The install team has been working on a text-based installer for OpenSolaris.
While this installer is not quite complete, given the timing of the SXCE to
OpenSolaris transition, we are making available a preliminary version of the
text installer, based on OpenSolaris build 131:

o supports SPARC/x86
o 512 MB minimum memory requirement
o cpio based install
o installs basic headless server environment (no Gnome Desktop)
o tip/serial line install recommended for SPARC

These are pre-integration bits from the project gate. Updates will be provided
with each successive build of OpenSolaris until such time as a formal delivery
is complete (after 2010.03) and RE assumes the building and distribution of images.

The CD images are located at:
SPARC:
http://dlc.sun.com/osol/install/downloads/text_install/131/textinstall-131-sparc.iso
Size: 674 MB

x86:
http://dlc.sun.com/osol/install/downloads/text_install/131/textinstall-131-x86.iso
Size: 680 MB
http://dlc.sun.com/osol/install/downloads/text_install/131/textinstall-131-x86.usb
Size: 816 MB

MD5 sums are located at:
http://dlc.sun.com/osol/install/downloads/text_install/131/md5sum.txt

Please read the release notes page at:
http://hub.opensolaris.org/bin/view/Project+caiman/Text+Install+b131+Notes
for known limitations, a FAQ, and a link to open bugs.

Bugs can be filed on bugzilla at http://defect.opensolaris.org
Classification: Development
Product: installer
Component: textui

For more information on the text installer, see:

http://hub.opensolaris.org/bin/view/Project+caiman/TextInstallerProject

Please refer any questions to: caiman-discuss@opensolaris.org

Thanks,
Sue

There’s been some confusion over the upcoming changes as SXCE ends while
Nevada builds continue to be published to the IPS package repositories,
so this is an attempt to clear up some of that.   (Just in case it’s unclear,
I am writing this is as an engineer trying to explain our work – I am not any
sort of official spokesman, nor am I announcing any policy changes.)

What’s changing at build 131:

- The OS install images will only be available in IPS packaged formats.
This means installs will be done via LiveCD (x86) or Automated
Installer (SPARC or x86) – the old Install DVD, network install,
jumpstart, and live upgrade all rely on the SXCE/SVR4 packaged
images,    which will not be available after build 130.

Most consolidations provide the same packages via both mechanisms,
though the IPS versions have some changes, such as merging the
split / (root) and /usr filesystem packages into one combined package.

A number of packages that were already scheduled for removal from the
next release of Solaris, or which are not redistributable due to third
party license encumbrances, are not included in the IPS repositories.

For instance, for X, we’ve not packaged Xsun or the legacy SPARC graphics
drivers in IPS format, so once this changeover is done, SPARC
platforms will only have Xorg, and only have the graphics drivers for
astfb (AST2000, 2100), efb (XVR-50, 100, 300), and kfb (XVR-2500).

CDE has similarly only had IPS conversions done of the packages for
the non-EOF portions (Motif, Tooltalk, dtksh, etc.) and most of the
CDE desktop applications & environment will go away in the transition.

What’s not changing at build 131:

- Build schedules – still every two weeks (except at holidays), still
following the same Nevada build schedule and build sequence – the
builds continue to be numbered “snv_131″, “snv_132″, etc.

See http://hub.opensolaris.org/bin/view/Community+Group+on/schedule
for the ongoing schedules for when the code freezes occur and the
packages are delivered to the release engineers who build the ISO
images and IPS repositories.   As before, these are *build* schedules,
not release schedules, and release of the built product remains about
two weeks behind the build date shown.

- Bug tracking – the release is still “solaris_nevada”, and the builds
have the same names as before.   Developers won’t start ignoring
all “nevada” bugs, but once the changeover happens bugs that only
affect the SVR4 install methods (live upgrade, pkghistory, postinstall
scripts, etc.) may be either marked with the “no-snv+” keyword
to indicate they are not Nevada bugs if they affect prior releases
of Solaris, or closed as will-not-fix if they only applied to the
Nevada versions.

Bugs for most of the OS should still be filed into Sun’s bugster
database via the http://bugs.opensolaris.org/ website, though
IPS, OpenSolaris Installation, and Desktop bugs should continue to
be filed in the bugzilla database at http://defect.opensolaris.org/

- Code repositories – the Nevada gates/repositories for all the
consolidations will still be used – onnv for ON, XW_NV for X,
sfwnv for SFW, etc.

- The packages created by building the code – for the next few builds,
all consolidations will continue to generate SVR4 packages for their
builds, and the IPS team will continue to convert them to IPS, just
as they have been since the IPS builds started for the first
OpenSolaris release.

ON will be changing generate IPS packages first, after the 2010.03
release of OpenSolaris, as noted in:

http://mail.opensolaris.org/pipermail/on-discuss/2010-January/001461.html

The rest of the consolidations will change in later builds, once
we see what issues ON hits, and the necessary infrastructure is
in place for delivering IPS packages from consolidations to the
central Release Engineering repository.  X, Desktop, & SFW are next
in line after ON, and have been working with Liane & the ON/IPS team
on planning for our changeovers.

I hope this helps with confusion people have had – if not, try asking
your questions on the appropriate OpenSolaris.Org mailing list or web
forum.