DOCUMENT ID: 1289-02
SYNOPSIS: Frequently Asked Questions about Solaris x86 Drivers
OS RELEASE: Solaris on Intel
PRODUCT:
KEYWORDS: frequently asked questions solaris x86 drivers
DESCRIPTION:
The following is a series of questions and answers reqarding needed
software drivers for Solaris x86.
SOLUTION:
(1)
Q: We want to run Solaris on Compaq Deskpro XL 566s. However, the
following two parts of the standard hardware do not seem to be supported
(as recently as Driver Update 4):
SCSI Interface: AMD AM79C974 (PCI,SCSI-2)
NetWork: NDist ODI ? (PCI)
Are these drivers under development
A: Support for the Compaq Deskpro XL 566 is scheduled for DU5, but as with
any driver, could be dropped.
(2)
Q: When will driver update 5 be ready ?
A: DU-5 is officially available on Feb. 27.
(3)
Q: What PCI Ethernet cards drivers do you have or plan to have and when ?
A: We will have the following network card additions, and possibly a few
more, on Driver Update #5 to be posted electronically at the end of the
month;
NEW Network Adapters
--------------------
D-Link DE-510CT (VLB)*
Kingston KNE2121H (ISA)*
Mitron LX2100p PCI*
Samsung SEB-3000C PCI*
SVEC FD0455 EtherBoard-PCI*
SVEC NE2100 ISA*
* Requires driver update #5
(4)
Q: Enhanced IDE driver, I see it in the candidates, but would like more
info as to when it might be available.
A: Enhance IDE (specifically support for large disk and ATAPI CD-ROM
drives will be available in Driver Update 5 which can be obtained
electronically February 27.
(5)
Q: Looking for a driver for a NEC Multispin 4x CD-ROM.
A: Our attempts to test/certify the NEC 4x failed. We have a bug report
on file, and are working with NEC staff to resolve issues with their
firmware. It is too early to know if we will receive repaired firmware,
or will have to modify our device drive software to take the problem
into account.
(6)
Q: Do you happen to know anything on a card named ZX312 from ZNYX ? It's
a PCI combo (BNC, RJ45, AUI) full duplex 130Mo/sec 32bits 33Mhz Bus
Master Burst mode. They say they have a driver for SCO, ATT, Unixware
and Solaris. They also have the ZX314 which is 4xZX312 on a single
board and has RJ45 connectors only.
A: The PCI network cards we see most around here are SMC and Intel.
Support for the Zynx and SMC will be in Driver Update #6, as they both
use the DEC 21040 chip, for which a driver is under development.
(7)
Q: Will there be a driver for the Cogent EM 960C PCI Ethernet Card? It's
quite popular here in Germany for getting a very good test-result in the
"CT" magazine.
A: Yes, a driver that will support the Cogent EM 960C is under
development. It is still in the early development stage and will
probably be available in the May timeframe.
(8)
Q: I was interested in purchasing Solaris x86, but I would like to know
if it is possible to install off of a SoundBlaster CD-Rom drive (not the
SCSI version) and will Solaris [assuming it's installed] recognize such
a drive ?
A: Solaris only supports SCSI and ATAPI CD-ROMs. I believe the
Soundblaster CD-ROM drives are neither and therefore will not work.
(9)
Q: As you know these drivers/disk images are in tar format. Since I
cannot load Solaris X86 due to driver issues, how am I suppose to be
able to use tar or dd ?
In the future could you please post these in .ZIP format as well for
those customers who are loading or trying to load Solaris x86 for the
first time ?
A: Good feedback - Done
(10)
Q: In the Solaris x86 hardware compatibility list I did not see any
frame capture boards. Does the OS support any frame capture boards?
A: There are currently no video or frame capture cards supported by
Solaris/x86. It's certainly possible for someone to write such a
driver, but we don't include one, nor do we have any planned at this
time.
(11)
Q: I'm not sure from the HCL if the ATI Graphics Ultra Pro EISA bus
graphics card is supported.
A: We don't have one, so it's not tested, but I don't know why it
wouldn't work.
