24, 2006)

Yes as hal8000 stated; SPARC is a different processor architecture developed initially by Sun Microsystem and nowadays used in servers mainly to run on Solaris, FreeBSD, Linux OSes etc.

You'll need the x86 edition for 32bit processing.


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## scottydont2841 (Aug 3, 2005)

OK cool, thanks for all the advice guys, appreciated, now to get started on getting it going.


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## scottydont2841 (Aug 3, 2005)

Anyone seem to know a free partioning software, the two above, you need to pay for and the demos dont let you make the partition. Windows compmngr.msc wont let me make one, because following microsofts instructions don't work, i.e. it wont let me right click free space, even though its got 74.2 gb free, recently reformated, its just all blue which states primary partition or drive? As for solaris partitioner on trying to boot it, it lets me get as far as enter a percentage of free space for solaris, and its says percentage too big, thats going from 0.1% to 100%. Any ideas whats a good free one?

cheers.


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## Kalim (Nov 24, 2006)

*GParted Live CD* is free; you boot off a CD and do all you need in terms of drive management: http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php

Follow the screenshot section.


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## scottydont2841 (Aug 3, 2005)

OOOOH an ISO i was trying to avoid them because of the more burning to the small number of disks i have left at the mo. Suppose it's my only option though as most of the softwares are demos or trials, cheers kalim.


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## hal8000 (Dec 23, 2006)

Scotty... follow these install Instructions:

http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/howtoguides/installationhowto.jsp

I really think you should be using Solaris 10, its far more updated and supports much more hardware than Solaris 9. I had to download 4 iso's then burn them collectivrly as a DVD fopr Solaris 10, all done very easily under Linux with k3b, but there will be windows tools for this as well i.e. Nero etc


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## scottydont2841 (Aug 3, 2005)

Only trouble is Hal, I have Solaris 9 in uni and im a noob to linux, so i wanted it to be as similar as possible, is there much diff between the layout/functions of them? Ive also already burned the 3 solarius 9 ISOs to disk.


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## hal8000 (Dec 23, 2006)

Not having used Solaris 9, I cant answer. However I did learn a lot from "Solaris 9 for Dummies". It was in my local library so you can be certain there will be a copy at your university library.

http://www.sun.com/training/catalog/courses/CDLS-210-S10.xml

The link above is a course on the differences, but as I said before the updated Solaris 10 will recognise more Intel hardware, comes with Star Office 7 and Suns 3d java desktop and is updated with many security changes in Solaris 10.
The basic commands will be the same though, but if you have never used linux before then probably stick to Solaris 9. HTH


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## scottydont2841 (Aug 3, 2005)

Basically Solaris was a sod to put on a drive with windows, it kept wipin the disc, so i've ordered a new HD off ebay and am gonna put that on primary slave, then have XP on one HD and Solaris on the other, only thing i want to know now is, is there a free boot manager type program, even one built into windows that lets you select the OS to boot from each hard drive when you start the computer.
cheers.


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## hal8000 (Dec 23, 2006)

You can boot solaris from Grub or the Solaris Boot loader only. There may be a way to use lilo to boot Solaris but I only use Grub as it has easier to customise and each time an operating system is added its only a matter of modifying menu.lst.


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