Archive for the 'Operating System' Category

Someone told me to look at the banner. How do I check the banner on my Sun box? What information can I get from the banner command?

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008

A: SUMMARY: 1) From wherever you are, bring the machine to the OK prompt. 2) At the OK prompt, type banner. 3) Reading and understanding banner information.

I forgot my Solaris password. How do I wipe out, bypass or disable the root password in Solaris?

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

A: There are several situations you might find yourself in which might require you to bypass or temporarily disable the root password on a Solaris machine. For example, you have an old Sun machine that you pulled out of the closet, or someone might have asked you to fix their Sun machine. In any case, […]

“Bus Fault” when trying to probe-scsi-all on a Sun Ultra 5

Monday, February 4th, 2008

I had a customer recently call me with a “bus fault” when he was trying to probe-scsi-all from the ok prompt. On separate occasions, I had sold him an Ultra 5 and a Dual Differential SCSI card (part# 375-0006) and he had just recently installed the SCSI Card into the Ultra 5 with the aforementioned […]

I have a Cable Modem or DSL connection (or some type of broadband) and I am using a router/sharing device (i.e. Linksys, Netgear, UGate, etc…) to hook up several PCs to my broadband connection. How do I add my Sun box to the network so I can surf the web and check email from it, etc?

Monday, January 7th, 2008

UNFINISHED: – re-read and complete A: This solution is assuming you don’t have a configured network connection on your Sun box. It will start you from the very beginning, undoing any configuration that has been previously done. Make sure you’ve got a network cable plugged into your hub/router before starting. NOTE: This solution is assuming […]

Whenever I log into my machine and I try to hit the backspace key, it does not erase characters like I expect it to. Instead, it prints a ^H for each keypress. How do I erase?

Tuesday, July 17th, 2007

A: Solaris gurus don’t ever make mistakes. That’s why the backspace key doesn’t work! KIDDING! Seriously, though — similar to this solution, you should only be getting this error if you are consoled into a machine via a null modem cable, if you have telnet-ed into a remote machine or if you are using a […]

I’m trying to use vi, but instead of clearing the screen and allowing me to view my file, it jumbles the file and none of the commands react as expected; or in more general terms, “In console (command line) mode, I’m trying to use any application that requires use of the full screen (SunVTS, vi, etc) and when I launch it, it doesn’t correctly show the entire screen. It looks like a garbled version of the application I’m trying to use.”

Tuesday, July 17th, 2007

A: If you are using CDE, Gnome or another GUI, you should not be experiencing this problem. If you are, I’m not quite sure what the problem is, but this solution probably won’t help you. Still, you’re free to try. This solution is only needed by those either consoled into a machine via a null […]

How do I save a file in vi? How do I make changes in vi? How do I move around in the vi editor?

Monday, July 16th, 2007

A: Read detailed explanation below.

How can I establish a serial connection (aka tip hardwire session) from one Sun machine to another?

Friday, July 13th, 2007

A: Depending on which Sun machines you are connecting, you will need a certain type of null modem cable suited to that machine. Most older Sun machines (UltraSPARC II and some III) will require a DB25 male connector on the end. Newer ones (some UltraSPARC III and IV) will need RJ-45 serial connections.

How can I establish a serial connection from my Windows PC to my Sun Solaris machine?

Wednesday, July 11th, 2007

A: Depending on which Sun machine you are connecting to, you will need a specific type of null modem cable suited to that machine. Most Sun UltraSparc II-class machines will require a DB25 male connector on the Sun end. Sun’s UltraSPARC III-class and higher machines have a healthy mix of DB25 and RJ-45 connectors. Plus […]