(12)
Q: I have a DELL OmniPlex 560 with 16 MB RAM , Integrated PCI Fast
SCSI-2 controller and internal 1GB SCSI Hard Disk.I can access remote
CDROM on SUN SPARC in my network. Can I run Solaris 2.4 x86 on my
machine?.
A: The Dell OmniPlex 590 is listed in the hardware compatability list.
This is just a 90MHz version of the same machine y@u h`ve, so 0ou `hou d
be jus@ fiDe. Del$ uses a$d Intel motherboard with the NCR 53C810 SCSI
chip on it. The version listed in the compatability list is SCSI BIOS
PCI Rev 2.0, so you might try to make sure you haPe t is IOS ver0ion if
afy problems develop during the install. The Phoenix BIOS was 1.0.A0(.
Qou `an o t`e b ot &rom you@ Sprc BD if yo en ble the rpHd (emote
Pr"gra LoAd Daemo*). Thee ia a ot Df cnfiuriDg yFu hve Po d
to bet Phis set up. It mig t b ea"ier to hust takA yor Stn C@ dr@ve, if
it is external, and plug it into your external SCSI connector.
(13)
Q: I am new to configuring Solaris x86. How can I change my mouse from
a MS serial mosue to MS bus? I know the install allows me to select
ahic@ ona I `ave bu I Eade the wrong selection. Is there a FAQ for
this? I tried using the sea`ch Form but din't fin$ anything that talks
about what commands will change the mouse devic .
A: her! is a uiliDy in Solaris called kdmconfig. This is used to
configure the Keyboard, Display and Mouse for running Openwindows.
First you need to unconfigure the current settings by running 'kdmconfig
-u'. Then run 'kdmconfig -cf to con igu`e t@e new e@virhnment.
(14)
Q. Please add support for Enhanced IDE hard drives, also support for
generic NE2000 ethernet cards would be nice.
A: Support for Enhanced ide ad E gle Tech NE 000 Eth rne card is
slated as a candidates for driver update 5 for solaris.
15)
Q: Are thePe a&y FX boards with drivers available for x86? I prefer
ones with a telco interface (e.g., T1-Trunk with voice capabilities) or
MVIP bus connector. I am trying to set up a large fax system (e.g., at
least 24 lines per chassis) and would like an x86 based solution.
A: Contact CMC Publications at 408-945-1557, and ask for the latest
Third-Party Software Guide. The one I have is dated 6-93, and lists one
fax pro uct Fa pak, fr m
Productivity Computer Solutions, Ltd
Monarch House
George Street
Wakefield, West Yorkshire
England WF1 1NE
tel: 44-924-379627
fax: 44-924-379
(16)
Q: Can you guys recommend a PCI ethernet board for use wit@ So ari@
2.4x86* I' e gt a lab full of 30 machines, and they all need faster
networking tha ISA ca pr vid.
A: heck the latest hardware compatibility list. This comes closest to a
recommendation. If its not on the list and we recommend it would be a
preview of the HCL. Only official recommendations can be made.
(17)
Q: Why don't you test Solaris on Digital pc machines? Like the XL, or
XL server? How much memory will solaris support on 486 dx2s?
A Wh t m chiles po t st `nd aertify is a marketing decision, based upon
projected customer demand.
Not sure what the max memsize is, but we have 2.4 systems w/ 256MB.
(18)
Q: The insTruc ionB fop ma
ing a bCot diskette seem to assume that you
have Solaris running. I am still trying to load it for the first time,
but I need the new boot diskette to do so. Is there a way to make the
diskette from DOS?
A: There is a DOS utility called "dd.exe" which will copy file to DOS
diskette.
The dd.exe is available in the "Solaris X86" library on Compuserve
as (dd.exe) or on the internet at ftp.uu.net:
/vendor/sun/sun-doc/x-86-driver directory.
(19)
Q: Hello - I have Solaris 2.4 for X86, and I do not have one of
the'correct' SCSI controllers, how can I install Solaris on my machine?
I have a SoundBlaster SCSI-2 card that acts like an adaptec AHA-1522
SCSI card. How do I take the new driver updates from Dec. 1994 and
create a boot diskette that will work? Also, if that will not work, how
can I use an Adaptec AHA-1542B SCSI controller to install Solaris for
X86?
