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Installing Solaris 11.4 in VirtualBox Made Easy

Benhcmark Administrator

02/12/2025

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A Step-by-Step Guide to Installing Solaris 11.4 on VirtualBox

Exploring powerful, enterprise-grade operating systems is a fantastic way to expand your technical skills. Oracle Solaris, with its legendary stability, robust security features, and advanced technologies like ZFS and DTrace, is an excellent platform to master. Setting it up in a safe, isolated virtual environment is the perfect way to start. This guide provides a clear and comprehensive walkthrough for installing Solaris 11.4 in Oracle VirtualBox.

By following these steps, you can create a fully functional Solaris virtual machine (VM) on your existing Windows, macOS, or Linux system, allowing you to experiment without impacting your primary operating system.

Prerequisites: What You’ll Need

Before you begin, make sure you have the following components ready:

1. Oracle VM VirtualBox: Download and install the latest version of VirtualBox and the corresponding Extension Pack from the official website.
2. Solaris 11.4 ISO Image: You will need to download the installation media. This is available from the Oracle Technology Network. You’ll need a free Oracle account to access the download. Be sure to grab the x86 Text Installer ISO file.
3. Sufficient System Resources: Ensure your host machine has at least 8GB of RAM and a multi-core processor. You will dedicate a portion of these resources to the virtual machine.

Step 1: Creating Your Solaris Virtual Machine

First, we need to create and configure the virtual machine that will house our Solaris installation.

1. Open VirtualBox and click the “New” button.
2. In the “Create Virtual Machine” window, enter the following details:
   • Name: Solaris 11.4 (or another descriptive name)
   • Type: Select Solaris
   • Version: Select Oracle Solaris 11 (64-bit)
3. Click “Next” to configure memory. Allocate at least 4096 MB (4 GB) of RAM for decent performance. If you have enough system memory, 8192 MB (8 GB) is even better.
4. On the Hard Disk screen, select “Create a virtual hard disk now” and click “Create”.
5. Choose VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) as the hard disk file type.
6. Select “Dynamically allocated” for storage. This allows the virtual disk file to grow as needed, saving space initially.
7. Set the virtual hard disk size. A minimum of 32 GB is recommended to provide enough space for the OS and future applications. Click “Create” to finish.

Step 2: Fine-Tuning VM Settings for Optimal Performance

With the base VM created, we need to adjust a few settings before starting the installation. Select your new Solaris 11.4 VM from the list in VirtualBox and click “Settings”.

• System > Processor: Increase the number of allocated processors. Assign at least 2 CPU cores to ensure the system runs smoothly.
• Display > Screen: Increase the Video Memory to the maximum possible value (typically 128 MB).
• Network: The default NAT setting is fine for basic internet access. However, if you want the VM to have its own IP address on your local network (making it accessible from other devices), change Attached to: to Bridged Adapter.
• Storage: This is a critical step.
  • Click on the Storage category on the left.
  • Under the “Storage Devices” list, select the Empty optical drive icon.
  • On the right-hand side, click the small disc icon and select “Choose a disk file…”.
  • Navigate to and select the Solaris 11.4 ISO file you downloaded earlier.

Click “OK” to save all your changes.

Step 3: Installing the Solaris 11.4 Operating System

Now you’re ready to begin the installation process.

1. Select your Solaris VM and click the “Start” button.
2. The VM will boot from the ISO image. At the first GRUB menu, press Enter to select “Oracle Solaris 11.4”.
3. The text-based installer will load. You will be prompted to select your keyboard layout and language. Follow the on-screen instructions.
4. When you reach the main installation menu, press F2 to continue. The installer will detect your virtual hard disk.
5. You’ll be asked how to partition the disk. For a virtual machine, the simplest and most common choice is to use the whole disk. Select this option and proceed.
6. Next, configure your computer name, timezone, and date.
7. Crucially, you will need to set up user accounts. You will be prompted to create a password for the root user and to create a separate administrative user account. For security, it is best practice to perform daily tasks with the regular user account and only use the root account when necessary. Be sure to choose strong, unique passwords.
8. The installer will present a summary of your configuration. Review the details carefully. If everything looks correct, press F2 to begin the installation.
9. The process will take some time as the system copies and configures files. Once complete, you will be prompted to reboot.

Before rebooting, go to the Devices > Optical Drives menu in the VirtualBox window and click “Remove disk from virtual drive”. This prevents the VM from booting into the installer again. Then, proceed with the reboot from within the installer.

Step 4: Post-Installation and VirtualBox Guest Additions

After your new Solaris VM reboots, you can log in using the user account you created. The final step for optimal usability is to install the VirtualBox Guest Additions. This software improves performance and adds features like automatic screen resizing, mouse pointer integration, and shared folders.

1. With the Solaris VM running, go to the Devices menu in the VirtualBox window and select “Insert Guest Additions CD Image…”.
2. Open a Terminal in Solaris.
3. Run the following command to install the Guest Additions package. You will be prompted for your password.
   bash
pkg install --accept vbox-guest-additions

4. The system will download and install the necessary packages.
5. Once the installation is complete, reboot your virtual machine for the changes to take effect.
   bash
reboot


Congratulations! You now have a fully functional Oracle Solaris 11.4 virtual machine running in VirtualBox. You can start exploring its powerful command-line tools, learn about the ZFS file system, and experiment with its advanced networking and security capabilities in a safe and repeatable environment. As a final security tip, remember to periodically run pkg update to keep your system patched and secure.

Source: https://kifarunix.com/easily-install-solaris-11-4-on-virtualbox/