Mount NTFS partitions in solaris

Today I mount my ntfs partitions in my solaris system (presently I am using solaris express developer edition 9/07). [ This method is also applicable for SXDE 1/08 and OpenSolaris 2008.05 ]. Here I am giving you a step by step instruction for the process :

1) Install the FSWpart package

Download : Click here.
Uncompress: gunzip -c FSWpart.tar.gz | tar xvf -
Install: pkgadd -d . FSWpart

2) Install the FSWfsmisc package

Download : Click here.
Uncompress: gunzip -c FSWfsmisc.tar.gz | tar xvf -
Install: pkgadd -d . FSWfsmisc

3) execute the following to identify your ntfs partitions , then press 6.

#fdisk /dev/rdsk/c1d0p0

I got a result like :

Total disk size is 14593 cylinders
Cylinder size is 16065 (512 byte) blocks

Cylinders
Partition Status Type Start End Length %
========= ====== ============ ===== === ====== ===
1 IFS: NTFS 0 3186 3187 22
2 Active Solaris2 3187 7132 3946 27
3 IFS: NTFS 10320 14592 4273 29
4 EXT-DOS 7133 10319 3187 22


SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
1. Create a partition
2. Specify the active partition
3. Delete a partition
4. Change between Solaris and Solaris2 Partition IDs
5. Exit (update disk configuration and exit)
6. Cancel (exit without updating disk configuration)
Enter Selection:
6
#

note the digits before IFS: NTFS. In my system c1dop1 and c1d0p3 were ntfs partitions.

4) Make a mount point.

#mkdir /mnt/windowsa
(and #mkdir /mnt/windowsb)


5) execute the following command according to your partition no.

#mount -F ntfs -o ro /dev/dsk/c1d0p1 /mnt/windowsa
(and #mount -F ntfs -o ro /dev/dsk/c1d0p3 /mnt/windowsb)

6) This step is optional. you may perform this step if you want to mount a partition
during system startup.

#gedit /etc/vfstab

Now you need to add one line for each partition in the end of this file :

/dev/dsk/c1d0p1 - /mnt/windowsa ntfs - yes -
(and /dev/dsk/c1d0p3 - /mnt/windowsb ntfs - yes -)


Click here if you want to mount ntfs partitions of an external usb device.

Click here to check out official documentation.

Also check out how to Mount NTFS / Ext2 / Ext3 / FAT 16 / FAT 32 in Solaris from Pradhap's blog.

Audio,Video player for Linux and Solaris

I am using fedora 7 and solaris XDE 9/07. I am using 'mplayer' in linux system since long. It can play almost all audio and video formats. If you want to download it in your linux system , simply execute the following command to get it via subversion :

#svn checkout svn://svn.mplayerhq.hu/mplayer/trunk mplayer

Update using :

#cd /mplayer
#svn update

Install mplayer in easy steps :

#./configure
#make
#make install

Mplayer is now installed in your system. Check "man mplayer" for necessary instructions. If you want to play a media file using 'mplayer' ,follow the steps :
'open with..' --> browse --> choose 'mplayer' from installation directory (/mplayer).

[ Check out how to add skin to mplayer ]

"MPlayer" is also available for solaris. Simply execute

#pkg-get -i mplayer

If you don't know how to use pkg-get in solaris , click here.

If you want to play a media file using 'mplayer' ,follow the steps :
'open with..' --> browse --> choose 'gmplayer' from /opt/csw/bin.

That's all !! use mplayer and enjoy !!

[ This method is NOT applicable for OpenSolaris 2008.05 , Check Out how to install mplayer on OpenSolaris 2008.05 from "Sound & Video" ]

yum in Linux , pkg-get in Solaris

I am using fedora 7 and solaris express developer edition (9/07) in my multiboot system. 'yum' is always my favorite for updating my linux system and softawre installations.

[Check out other ways of software installation and new IPS feature of OpenSolaris 2008.05!!]

Blastwave offers similar kind of help to solaris users. A simple 'pkg-get -i xxxxxx' command will install your required softwares in your system without creating any problem. You need to simply install 'pkg-get' and 'wget' in your system to use this. what I did ,

# pkgadd -d http://www.blastwave.org/pkg_get.pkg

# /opt/csw/bin/pkg-get -i wget

If you use yum , sometime you must use '-y' option to avoid annoying user interaction. Similarly , you can execute the following command in solaris :

#cp -p /var/pkg-get/admin-fullauto /var/pkg-get/admin

Now , if you want to install xxxxxx in your system , you need to simply execute

#/opt/csw/bin/pkg-get -i xxxxxx

If you want a list of available packages , click here.

For step by step installation instructions , click here.

Fedora update solved wireless issue

I am using Fedora 7 distribution in my system. I have a wireless router through which I want to connect my system to Internet. My installation dvd contains fedora of kernel version "2.6.21-1.3194.fc7". After correctly configuring my wireless network connection when I clicked the "activate" button I get an error message like:

Error for wireless request "Set Bit Rate" (8B20) :
SET failed on device wlan0 ; Operation not supported.

Anyway, I decide to update my system and applied "yum -y update". after update operation, I found that a new kernel version "2.6.23.15-80.fc7" has been installed. I didn't change any of my network settings after the update procedure, but now I can activate it without any problem.

Reinstall solaris grub menu

ohhh no !!!!! my fedora update killed my solaris grub menu !! I have a multiboot system where I was using fedora's grub . Yestarday , I applied "yum -y update" to update my system . But, after that I was facing a strange problem. After switching on my laptop when I select solaris and press the return key it was showing me something like :

Solaris XDE 9/07
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader =1
GRUB

and after a moment boot prompt was coming again ,i.e solaris grub menu was not coming up.

Anyway, before fedora update , /etc/grub.conf was looking like :

#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=15
splashimage=(hd0,4)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora 7 (2.6.21-1.3194.fc7)
root (hd0,4)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.21-1.3194.fc7 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.21-1.3194.fc7.img
title Solaris XDE 9/07
rootnoverify (hd0,1)

chainloader +1

title Windows XP SP3
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

after fedora update it became :

#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=15
splashimage=(hd0,4)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.23.15-80.fc7)
root (hd0,4)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.23.15-80.fc7 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.23.15-80.fc7.img
title Fedora 7 (2.6.21-1.3194.fc7)
root (hd0,4)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.21-1.3194.fc7 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.21-1.3194.fc7.img
title Solaris XDE 9/07
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader +1
title Windows XP SP3
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

I couldn't get how fedora update can affect solaris grub menu , anyway I decided to reinstall solaris grub. To do so , I insert my installation dvd , restart my system and choose single user shell during sxde installation.
I mount my system in /a and execute the following command :

/sbin/installgrub -m /boot/grub/stage1 /boot/grub/stage2 /dev/rdsk/c0d0s0

(in your system it maybe /dev/rdsk/c1d0s0).

In this way , solaris grub recovered .I just added the following lines in solaris /boot/grub/menu.lst to boot linux from solaris grub menu :

title Fedora (2.6.23.15-80.fc7)
root (hd0,4)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.23.15-80.fc7 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.23.15-80.fc7.img

click here to check out my discussion with jlliagre in http://www.linuxquestions.org/.

Update :: This method is also applicable for SXDE 1/08 grub menu reinstallation.

HD Audio driver for Solaris

After solaris (sxde 9/07 & sxde 1/08) installation , I found that my master volume is cross marked. It says me that either my sound device is not detected / installed (probably due to driver problem) or it has some configuration error.
my sound device has a profile like:

vendor : Intel corporation
model : 82801G (ICH7 family)
HD Audio controller
device setting : PCM device
CONEXANT analog


Anyway , After my web search I found open sound system driver which you can download from here. simply submit your operating system and download free driver. view the readme file for installation instructions.
I installed it in my system , restart and my sound device started working perfectly !!

Reboot Solaris

I am using solaris os (SXDE 9/07) and I am using the following command to reboot my system as no restart button is available in the start menu by default.

$su
Password:
#shutdown -y -i6 -g0

You can use "#reboot" if you are using SXDE 1/08 or OpenSolaris 2008.05.

Network Configuration in Solaris

I have a router : HUEWEI QUIDWAY WA1003A. My desktop pc and my laptop with 5 operating systems all together is connected through that router. I have disabled DHCP and using different static ip address for all of them. For solaris I set up a lan client in my router configuration with ip address 192.168.1.103 and mac address of my system.
NWAM was enabled by default. I took following steps to configure my network connection :
1)I edit /etc/nwam/llp which was previously :
wpi0 dhcp
and now :
wpi0 static 192.168.1.103/24
2)I edit /etc/defaultrouter
192.168.1.1
3)I add a default gateway permanently:
#route -p add default 192.168.1.1
4)I edit a line of /etc/nsswitch.conf which was previously :
hosts: files
and now ;
hosts: files dns
5)I edit /etc/resolv.conf
nameserver 192.168.1.1

after that I restart nwam ("svcadm restart nwam") and a pop up message told me that connection to WA1003A (MY ROUTER)has been established and got ip address 192.168.1.103.

This method I followed for SXDE 9/07 and SXDE 1/08. Check out my configuration details for OpenSolaris 2008.05 from here.

Multi Boot system (Solaris , linux and windows)

Today I have installed solaris expressed developer edition (SXDE) in my system. This post would be helpful for those who want to install SXDE in their system with multiboot option.
I was trying to install three different operating systems like linux (fedora 7) , solaris (SXDE 9/07) and windows (xp professional).

I had vista ultimate in my system before. During my installation , first I delete a partition , then create a new primary partition of "linux-swap" filesystem by using gparted. sxde installation starts normally , continued upto 5% then show me an error "not enough space is available..." . 20Gb is recommended for SXDE and my partition was of 25Gb. I tried once more , but same thing happend again !
I started searching web and came to know that vista preinstalled systems behave really strange (due to different 'fdisk' system between vista and solaris) during solaris installation. (you can read it from here). Then I decided to shrink my last partition by 9 Mb. I did it with gparted , tried to install sxde twice , but same error stopped the installation process each time.

after that , I decided to format my whole harddisk . so , I took backup of every important data and formatted my 120 Gb harddisk into 4 partitions...

• first partition : 25 gb for windows xp. (primary , ntfs).
• second partition : 30 gb for sxde . (primary , linux-swap).
• third partition : 25 gb for fedora 7. (deleted later , unallocated).
• fourth partition : remaining for data.(logical,ntfs).

I installed windows xp first , then sxde and at last linux. During linux installation I have chosen "keep all partitions and use unallocated space" ; 'review and modify' : checked. In the second page I added windows xp (/dev/sda1) and solaris (/dev/sda2). (/dev/sda1) was already there in name of 'other'.

This time everything was going on normally and I was successful to install all of them in my system properly.