A: You can obtain driver updates through various channels and there are
instructions as to how to create (if necessary) and load Loadable Driver
Boot Diskette.
The current update is Driver Update #5. You need this driver update.
You can obtain this update from Compuserve in the Solaris x86 library
or by calling (310) 348-6090.
(20)
Q: Can I use the 2.4 x86 Video Driver Update for my office's 2.1 x86?
A: The ones under /usr/openwin/share/etc/devdata/svpmi on 2.4 should.
These are the ones with driver name ending with *.pmi.
A: On 2.4, we added different video driver support whose name ends with
*.xqa, and these are unknown to 2.1.
Either case, the path to the driver is also changed between 2.1 and 2.4,
so you would need to manually move them to the right location under 2.1
(/usr/openwin/share/etc/vesa).
(21)
Q: Can Solaris support a page size larger than 4-Kbytes? (there is
hardware support for that)
A: Page size is not tunable. It is defined by the hardware
architecture. Currently we are at SPARC V8. The SPARC V8 SRMMU
specifies a 4K page size.
(22)
Q: Do you have a driver for the cdrom NEC 4Xi/e. I am trying to run a
dual boot with OS/2 Warp and I am having problems finding a compatible
SCSI cdrom.
A: The NEC 4Xi/e do not need any special drivers to run. The fact that
they did not make it to the Hardware compatability list is that it has
not been tested. Most of these drive would work. Pls note that you may
have to use them in the SCSI I mode during install.
(23)
Q: I don't see this IBM machine in the hardware compatibility list -
IBM PS/2 85 Type 9585-0X6. I would like to know if this one will work
will Solaris 2.4 for X86. Basically, this machine is similar to the
PS/2 95 but it is a 486SX processor.
I tried to install Solaris on this platform but it failed. Booting up
with the boot disk, it will return a bunch of TRAP errors after reading
from the CDROM.
A: There is one record in our database indicating that this platform
will work.
If you are using an IBM MCIS SCSI controller rather than the Adaptec
1640, the installation of the Operating System is only supported when
the hard drive for the system is supplied exclusively by IBM to be used
specifically with the MCIS adapter.
(24)
Q: Is the NEC Versa P with 800x600 display compatible with Solaris 2.4
X86 ?
A: The NEC Versa P video support is under development (in final test).
We are testing using the M75HC version of the notebook. It works. The
public software support will be in Driver Update #6, to be released in
late April over the net in all standard locations.
(25)
Q: Looking at the hardware compatibility document for Solaris 2.4 x86, I
see that it lists components (in particular motherboards) that have been
tested and found to work with Solaris x86. It would also be useful if
components that were tested and found to be incompatibile were also
listed. It would save me the trouble of hunting down a particular
vendor to see if they themselves had tested and succeeded with Solaris.
A: There is no incompatibile hardware listing available.
(26)
Q: Do you currently support the NCR810 controller - under solaris 2.4 X86?
A: Yes, the NCR810 is supported. You need the Driver Update files.
(27)
Q: Here at the CS department at our University we have several PC's
with UltraStor SCSI adapters. We would be interested to find if there
are plans to support drivers for these cards in the future. (especially
the 14/34F).
A: An Engineer at UltraStor wrote a Solaris 2.1 device driver.
However, that driver will not work with Solaris 2.4 and since UltraStor
is effectively out of business (according to my information) we do not
anticipate developing a Solaris 2.4 driver for UltraStor SCSI adatpers.
(28)
Q: I have an AHA2842VL and a Fujitsu DynaMO 230 (MO disk drive) that
I'd like to get it working together. All my effort were failed so far.
A: The hardware you mention is supported by Solaris 2.4 for X86. An
M/O disk should appear to the Solaris as just another SCSI hard drive.
I would suggest contacting our installation support group at
1-800-SUNSOFT.
(29)
Q: Would it be possible to support 24-bit color on the Diamond Viper
SE/VLB Video Cards? The card itself supports this configuration, so I do
not see why the driver can't support it. I would like to be able to use
the DirectColor/TrueColor X11 options.
