Introduction

Oracle Solaris 11

In this lab we introduce the most interesting features of Oracle Solaris 11, based on real life use cases. We will:

  • create a disk pool and a file system with ZFS; expand it; snapshot and clone it; use ZFS compression and deduplication; use ZFS migration for backup: ZFS Lab
  • create a new boot environment as a backup, make our current system unbootable because of some fatal mistakes, reboot the system using backup BE: Boot Environments Lab
  • use new packaging system called IPS to search, install, verify and fix packages; update the system using IPS and Boot Environments together: IPS Lab
  • use new networking commands, configure virtual network interfaces: Networking Lab
  • create a couple of Solaris virtual environments (zones); install some applications into them; clone a zone; use Resource Management with the zones: Virtualization Lab
  • learn how to install systems and zones with Automated Installer: AI Lab
  • compare two virtualization options available in Oracle Solaris: non-global zones and kernel zones: Kernel Zones Lab

Prerequisites

This lab requires access to an Oracle Solaris 11 system either natively or in a VirtualBox virtual machine.

Using Virtual Box VM

If you're performing this lab on your laptop or desktop, we've provided a VirtualBox appliance that contains all the software and configuration necessary to complete this lab. All you need is VirtualBox software and a modern (with a CPU supporting virtualization turned on, AMD-V or VT-x) laptop/desktop with at least 3 GB of RAM and 10GB of free disk space.

  • Download and install the latest version of VirtualBox for your platform (http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads).
  • Download and install the latest version of VirtualBox Extensions Pack (http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads).
  • Download or find on the provided DVD/USB and import the Hands On Lab machine into VirtualBox (File > Import Appliance). You will have to accept the OTN Oracle Solaris license to use the appliance.

The Environment

In this lab we are going to use Oracle Solaris 11 virtual appliance in Oracle VirtualBox environment. If you are using lab machines, the appliance is already installed. You can also download the appliance from Oracle Technology Network: (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/solaris11/downloads/vm-templates-2245495.html)

By default, VirtualBox assigns the IP address 10.0.2.15 to the Solaris global zone. We will be using also IP addresses 10.0.2.21 and 10.0.2.22 for local zones. As we are using VirtualBox in NAT (network address translation) mode, this shouldn't interfere with your outside network environment.

You should login into Solaris desktop with the following credentials:

Username: lab Password: oracle1

After logging in, open a terminal window and assume the root role:

lab@solaris:~$ su -

Password for root is: solaris1.

Note: we don't recommend to log in as root. In Oracle Solaris 11 it is prohibited by default; root is only a role, not a login name.

Putting It All Together

The whole idea of this lab is to show you some Oracle Solaris 11 features that can be used to create a cloud infrastructure based on Solaris. You have just created storage pools and filesystems—think cloud storage. It was fast, it was simple, it was flexible. You have created and cloned Solaris zones with applications within them—think cloud machine instances. You have monitored and managed zones resources—think cloud elasticity, metering and chargeback. Add to that Solaris network virtualization, Solaris security, Solaris software lifecycle management and many other features which make Oracle Solaris 11 truly cloud-oriented operating system. Try them and learn more about Solaris 11!

Final Notes

The virtual appliance we used in this lab is configured to be able to perform zone installation without network access. Namely, we've configured an internal repository with just a small subset of packages necessary for zone installations. If you are going to continue using this appliance with open network access, you will need to change the repository address to Oracle's standard Solaris repository.

root@solaris:~# pkg set-publisher -G '*' -M '*' -g http://pkg.oracle.com/solaris/release -P solaris

Further Oracle Solaris Education

This Hands-on Lab is just and introduction in Oracle Solaris 11 world. We highly recommend to continue your education with Oracle University. There is a full set of new courses covering Oracle Solaris 11:

  • Transition to Oracle Solaris 11
  • What's New in Oracle Solaris 11
  • What's New in Oracle Solaris 11 (Self-Study)
  • Oracle Solaris 11 System Administration
  • Oracle Solaris 11 Advanced System Administration

Get more details at the Oracle University page: http://bit.ly/OracleSolaris11Edu .

If you prefer to study Oracle Solaris 11 on your own, there are a lot of books available: Oracle Solaris 11 books on Amazon

Don't miss Oracle Solaris channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/OracleSolaris and especially the screencasts of most of the labs in this course: