Another patch question

[tech84]

Hi,

I'm just starting to familiarize myself with the Solaris OS. I've got the OS installed on several sparc and intel platforms at home, because I'm attempting to learn to network them, use NFS, NIS, DNS, Jumpstart, etc. I have just the base install on all machines. For instance, on one intel box, uname -a shows SunOS 5.8 Generic_108529-07 i86pc. My question is, should I install the latest recommended patch cluster, or just patch 108529-16 (the latest version)? Is 108529-16 what's called a kernel patch, or am I just making that up? I've learned that it's most important to get the security patches, but there are so many patches to wade through to figure out which ones I may need.

Also, the readme file for the recommended patch cluster states that one should inspect the readme file on all the individual patches to see what special installation instructions there may be. The latest recommended patch cluster contains 96 patches! That's a helluva lot of reading/documenting. Some patches require that other patches be applied first, but those needed patches are not a part of the cluster, etc. This looks like an all-day affair. Is this how you pros do it, or is there a shortcut?

Thank you very much for your time!

Mike

 

[Annihilannic]

The 108528/9 patches are known as the Kernel Jumbo Patches (KJPs) for that version of the OS. I would recommend you just install the latest 8_Recommended.zip and any additional patches only if you find you need them for a particular reason.

I don't think anyone reads *all* the patch READMEs.

With some patch sets I've found that the patch_order file (if present) isn't quite in teh right order and doesn't satisfy all dependencies. To be sure you could try installing the same set of patches twice if you notice some dependencies which are include din the bundle aren't satisfied on the first run. Annihilannic.

 

[tech84]

Annihilannic,

Thanks for your response. I'm glad to hear that I'm not expected to read every patch readme!

I'm not experienced enough to know whether I have particular problems with my Solaris boxes or not . At this stage, if something's not working right, I don't know if it's a problem with the OS or something I did wrong. So do you think I should just go ahead with the recommended cluster, or leave it alone? None of these are production boxes, or anything. But I am curious as to what a Solaris administrator would do in the real world when initially setting up a fresh install.

Thanks again for your help!

Mike

 

[Annihilannic]

Just install the 8_Recommended cluster and you should be fine. Annihilannic.

 

[tech84]

Will do. Thanks!

Mike