A: We do not have support for 24-bit mode on the Viper cards yet, but
we do expect to add it for the Viper SE and Viper Pro later in the year.
But as always this is subject to change.
(30)
Q: I'm trying to get Solaris 2.4x86 loaded on my NCR 3230. My Future
domain/Toshiba 3101XM isn't being found as a device. I switched to an
Adaptec 1540C. The Update 5 boot disk finds the SCSI card but does not
load the 154x bios. And the drive isn't seen as a boot device.
A: The Toshiba 3101XM is not listed on the compatability list of
supported drives. However, the problem may simply be one of addressing
the controller or the drive. The Toshiba 3201 and 3301 are supported
and the 3101 is probably not that different. You might want to contact
Toshiba to see if there is a firmware upgrade that will make it
compatible with one of these two models. The Adaptec 154x controller
driver is built into the Solaris OS. You should see a message about the
BIOS extension being installed at some 4-digit hex address like 9BC0
when the board is detected. You must have the board set up for the
Adaptec I/O, DMA, and IRQ defaults in order for it to be detected.
Since you are using an old CD-ROM, try disabling Synchronous Negotiation
as well. The defaults are:
I/O: 330H
DMA: 5
IRQ: 11
BIOS: DC00H:0H
You might also try disabling SCSI Parity and keeping the transfer speed
to 5.7 or 5 MB/Sec. You should also check the you are not over- or
under-terminated. The 154x controllers are pretty tolerant of
termination, but a marginal cable may require it. You may even have a
bad cable that doesn't allow the drive to be seen. Last but not least,
I typically set the CD up as SCSI ID 6.
(31)
Q: Any plans for a Mitsumi CD-ROM/Controller driver?
A: Solaris currently support Mitsumi IDE (ATAPI) CD-ROM drives. We
have no plans to support any proprietary CD-ROM controllers.
(32)
Q: I would like to request a video driver for an Actix GraphicsENGINE
Ultra VLplus this is an S3 928 2MB VRAM VESA Local Bus video card and
quite generic. Is there another driver I could use.
I would like to use the 1024x768 64K resolution and the 1280x1024 256
resolution and the 1192x900
A: You can try setting up the Windows server to use a different
928-based board. This is not guaranteed to work but it might! I'd
recommend the Number 9 #9GXE, Diamond Stealth Pro, or the Elsa Winner
1000/2000.
(33)
Q: Are there USENET newsgroups for Solaris? I have tried the comp.os.*
groups, but found nothing.
A:
comp.unix.solaris
comp.sys.sun.admin
comp.sys.sun.misc
comp.unix
(34)
Q: I am going to buy the new Gateway P5-120 Mhz Elite system and I
would like to run Solaris on it. It comes with a Western Digital 1Gig x
IDE Hard Drive and fully IDE-compatible quad speed Sanyo CDROM featuring
a 3CDs changer. Have you already tested Solaris x86 2.4 on this
machine?
A: What you see on the HCL is all that is certified. Not all ide
devices will work, especially CDROMS. The best way to buy a system is
to get Gateway to stand behind the suitability of the system for
Solaris. Even name brand devices change by revision and become
incompatible.
(35)
Driver Requests:
Display cards on PCI bus on pentium machines for solaris 2.4 for x86
machines.
DELL optiplex with S3Vision864 chipset(for display adaptor)
AST Bravo 90M with cirrus Logic GD5434 chipseti(for display adaptor).
ProAudio Spectrum 16 sound card
ctix GraphicsENGINE Ultra VLplus
PCMCIA ethernet card, preferably the 3-Com 3C 509 is desired.
Diamond Speedstar Pro SE video cards for both VLB and PCI. These boards
have the Cirrus Logic 3430 chip.
Diamond Stealth 64 Video VRAM card (S3 vision 968 & TI TVP-3026
RAMDAC).
Panasonic, Sony, and/or Mitsumi interfaces in Solaris x86.
4mm DAT tape drives on 2.4 x86, especially the HP and Connor series.
DATE APPROVED: 09/28/95